Valerie Landsburg

Fittingly, it was a television show entitled "Fame" that first catapulted Valerie Landsburg into the public eye. However, before taking on the role of Doris Schwartz for the small-screen adaptation of the hit film, Landsburg debuted in the 1978 movie "Thank God It's Friday." She had also appeared in a number of made-for-TV features, and remained active in television after leaving "Fame" in 1987. While a pair of sitcoms she was in--"You Again?" and "All Is Forgiven"--underperformed, Landsburg continued to get steady work in television movies and guest spots on series throughout the '80s and '90s, including the evening soap "Beverly Hills, 90210" and a run on the adult comedy "Dream On." While she continues to occasionally act in such series as "The Unit" and "Nip/Tuck," Landsburg began working behind the camera more regularly with the 1997 romance "Drawn to the Flame," although she had previously directed an episode of "Fame" in 1985. Her credits as a helmer also include episodes of the softcore romance series "The Best Sex Ever" and "Women: Stories of Passion." Landsburg has also written for television, including an episode of the sitcom "Empty Nest" which she guest-starred in.