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Personal Info

Gender

Female

Birthday

1953-02-12 (72 years old)

Place of Birth

San Francisco, California, USA

Joanna Kerns

Biography:

Joanna Crussie DeVarona Kerns is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992.

After Growing Pains ended, she turned to directing. She directed one episode of Growing Pains while starring on the show and got hooked. She has also directed episodes of television shows including Dawson's Creek, Titans, Scrubs, Private Practice, Psych, Felicity, Grey's Anatomy, Privileged, ER, Ghost Whisperer, Army Wives, Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, The Goldbergs, This Is Us, and Fuller House.

She has also made notable appearances in feature films, including A*P*E, Girl, Interrupted, and the 2007 comedy Knocked Up. She has also starred in a number of TV movies.

In 1974, Kerns met a commercial producer, Richard Kerns, on the set of a commercial, and they married two years later. Their marriage lasted nine years and the couple had a daughter, Ashley Cooper. In 1994, she married Marc Appleton, a prominent Los Angeles architect. In August 2019, she filed for divorce from Appleton.

She previously dated comedian and actor Freddie Prinze a short time before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The two had worked together on the 1976 TV movie, The Million Dollar Rip-Off.

Known For

Acting

2009

2007

Knocked Up as Alison's Mom

2004

2002

Less than Perfect as Judy, Owen's Other Mom

2001

2000

The Growing Pains Movie as Maggie Seaver

1999

At the Mercy of a Stranger as Elizabeth Cooper

1998

Emma's Wish as Emma Bridges-Mame

1997

1996

1995

Whose Daughter is She? as Laura Eagerton
See Jane Run as Jane Ravenson
Hope and Gloria as Joanna Kerns

1994

Mortal Fear as Dr. Jennifer Kessler

1993

Shameful Secrets as Maryanne Walker-Tate
Not in My Family as Veronica Ricci

1992

1991

Voices That Care as Self - Choir Member
Captive as Kathy Plunk

1990

Blind Faith as Maria Marshall

1989

Those She Left Behind as Diane Pappas
The Preppie Murder as Linda Fairstein

1988

She's Having a Baby as Joanna Kerns (uncredited)

1987

Street Justice as Catherine Watson

1986

1985

The Rape of Richard Beck as Anita Parrish
Stormin' Home as Lana Singer
A Bunny's Tale as Andrea
Growing Pains as Maggie Seaver
Street Hawk as Mona Wiliams

1984

1983

The A-Team as Trish Brenner
V as Marjorie Donovan

1982

1981

1980

Magnum, P.I. as Mary Kanfer
Magnum, P.I. as Jenny Hunter

1978

Coma as Diane

1977

CHiPs as Colleen
The Love Boat as Beth Luckner
Three's Company as Bobby Trilling

1976

1975

1974

1972

1962

Directing

2024

Happy's Place as Director

2020

2018

Light as a Feather as Director
FBI as Director

2017

The Good Doctor as Director

2016

Recovery Road as Director
This Is Us as Director
Man with a Plan as Director

2015

Chicago Med as Director

2014

Jane the Virgin as Director
Chasing Life as Director

2013

The Goldbergs as Director

2012

Nashville as Director

2011

Switched at Birth as Director
Awkward. as Director

2010

2008

Privileged as Director

2007

Private Practice as Director
Army Wives as Director
Samantha Who? as Director

2006

Men in Trees as Director
Psych as Director

2005

Medium as Director
Related as Director
Grey's Anatomy as Director
Ghost Whisperer as Director

2002

Leap of Faith as Director

2001

The Division as Director
Scrubs as Director

2000

Titans as Director
Boston Public as Director
Strong Medicine as Director
That's Life as Director

1999

Judging Amy as Director

1998

Any Day Now as Director
Dawson's Creek as Director
Felicity as Director

1997

Ally McBeal as Director

1996

Clueless as Director
Suddenly Susan as Director
Remember WENN as Director

1995

Hope and Gloria as Director

1994

ER as Director

1985

Growing Pains as Director

Production

2024

Love, Danielle as Executive Producer

2017

Unrest as Associate Producer

1992

The Nightman as Co-Executive Producer