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Joanna Kerns

Highest Rated: 90% Knocked Up (2007)

Lowest Rated: 42% Cross My Heart (1987)

Birthday: Feb 12, 1953

Birthplace: San Francisco, California, USA

This tall, blonde actress went from being the journalist mother on the ABC sitcom "Growing Pains" to becoming one of the queens of TV-movies in the 1990s. Joanna Kerns began her career as a dancer and gymnast and turned to acting after realizing that a chorine's career is short and if she wanted to be in show business, she had better learn how to act. As such, Kerns, then billed as Joanna de Varona danced in "Clown Around," a show which closed before reaching Broadway, and at Disneyland, before being cast in the touring company of John Guare's musicalization of Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Kerns then moved to New York where she studied acting with Lee Strasberg and was cast in several small parts in the Broadway production of "Ulysses in Nighttown" (1974). She also was successful in TV commercials--at one point she had an extraordinary 18 national spots running simultaneously. But although Kerns would later direct an L.A. stage production of "What Every Woman Knows" (1989), her New York period of study was just a preamble to her career in TV, and to a lesser extent, in films

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Highest rated movies

90% 83% Knocked Up
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81% 66% Coma
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43% 67% All Over the Guy
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42% 29% Cross My Heart
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Stormin' Home
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The Million Dollar Rip-Off
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See Jane Run
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The Nightman
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Those She Left Behind
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33% No One Could Protect Her
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
90% 83% Knocked Up Alison's Mom (Character) $148.7M 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers Maggie Seaver (Character),
Director
- 2004
No Score Yet 44% Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey Story Director - 2003
43% 67% All Over the Guy Lydia Vecchione (Character) $1.0M 2001
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Growing Pains Movie Maggie Seaver (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 25% At the Mercy of a Stranger Elizabeth Cooper (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 50% Emma's Wish Emma (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 77% Mother Knows Best Celeste Cooper (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet Sisters and Other Strangers Gail Connelly Metzger (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet 48% Terror in the Family Cynthia Marten (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet 33% No One Could Protect Her Jessica Rayner (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Whose Daughter Is She? Laura Eagerton (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet See Jane Run Jane Ravenson (Character) - 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet No Dessert Dad, 'Til You Mow the Lawn Carol Cochran (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mortal Fear Dr. Jennifer Kessler (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shattering the Silence Veronica Ricci (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shameful Secrets Maryanne Walker-Tate (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 80% The Man With Three Wives Katy (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Nightman Eve (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Desperate Choices: To Save My Child Mel Robbins (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Captive Kathy Plunk (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet Deadly Intentions... Again? Sally (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet 27% An American Summer Aunt Sunny (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet 53% The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake Dr. Clare Winslow (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Those She Left Behind Diane Pappas (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet 30% The Preppie Murder Linda Fairstein (Character) - 1989
42% 29% Cross My Heart Nancy (Character) $768.7K 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Street Justice Catherine Watson (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Stormin' Home Lana Singer (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet 56% A Bunny's Tale Andrea (Character) - 1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet A Wedding on Walton's Mountain Doris Marshall (Character) - 1982
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain Doris Marshall (Character) - 1982
81% 66% Coma Diane (Character) - 1978
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Million Dollar Rip-Off Jessie (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet 8% A.P.E Marilyn Baker (Character) - 1976

TV

Credit
73% 40% Happy's Place Director 2024
No Score Yet 75% Chicago Med Director 2024
No Score Yet 56% Night Court Director 2023
No Score Yet 73% A Million Little Things Director 2023
76% 88% Why Women Kill Director 2021
No Score Yet 62% FBI Director 2021
77% 62% Roswell, New Mexico Director 2020
89% 88% The Baker and the Beauty Director 2020
50% 83% Light as a Feather Director 2019
No Score Yet 82% Dynasty Director 2019
No Score Yet 68% The Good Doctor Director 2018
No Score Yet 72% Man With a Plan Director 2018
No Score Yet 75% The Goldbergs Director 2016 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Doctors Guest 2017
98% 84% Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Director 2015-2016
100% 86% Jane The Virgin Director 2015-2016
91% 73% Nashville Director 2015
75% 86% Chasing Life Director 2014-2015
83% 68% The Lying Game Director 2012-2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet Army Wives Director 2007-2010 2012
34% 44% Eastwick Unknown (Guest Star) 2009
77% No Score Yet Samantha Who? Director 2009
No Score Yet 80% Private Practice Director 2008
84% 72% Grey's Anatomy Director 2008
63% No Score Yet Privileged Director 2008
56% No Score Yet Men in Trees Director 2006-2008
39% No Score Yet Notes From the Underbelly Director 2008
83% 86% Scrubs Director 2004 2006
No Score Yet 87% Ghost Whisperer Director 2005
33% No Score Yet Related Director 2005
96% 73% Joan of Arcadia Director 2005
No Score Yet No Score Yet Less Than Perfect Unknown (Guest Star) 2003-2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Clubhouse Director 2004
No Score Yet 68% One Tree Hill Director 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet The O'Keefes Director 2003
No Score Yet 77% Dawson's Creek Director 2002
No Score Yet 71% Felicity Director 2002
79% No Score Yet The Education of Max Bickford Unknown (Guest Star) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Judging Amy Director 2001
83% No Score Yet That's Life Director 2001
14% No Score Yet Love Boat: The Next Wave Director 1998-1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Clueless Director 1997-1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Chicago Hope Unknown (Guest Star) 1998
50% 82% The Closer Claire McLaren (Guest Star) 1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hope & Gloria Unknown (Guest Star) 1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mommies Unknown (Guest Star),
Director
1995
No Score Yet No Score Yet Growing Pains Maggie Seaver (Character),
Director
1985-1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Blind Faith Maria Marshall (Character) 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hooperman Unknown (Guest Star) 1988
No Score Yet 89% Street Hawk Mona Wiliams (Guest Star) 1985
97% 85% Hill Street Blues State Liquor Authority Agent (Guest Star) 1984
No Score Yet 95% Three's Company Unknown (Guest Star) 1980 1983
No Score Yet 71% The A-Team Unknown (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet 95% Magnum, P.I. Mary Kanfer (Guest Star) 1982-1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laverne & Shirley Unknown (Guest Star) 1983
No Score Yet No Score Yet CHiPs Unknown (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charlie's Angels Unknown (Guest Star) 1977
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rhoda Unknown (Guest Star) 1977