Gail Edwards

Gail June Edwards (born September 27, 1952) is an American former actress. She is known for her roles as Dot Higgins in ABC's It's a Living, Sharon LeMeure in NBC's Blossom, and Vicky Larson in ABC's Full House and it's Netflix sequel.

Gail Edwards
Edwards at Warner Bros. Fuller House
Born
Gail June Edwards

(1952-09-27) September 27, 1952
Coral Gables, Florida
OccupationActress
Years active1973–1994, 2017 & 2020
Spouse(s)Robert Decker (1986–present)
Websitegailedwards.com

Early life

Edwards, a native Floridian, was raised in Coral Gables and caught the performing bug early in life. She had her father hang the curtain and lights while she choreographed, costumed, and starred in her own neighborhood musicals.

In the sixth grade, Edwards played Little Mary in The Women at the Coconut Grove Playhouse where famed theatre producer-playwright George Abbott came backstage to single out her performance.[1] This appearance became her launching pad for numerous industrial films and local television commercials in South Florida.

Career
Mckenna Grace w/ Gail Edwards on the set of Fuller House September 1, 2017

In 1975, after graduating from the University of Miami cum laude, Edwards wrote, produced, and starred in the off-Broadway musical Becoming.[2] It won the Miami Herald Critics’ Choice award three times before the musical debuted in New York. While in New York, Edwards signed with the LeMond/Zetter Management Group. Soon afterward, she landed the role of Sandy opposite Peter Gallagher in Broadway's East Coast tour of Grease. After producing and starring in two additional productions, The Good One and Vanities, both earning her the Drama-Logue Critics' Award, Edwards turned her focus toward television acting.

Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1976, Edwards signed with the Ro Diamond Agency (later with the Gersh Agency) and immediately began landing guest-star roles on such television series as Happy Days, Lou Grant, M*A*S*H and Taxi.

In 1979, Edwards auditioned for a Witt/Thomas production, in which she landed the role of Dot Higgins on ABC's It’s a Living. The series ran on ABC from 1980 to 1982 and was revived in first-run syndication from 1985 to 1989. Edwards, along with Barrie Youngfellow, Paul Kreppel, and the late Marian Mercer, were the only four members of the It's a Living cast who lasted during the network and syndicated runs. After ABC canceled the show in 1982, Edwards' management was informed by the producers of Happy Days that they were offering her the role of new character K.C. Cunningham, the niece of Howard and Marion Cunningham who was moving in with the family. Without informing Edwards of the offer, her management declined the opportunity, reportedly stating that they did not want Edwards "playing a new character on an old show". Crystal Bernard was then hired for the part. Edwards did not learn of the incident until many years later. In 1985, Edwards and Bernard wound up as co-stars on It's a Living, when the latter resumed production for first-run syndication.

Edwards also appeared in many movies-of-the-week during the 1980s, along with numerous other guest-star appearances in such series as Benson, Buffalo Bill, Doogie Howser, M.D., Knight Rider, Night Court and the premiere episode of Amazing Stories, directed by Steven Spielberg and original music/score by John Williams.

In 1990, Edwards was reunited with former Happy Days producers Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, when she was cast as divorced mother Hilary Kozak on their single-season CBS sitcom The Family Man. Upon the series' cancellation in the summer of 1991, Edwards was asked by Miller and Boyett to join the cast of their hit ABC series Full House. They felt Edwards was right for the role of Vicky Larson, a talk show host who strikes up a relationship with Danny Tanner. Edwards made her Full House debut late that year, when the Vicky character first appeared as a substitute host for Rebecca Donaldson, who was on maternity leave, on (the fictional) Wake Up, San Francisco. Vicky and Danny soon embark on a long-term relationship and are engaged in the show's seventh season. Edwards' co-star on The Family Man, Scott Weinger, was transferred over to Full House along with her, playing Steve Hale, the high school boyfriend of D.J. Tanner.

During her tenure on Full House, Edwards also had the recurring guest role of Sharon LeMeure, the fast-talking mother of Six on NBC’s Blossom. Edwards' work on Blossom reunited her with former It's a Living producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas, who produced both series.[3]

Romero Britto and Gail Edwards

Edwards concluded her roles in Full House (with Vicky Larson having a mutual breakup with Danny Tanner) and Blossom in the spring of 1994. She retired from show business at that time and moved to the Southwest.

In September 2017, it was announced that Edwards would return to acting by reprising her role as Vicky Larson in the third season of the Full House sequel series Fuller House.[4] She appears in the Season 3 finale, "Here Comes the Sun". Edwards then made one final appearance in the series finale, "Our Very Last Show, Again".[5]

Retirement

Edwards has used her celebrity to support/participate in many charities – one of which is performing for the Veterans Administration playing her ukulele that she learned just for this purpose. While in Miami, Edwards had an impromptu visit with Romero Britto who painted her ukulele,[6] for which she thanked him in song via YouTube.[7]

Filmography
Television and film roles
Year Title Role Notes
1977 Lou Grant Karen Episode: "Hooker"
1978 Taxi Denise Episode: "Men Are Such Beasts"
1978 Danny Thomas: Young & Foolish Gail TV movie
1979 Barnaby Jones Karen Webster Episode: "Girl on the Road"
1979 Starting Fresh Gale TV movie
1979 The Last Resort Beverly Episode: "Here Comes the Bride"
1979 Working Stiffs Sandy Episode: "Looking for Mr. Goodwrench"
1980 When the Whistle Blows Jolene Jennings Episode: "Love Is a Four-Letter Word"
1980 Blinded by the Light Zora TV movie
1980 Happy Days Loretta Episode: "A Potsie Is Born"
1980–82
1985–89		 It's a Living/
Making a Living		 Dot Higgins ABC/Lorimar-Telepictures
1980 Celebrity Family Feud Herself It's a Living vs. Dallas
1981 M*A*S*H Marina Ryan Episodes: Parts 1 & 2 "That's Show Biz"
1983 Buffalo Bill Reporter Episode: "The Interview"
1983 Get Crazy Willy Loman Movie
1983 Jennifer Slept Here Pam Wilson Episode: "The Tutor Who Came to Dinner"
1983 Knight Rider Flannery Roe Episode: "Nobody Does It Better"
1984 Benson Jill Episode: "Double Date"
1984 Brothers Liza Episode: "Liza"
1985 Three's a Crowd Dorothy Episode: "A Friend in Deed"
1985 Amazing Stories Joleen Episode: "Ghost Train"
1985 J.O.E. and the Colonel • Humanoid Defender Dr. Lena Gant TV movie
1986 Tough Cookies Diane Taylor Episode: "Ships in the Night"
1986 You Are the Jury Maggie Henshaw Episode: "The State of Arizona vs. Dr. Evan Blake"
1986 TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes Herself Guest host
1986 New Love, American Style Lucy Episode: "Love and the End"
1987 In Self Defense Alice Miller TV movie
1989 Night Court Tracy Knight Episode: "Attack of the Mac Snacks"
1989 Duet Dr. Dellerton Episode: "On the Nose"
1990 A Quiet Little Neighborhood, A Perfect Little Murder Judy Lipton TV movie
1990–91 The Family Man Hilary Kozak 3 episodes
1991–93 Blossom Sharon Lemure 10 episodes
1991–93 Full House Vicky Larson 17 episodes
1992 Doogie Howser, M.D. Mrs. Fukes Episode: "The Big Sleep... Not!"
1994 Touched by an Angel Barbara Archibald Episode: "Manny"
2004 E! True Hollywood Story Herself Blossom interview
2017–20 Fuller House Vicky Larson Episodes: "Here Comes the Sun", "Our Very Last Show, Again"

TV commercials
Year Product Role Notes
1976 Johnson's Baby Shampoo[8] Teenager
1978 Bold Detergent[9] Mother
1984 Dr. Pepper[10] Esmeralda Clio Award
1984 Kodak[11] Pitchwoman with David Copperfield
1986 Sizzler[12] Secretary
1988 Canon Copiers Executive with Jack Klugman

Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
1963 The Women Little Mary[13] Coconut Grove Playhouse
1973 Cabaret Sally Bowles Olympia Theater (Miami)
1975 Jacques Brel Woman 1 Parker Playhouse
1975–76 Becoming Woman 1 Miami / Off-Broadway
1977 Grease Sandy East Coast Tour
1979 Vanities Joanne Drama-Logue Critic's Award
1983 All About Eve Eve Directed by Dalton Cathey
1985 The Good One Tura Drama-Logue Critic's Award
1985 To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday Kevin West Coast Premiere
1996 Mame Mame Jerry Herman Ring Theatre (Christening)

Awards and honors
  • 1972: Award of Excellence from the American College Theatre Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
  • 1986: Bronze Halo award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry from the Southern California Motion Picture Council
  • 2001: Inducted alongside Janet Reno and Al Del Greco in the Coral Gables High School Hall of Fame.

Points of interest
gollark: It makes, of course, perfect sense.
gollark: (They go so fast...)
gollark: No nebuale in desert!
gollark: Two nebulae in desert!
gollark: There are just so many of them.

See also

References
  1. "Gail Edwards: "The Women" w/ Audio Commentary".
  2. "Gail Edwards in Becoming".
  3. "The New York Times". The New York Times.
  4. "'Fuller House' Season 3 Will Include a Musical Number, Wedding and Trip to Japan (Watch)". Variety.
  5. Story by: Beth Crudele Teleplay by: John D. Beck & Ron Hart Director: Correll, Rich (June 2, 2020). "Our Very Last Show Again". Fuller House. Season 5. Episode 18. Netflix.
  6. "Romero Britto paints Gail Edwards' ukulele". 26 August 2016.
  7. "Gail Edwards thanks Romero Britto in song". 18 August 2016.
  8. Gail Edwards appearing in Johnson's Baby Oil commercial. 16 June 2009 – via YouTube.
  9. Bold 3 Detergent Commercial (Circa '80s). 6 May 2007 – via YouTube.
  10. Gail Edwards appearing in Clio-Award-winning Dr. Pepper commercial. 14 June 2009 – via YouTube.
  11. Gail Edwards appearing in Kodak commercial. 21 June 2009 – via YouTube.
  12. Gail Edwards appearing in Sizzler commercial. 15 June 2009 – via YouTube.
  13. Gail Edwards: "The Women" w/ Audio Commentary. 1 July 2011 – via YouTube.
  14. Fuller House Podcast
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