Julia Margaret Duffy (née Hinds; born June 27, 1951) is an American actress.
From 1983 to 1990, she played Stephanie Vanderkellen in the TV series Newhart. The role garnered her critical acclaim, including seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three Viewers for Quality Television awards, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
Following the conclusion of Newhart, Duffy continued to work in television, playing the original Maggie Campbell on Baby Talk (1991) and Allison Sugarbaker on Designing Women (1991–1992). In the 2000s, Duffy appeared in guest roles on Reba and Drake & Josh, as well as having supporting roles in 2003's comedy films Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd and Intolerable Cruelty. She had recurring guest roles on the series Shameless (2011–2013) and Looking (2014–2015), and appeared in a supporting role in the drama Camp X-Ray (2014). She portrayed Mary Hart in The Blue and the Gray television miniseries.
Early life, family, and education
Julia Margaret Hinds was born on June 27, 1951, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the youngest of four daughters of Joseph Hinds and Mary Duffy. At age 18, she appeared in a Minneapolis production of The Girl in the Freudian Slip. While attending, she worked as a waitress and hatcheck girl.
In 1983, she played Princess Ariel Baaldorf in the medieval adventure spoof TV series Wizards and Warriors, which lasted one season on the CBS network.
Newhart and critical acclaim
In 1982, Duffy guest-starred on the sitcom Newhart as Stephanie Vanderkellen, a self-obsessed heiress and the haughty cousin of Stratford Inn maid Leslie. At the beginning of the second season, Duffy joined the main cast, replacing Leslie as the Stratford's maid. while the second time, the pregnancy was written into the show, with Stephanie becoming a mother in the eighth season. As of 2023, she remained in touch with Bob Newhart; he died in 2024.
After Newhart
After Newhart ended in 1990, Duffy briefly starred in the sitcom Baby Talk alongside George Clooney, but asked to be released after Clooney walked off the troubled set. The new producers accommodated her, allowing her to then join the cast of Designing Women in 1991. Baby Talk was then retooled and Duffy was replaced by Mary Page Keller. On Designing Women, she essentially replaced Delta Burke, the show's breakout star, who was fired after quarrels with producers. Duffy played Allison Sugarbaker, Burke and Dixie Carter's previously unseen cousin on the show. Duffy's tenure on the sitcom's sixth season turned out to be the highest-rated season in the show's history, partly because of the highly publicized cast additions of Duffy and Jan Hooks. However, because of conflicting ideas about her character, she was amicably released from her contract, thus leading her to be replaced by Judith Ivey.
From 1993 to 1995, Duffy played Barb Ballantine on the short-lived comedy series The Mommies. Duffy played Lindsay Mercer, one of the failed buyers of Winfred-Lauder and the ex-wife of Lord Mercer on The Drew Carey Show. She has a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh as Linda Hayfer, a high-school English teacher who despises Drake. She appeared on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as the rich mother of Jason, a boy who goes on a date with Maddie Fitzpatrick (Ashley Tisdale). She made a brief appearance in the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP as the owner of a stage that LuLu wanted to rent.
In 2009, Duffy co-starred with Kelly McGillis in a stage production of The Little Foxes at the Pasadena Playhouse. In August 1989, Duffy gave birth to their second child, a son, Daniel. Daniel died by suicide in April 2019.
Filmography
Film
{|class="wikitable unsortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
!
|-
!1980
| Battle Beyond the Stars
| Mol
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!1981
| Cutter's Way
| Young Girl
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Christmas at the Plaza
| Amanda Clark
| Television film
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2022
| Christmas with the Campbells
| Liz Campbell
|
|
|}
Television
{|class=wikitable unsortable
!Year(s)
!Title
!Role
!Notes
!
|-
!1972
| Love of Life
| Geri Braylee
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!1973–1978
| The Doctors
| Penny Davis
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!1977
| One Life to Live
| Karen Wolek
| Episode: "#1.7659"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!1979
| The Love Boat
| Sandy
| Episodes: "Alaska Wedding Cruise" (parts 1 & 2)
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!1981
| Lou Grant
| Charlene
| Episode: "Rape"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!rowspan=3|1982
| Cheers
| Rebecca Prout
| Episode: "Any Friend of Diane's"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Voyagers!
| Nellie Bly
| Episode: "Jack's Back"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| The Blue and the Gray
| Mary Hale
| Miniseries
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!rowspan=2|1983
| Simon & Simon
| Jody Carmichael
| Episode: "Room 3502"
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}
Stage credits
{|class="wikitable unsortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
! class="unsortable"|
|-
!1978
| Once in a Lifetime
| Susan Walker
| Circle in the Square Theatre
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2009
| The Little Foxes
| Birdie Hubbard
| Pasadena Playhouse
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2010
| Boom
| Barbara
| Carrie Hamilton Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2012
| The Heiress
| Aunt Lavinia
| Pasadena Playhouse
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2014
| Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
| Christina Drayton
| Huntington Theatre
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!rowspan=2|2016
| Sex and Education
| Miss Edwards
| Laguna Playhouse
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Rancho Viejo
| Patti
| Playwrights Horizons
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}
Accolades
{| class="wikitable unsortable plainrowheaders" style="width:75%;"
|-
! style="width:30%;"| Award
! style="width:1%;" | Year
! style="width:50%;"| Category
! style="width:25%;"| Work
! style="width:10%;"| Result
! style="width:1%;" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| American Comedy Awards
| 1987
| Funniest Leading Female in a Comedy Series
| rowspan="2"| Newhart
| rowspan=10
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| Golden Globe Awards
| 1988
| Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"| IRNE Awards
| 2014
| Best Supporting Actress
| Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"| Primetime Emmy Awards
| 1984
| rowspan="7"| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
| rowspan="10"| Newhart
| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 1985
|-
| 1986
|-
| 1987
|-
| 1988
|-
| 1989
|-
| 1990
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| Viewers for Quality Television
| 1986
| rowspan="3"| Best Supporting Actress — Comedy Series
| rowspan=3
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 1987
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 1988
| style="text-align:center;"|
|}