See also Biography Index (M) :: Filmography Index (M) :: Discography Index (M)

Melody Anderson (born December 3, 1955) is a Canadian-American social worker and public speaker specializing in the impact of addiction on families. She is more widely known as an actress, with her most high-profile role being Dale Arden in the 1980 adaptation of Flash Gordon. Her first national exposure came as a "sweathog" in an episode of Welcome Back, Kotter in 1977. She made numerous guest appearances on television in the 1980s, in series such as Archie Bunker`s Place, Battlestar Galactica, Dallas, T.J. Hooker, and The Fall Guy. She had recurring roles on St. Elsewhere (even appearing in an episode called "Addiction") and Jake and the Fatman. She was a cast member of Manimal and in the 1990s, All My Children. In 1983, Anderson also played the title role in a made-for-TV film called Policewoman Centerfold, in which her character, a divorced police officer, is fired after posing nude for a men`s magazine (based loosely on the true story of Springfield, Ohio patrolwoman Barbara Schantz, who was subsequently fired from her job after posing nude in Playboy in the early 80s). Anderson`s most recent appearance in television was a 1995 guest appearance in the short-lived CBS revival of Burke`s Law.

Anderson received a Master of Social Work degree. In 1997, she was the Coordinator of Family Services at Hazelden New York, treating family and friends of substance abusers. More recently, a 2006 biography (from the Dragon Con website) notes she is in private practice in New York City, working on a book for parents with kids who use drugs and alcohol.

Post a Comment | View All Comments (1)