Actress

Updated 8/1/25 Much of the 1980s sitcom scene was indisputably dominated by The Facts of Life, which came with its own strong pedigree as a spinoff to the other revolutionary series, Diff'rent Strokes. Eastland School housed a charismatic cast of characters since day one, though the coolest and toughest of them all was the motorcycle-riding Joanna Marie "Jo" Polniaczek. Her arc with Blair beautifully proved people's ability to come together and form lasting bonds, no matter their background - and this after the two got off on the wrong foot. Nancy McKeon was recruited for the vital role of sparking renewed interest in the show, a crucial move that proved very fruitful. But when it came time for a cast reunion, McKeon was nowhere to be seen with her former roommates and classmates; instead, she was contending with family trials. What happened to keep her away? Nancy McKeon was born on April 4, 1966, and spent much of her youth in her native New York. But even so far from Hollywood, she was getting exposure to the limelight when she was just two as a clothing model for the Sears & Roebuck catalog's baby outfits. Entertainment seemed a family affair, as her brother Philip McKeon would become both a television star and radio personality in his own right. In fact, their parents took both brother and sister to that modeling audition that kicked off both their careers. Within seven years, the pair completed 65 commercials. When McKeon was around ten, Philip landed the role of Tommy Hyatt from Alice, partly inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Series lead Linda Lavin knew Philip was the one when she saw him perform in a 1974 Broadway production of Medea and Jason. The calling card View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nancy McKeon (fanpage) (@believeinmckeon) There were fewer options left now; the family planted roots in California, which would make things easier for the younger McKeon sibling soon anyway, though not without a few bumps in the road. "I was happy for Philip, but I had to start all over again," McKeon admitted of the move across the country. "I was getting up at quarter to 5, practicing singing and dancing before school and again when I came home, but nothing was happening. I thought of quitting." Alice ran from 1976 to 1985, and so saw Philip grow up over the years. In '78, after appearances in Starsky & Hutch and Return to Fantasy Island, McKeon joined her brother with an appearance referred to only as Orphan Girl. Over the next decade, McKeon would add several more shows to her resume, including The Love Boat, Stone, The Trouble with Miss Switch, and the ABC Afterschool Special anthology. This was all great experience to gain, but her big break came through her roots on commercials when network chief Fred Silverman saw her in an ad for Hallmark greeting cards. What really sold the exec was McKeon's ability to cry on cue, just the right remarkable display of control needed for a long-term gig. Jo Polniaczek revitalizes a doomed series THE FACTS OF LIFE, Nancy McKeon, (ca. early 1980s), 1979-1988, © Embassy Pictures / Courtesy: Everett Collection The Facts of Life season one was a crowded introduction. The first half-dozen episodes featured not only numerous girls but the teachers as well. Having a lot of characters to love is great but viewers also wanted them to feel real, to have lives of their own; there can be too much of a good thing and the oversaturation left everyone little breathing room. So, for the second season, the producers trimmed the excess; only what was working stayed, and the rest of the clutter went away. Then came Jo, named after the character from Little Women, to cap it all off. Ironically, McKeon further won over director John Bowab by holding back the tears that won her such regard. "I distinctly remember asking Nancy, ‘Even though it says cry, don’t cry. I want you to hold back and make the audience cry,'" he recalled of her screen test. "And she did. Everybody in the control room was shattered." In yet another twist, Jo would often boast a tough nonchalance - though fans learned that was masking some potent emotions. Jo over the years / © Embassy Pictures / Courtesy: Everett Collection McKeon was a big part of the complex emotional tightrope Jo frequently straddled. "Jo originally was a lot like the Fonz," she shared, adding, "then they wanted to take away some of her dominance, which I didn't want to do. So we talked about it, and came up with the way she is now. She's not the Fonz, she's not a wimp; she stands out alone." Producers also kept her from wearing a lot of makeup or feminine clothing, the better to help her stand out compared to Blair. Like dominos, the approach McKeon took with Jo as the new tough girl allowed Blair to become the spoiled rich girl archetype. The shakeup helped, as the show's Nielsen Rating increased exponentially in the subsequent seasons, starting from 4.5 and increasing to 19.3. Rocky transition period CAN'T HURRY LOVE, Nancy McKeon, 1995. © CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection While the women enjoyed the spotlight and a lot of deserved fanfare, McKeon feels that left the male characters falling short of being properly utilized, realized, and brought to their full potential. But McKeon found a greater source of grievance during the sixth season, when she reportedly boycotted some episodes. While co-star Lisa Welchel protested the message of "First Time," McKeon reportedly wanted to renegotiate her salary and that of her castmates, pushing for more pay. Ultimately, the series reached its peak in the early years and ended on a moderate note with a Nielsen Rating of 14.6, the lowest it would be since its overhaul but better than how it started. The writers were ready for another go, but McKeon and Mindy Cohn were ready to say goodbye - at least for the series. Fans were treated to events celebrating this latest cultural touchstone over the years. When The Facts of Life ended in '88, McKeon was into adulthood and set to continue acting. Her film career gained brief traction in the '90s with Where the Day Takes You, Teresa's Tattoo, The Wrong Woman, Just Write, and A Wakening, the latter of which saw her serve as director and writer. However, her time on the big screen would not extend past the turn of the century. And her television career was marked twice by missing a big role to another actress. First, she was a favorite to lead in a sitcom adaptation of Working Girl only for Sandra Bullock to land the job; then, she auditioned to play Monica Gellar on Friends. Ultimately, Courteney Cox would play that role, but there is no bad blood between them. "I have no hard feelings. The role went to the right person," said McKeon. "Courteney was brilliant. Now, I can’t see anybody playing the role, not even myself." Family and fame The Division / ©Lifetime TV/Courtesy Everett Collection Around this time, in '95, McKeon met film technician Marc Andrus while working on the Hallmark movie A Mother's Gift. By 2003, the pair were wed. This was treated with the same pension for privacy as her past quiet relationship, that being with actor and Parkinson's research advocate Michael J. Fox in the '80s. The wedding ceremony with Andrus was intimate and only had 20 guests. In 2004 and 2006, the couple welcomed daughters Harlow and Aurora respectively and settled on a ranch near Austin, Texas. In the early 2000s, fans could see McKeon with regular work again in 88 episodes of The Division as Inspector Jinny Exstead. Again, she exercised some of her directing muscles for the episodes "Full Moon" and "The Cost of Freedom." It's said that to get into character, McKeon spent time with a police force for research. Through it all, she was lovingly teased by co-star Lisa Vidal, remembered always as Jo. "I remind her all the time -- just in a very sweet way -- because I loved her, because who didn't love Nancy McKeon as Jo," joked Vidal. "I told her I've got to come clean about something 'I can't believe I'm working with you because I grew up watching you on television.'" Losing Philip McKeon McKeon in 2011 / ImageCollect Meanwhile, her brother, who had been labeled a teen idol for his Alice fame, had branched out into radio, working in the news department of KFWB AM 980 before becoming co-host of The Breakfast Taco. His last on-screen credit was a direct-to-video film from 1994 called Ghoulies 4. Their paths stopped crossing after that, but a source told PEOPLE that "She and Philip were very, very close." Philip called McKeon "one of the best actresses in the world" and McKeon believed he would "become one of the finest directors of our time." Family would be important to McKeon through joys and sorrows, which reached a particular head in 2019. First, in October, their father passed away. McKeon mentioned this in a birthday message for her brother on November 11, writing, "A huge happy birthday to my big brother. It’s been a tough time lately... but as we’ve always said...we’ll get through it together." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nancy McKeon (@nancymckeonofficial) Then, on December 10, her brother died early in the morning at a Texas hospital. News of his passing came from family spokesperson Jeff Ballard who attributed his death to a prolonged disease he did not name. About McKeon's response to her brother's death, that same source said "She’s devastated" and that "The whole family is going to cling together and find comfort in each other during this time." Ballard highlighted Philip's "wonderful sense of humor, kindness and loyalty." Some of McKeon's own grief is tangible in her social media posts. As 2021 drew to a close, she shared another throwback photo of herself and Philip and captioned it, "still, always," along with two hearts: one broken, one whole. The post went live on National Siblings Day, and she tagged it "#gratefulforyou #missyou #everyday." What is Nancy McKeon doing? McKeon and Whelchel / ImageCollect McKeon did not get to reunite with her colleagues for that year's The Facts of Life event. Jimmy Kimmel's Live in Front of a Studio Audience arranged a reunion and celebration of the cultural phenomenon, bringing together Whelchel, Cohn, and Kim Fields. The special recreated the episode "Kids Can Be Cruel" and featured Whelchel once again belting out parts of the theme song while dressed for a day at Eastland. The class reunion was incomplete, however, because of McKeon's absence. "We missed Nancy McKeon," Whelchel said of this. "It was sad not to have the four of us together, but it’s always fun… Nancy was home and they just recently moved and her kids just got into school, so it was difficult for her to make the trip out." Geri Jewell, Charlotte Rae, Nancy McKeon and Lisa Whelchel attend the 9th Annual TV Land Awards at the Javits Center on April 10, 2011 in New York City / ImageCollect Today, McKeon is 59 and still active in the industry. In 2018, she danced her way back into people's hearts as a contestant in Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Valentin Chmerkovskiy and together they placed 11th. Her latest project was six episodes as Jessica Mason in the Amazon series Panic, which was canceled after one season, but in 2020 she provided numerous voices for the beloved Animaniacs and honored her Hallmark roots in Wild Hearts. McKeon is still active in the industry and keeps fans informed on just what it was like filming some of her most memorable projects. Sometimes the details make for a bittersweet trip down memory lane. Reflecting on The Facts of Life, McKeon felt that "there was a lot" of emphasis on each cast member's weight, and having such pressure during such a formative time in everyone's life left a mark. "Each one of us had to deal with things in our own way," she shared with Page Six in an exclusive interview. Her private life is defined by much caler waters. She has been married to Marc Andrus since 2003 and calls New York home. Together, they share daughters Aurora and Harlow, who are 21 and 18, respectively, according to Us Weekly. While she is a self-described introvert, McKeon was proud and excited to get involved in the Off-Broadway production of Pen Pals and, when asked to choose if she prefers the stage or the screen, she easily answered, "I don’t think I could choose; being able to experience it all is a privilege!" Looking forward to her next project!