Occupation Actress, writer Role Film actress Years active 1975–1993 Children Spencer Baird Niemi | Partner(s) Stuart Niemi (?–?) Ex-spouse Tom Atkins Name Garn Stephens | |
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Born 10 April 1936 (age 88) ( 1936-04-10 ) Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Nominations Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Movies and TV shows Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Phyllis, The Sunshine Boys Similar People Tom Atkins, Tommy Lee Wallace, John Masius, Tom Fontana, Irwin Yablans | ||
Garn Stephens is an American film, television and theatre actress and writer. She is known for her roles in television series Phyllis and horror film Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
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Career
Stephens began her career on stage as a theatre actress. She performed as 'Estelle' in the original stage play Father's Day in 1971. In 1972 she played the original character 'Jan' in the Broadway production of Grease. Her role in the musical is perhaps one of her best known performances.
She made many television guest appearances throughout her career which lasted almost twenty years. In 1975 she made her first appearance on the series Wide World Mystery, what followed was another guest role on CBS sitcom All in the Family. The following year, Stephens received a leading role on the Golden Globe-winning television sitcom Phyllis, with Cloris Leachman. The series was the second spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She did not receive another leading role in a television series. From the late seventies until the early nineties, Stephens appeared in several top rated television series including Charlie's Angels, Family Ties, Falcon Crest and Quantum Leap.
During her career, Stephens starred in three feature films. In 1975 she appeared in The Sunshine Boys with Walter Matthau and George Burns, and Jake's M.O. She is best known for the role as 'Marge Guttman' in the 1982 horror film Halloween III: Season of the Witch, with starred her then-husband Tom Atkins. In 2003 she appeared at the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror convention, in which she discussed how she received the role, having been friends with John Carpenter's then-wife Adrienne Barbeau, whom she worked with on Grease, she and Atkins were invited to see the original Halloween in 1978 with Carpenter and Barbeau. Carpenter later offered her the role in Halloween III.
Stephens has written for television. In 1983 she had written for an episode of medical drama series St. Elsewhere, in which she received Emmy Award nomination. Her writing credits include Trapper John, M.D., Hotel and Trial by Jury.
Personal life
Stephens was formerly married to actor Tom Atkins. She lived with musician Stuart Niemi, with whom she has one child, Stuart Baird Niemi.
She is currently writing crime/mystery stories.
Filmography
Writer