Lorna Patterson

Lorna Patterson (born October 1, 1956) is an American film, stage and television actress and, more recently, a Jewish cantor. As an actress, her best-known roles were as Randy, the singing stewardess, in Airplane!, and as the lead in the television series Private Benjamin.

Lorna Patterson
Born (1956-10-01) October 1, 1956
Whittier, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1979–1993
Spouse(s)Robert Ginty
(m. 1983; div. 19??)
​
​
(m. 1990)​
Children2

Biography

Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester. Patterson began her professional career while still in high school, performing melodrama at The Bird Cage Theatre at Knott's Berry Farm.[1]

Career

She is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Guild and has appeared in many stage musicals.[2]

She played Randy, the blonde stewardess in the 1980 comedy Airplane!. She co-starred with Tony Randall in the 1981 television pilot Sidney Shorr: A Girl's Best Friend. By the time this became the television series Love, Sidney, she had won the lead role in the 1981–1983 television version of the film Private Benjamin, so her Sidney Shorr role was played in Love, Sidney by Swoosie Kurtz. Earlier, she had been a regular on two short-lived series, Working Stiffs and Goodtime Girls.[3] She also played Liz Drever in 1984, in The Flying Doctors, episodes 2, 3 and 4, in Australia.

Patterson has also lent her voice to some animated productions including the TV series Timeless Tales from Hallmark, the direct to video film Joseph and his Brothers from The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible, the English dub of the Japanese anime film Ultraman: The Adventure Begins and the Christmas special Nick and Noel.

Personal life

Patterson was married to actor Robert Ginty. Patterson worked with Ginty's first wife, Francine Tacker in the 1980 series Goodtime Girls, which also starred a pre–Designing Women Annie Potts and Georgia Engel. She is currently married to actor/director Michael Lembeck, and the couple have two children.

Patterson converted to Judaism a few years after marrying Lembeck (his faith).[4][5] In 2009 she received her cantorial ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles.[6]

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1979Working StiffsNikki EvashevskyMain cast (8 episodes)
1979Lou GrantGirlEpisode: "Samaritan"
1979Beane's of BostonShirley BrahmsTV pilot episode
1979The LovebirdsJanine BurleyTV film
1980Goodtime GirlsBetty CrandallMain cast (13 episodes)
1980AngieSissyEpisode: "Angie and Brad's Close Encounter"
1980Airplane!RandyFeature film
1981–83Private BenjaminPvt. Judy BenjaminMain cast (39 episodes)
1981Sidney Shor: A Girl's Best FriendLaurie MorganTV film
1982Airplane II: The SequelRandyFeature film
1984Hawaiian HeatAlexisEpisode: "Yankees vs. the Cubs"
1984The ImpostorJulieTV film
1985The Flying DoctorsLiz DreverTV miniseries
1987Ultraman: The Adventure BeginsDr. Susan Rand (voice)TV film
1987HotelNancy StantonEpisode: "Revelations"
1989Murder, She WroteEdie LorraineEpisode: "The Search for Peter Kerry"
1990Timeless Tales from HallmarkEpisode: "Rumpelstiltzkin"
1990The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the BibleEpisode: "Joseph and His Brothers"
1991Major DadSgt. Tammi Rae PerkinsEpisode: "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Perky"
1993Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90'sTV film
1993Nick & NoelLeslie (voice)TV film

References
  1. Johna Blinn, "Cooking Chinese Is Fun For Private Benjamin Star", The Palm Beach Post, May 21, 1981.
  2. "Lorna Patterson, Founding Member" Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Musical Theatre Guild (accessed 2014-08-18).
  3. Dan Lewis, "Lorna Patterson Salutes Private Benjamin'", Sarasota Journal, September 2, 1981.
  4. The Long Way Home | Issue 7 | American Jewish University ( AJULA ) formerly University of Judaism, archived by the Wayback Machine here.
  5. Melonie Magruder, "From stewardess to cantor", The Malibu Times, May 20, 2009.
  6. "Cantor Lorna Lembeck" Archived 2014-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, Academy for Jewish Religion (California) (accessed 2014-08-06).
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