Sherry Hursey

Hailing from North Carolina, Sherry Hursey has been appearing in film and television productions since 1975. In the year of her professional debut, she appeared in the police drama "The Rookies," "Happy Days," the classic comedy set in the 1950s, and the sitcom "Rhoda." She continued from there to appear in multiple TV programs year after year, eventually appearing on over 40 different shows, making her a very familiar face to American television viewers. Perhaps her best-known role was playing Doctor Ilene Markham on "Home Improvement," as the girlfriend of Al, the sidekick of the main character Tim, an inept handyman with a TV show. She played that role on 16 episodes of the popular sitcom. Some films Hursey has appeared in include "By the Sword," where she fenced with F. Murray Abraham, and the comedy "California Myth," where she was the pregnant wife of the main character, played by Tyrone Power Jr. In addition to appearing on-screen, she has also provided voiceovers to various projects, like the animated films "Shrek" and "Howl's Moving Castle."