Joanna Kerns
Born: 1953-02-12 in San Francisco, California, USA
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2024
- Happy's Place ... (Director)
- Love, Danielle ... (Executive Producer)
2020
- The Baker and the Beauty ... (Director)
2019
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series ... (Director)
- WHAT / IF ... (Director)
2018
- FBI ... (Director)
- Light as a Feather ... (Director)
2017
- The Good Doctor ... (Director)
- Unrest ... (Associate Producer)
- Ain't It Funny as Mom
2016
- This Is Us ... (Director)
- Fuller House ... (Director)
- Man with a Plan ... (Director)
- Recovery Road ... (Director)
2015
- Chicago Med ... (Director)
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ... (Director)
2014
- Jane the Virgin ... (Director)
- Chasing Life ... (Director)
2013
- The Goldbergs ... (Director)
2012
- Nashville ... (Director)
2011
- Switched at Birth ... (Director)
- Awkward. ... (Director)
- Friends with Benefits ... (Director)
2010
- Pretty Little Liars ... (Director)
2009
- Eastwick as Edie
2008
- Privileged ... (Director)
2007
- Private Practice ... (Director)
- Army Wives ... (Director)
- Samantha Who? ... (Director)
- Knocked Up as Alison's Mom
- Notes from the Underbelly ... (Director)
2006
- Psych ... (Director)
- Men in Trees ... (Director)
2005
- Grey's Anatomy ... (Director)
- Ghost Whisperer ... (Director)
- Medium ... (Director)
- Related ... (Director)
2004
- Phil of the Future ... (Director)
- The Tony Danza Show as Self
- Clubhouse ... (Director)
- Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers as Maggie Seaver
2003
- One Tree Hill ... (Director)
- Joan of Arcadia ... (Director)
- The O'Keefes ... (Director)
- Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey Story ... (Director)
2002
- Less than Perfect as Judy, Owen's Other Mom
- For the People ... (Director)
- Leap of Faith ... (Director)
2001
- Scrubs ... (Director)
- The Division ... (Director)
- All Over the Guy as Lydia
2000
- Strong Medicine ... (Director)
- Boston Public ... (Director)
- That's Life ... (Director)
- Titans ... (Director)
- The Growing Pains Movie as Maggie Seaver
1999
- Judging Amy ... (Director)
- Girl, Interrupted as Annette
- Beggars and Choosers ... (Director)
- At the Mercy of a Stranger as Elizabeth Cooper
1998
- Dawson's Creek ... (Director)
- Felicity ... (Director)
- Any Day Now ... (Director)
- Love Boat: The Next Wave ... (Director)
- Emma's Wish as Emma Bridges-Mame
1997
- Ally McBeal ... (Director)
- The Wonderful World of Disney
- Mother Knows Best as Celeste Cooper
- Sisters and Other Strangers as Gail Connelly Metzger
1996
- Clueless ... (Director)
- Suddenly Susan ... (Director)
- Remember WENN ... (Director)
- Aliens in the Family as Self (voice)
- E! True Hollywood Story
- No One Could Protect Her as Jessica Rayner
- Terror in the Family as Cynthia Marten
1995
- Hope and Gloria as Joanna Kerns
- See Jane Run as Jane Ravenson
- Whose Daughter is She? as Laura Eagerton
1994
- ER ... (Director)
- Chicago Hope as Stephanie Serone
- Mortal Fear as Dr. Jennifer Kessler
- No Dessert, Dad, 'Til You Mow the Lawn as Carol Cochran
1993
- Intimate Portrait as Self
- Not in My Family as Veronica Ricci
- Shameful Secrets as Maryanne Walker-Tate
- The Man with Three Wives as Katy
1992
- Desperate Choices: To Save My Child as Mel Robbins
- The Nightman as Eve
1991
- Captive as Kathy Plunk
- Voices That Care as Self - Choir Member
- Deadly Intentions... Again? as Sally
1990
- Blind Faith as Maria Marshall
- The Great Los Angeles Earthquake as Dr. Clare Winslow
1989
- The Preppie Murder as Linda Fairstein
- Those She Left Behind as Diane Pappas
- Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade as Self
1988
- She's Having a Baby as Joanna Kerns (uncredited)
1987
- Cross My Heart as Nancy
- Street Justice as Catherine Watson
1986
1985
- Growing Pains as Maggie Seaver
- Street Hawk as Mona Wiliams
- The Rape of Richard Beck as Anita Parrish
- A Bunny's Tale as Andrea
- Stormin' Home as Lana Singer
1984
- Hunter as Dr. Kettering
- The Four Seasons as Pat Devon
- The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. as Pamela Saletta
1983
- The A-Team as Trish Brenner
- V as Marjorie Donovan
1982
- A Wedding on Waltons Mountain as Doris Marshall
- Mother's Day on Waltons Mountain as Doris Marshall
1981
1980
- Magnum, P.I. as Mary Kanfer
- Marriage Is Alive and Well as Meg
1978
- Coma as Diane
1977
- The Love Boat as Beth Luckner
- Three's Company as Bobby Trilling
- CHiPs as Colleen
1976
- Quincy, M.E.
- Charlie's Angels as Natalie
- Laverne & Shirley
- A*P*E as Marilyn Baker
- The Million Dollar Rip-Off as Jessie
1975
- Starsky & Hutch
- Switch as Mae Brenner
- It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! as Citizen (uncredited)