Linda Purl (born September 2, 1955) is an American actress and singer,
known for her roles as Ashley Pfister on Happy Days, Sheila Munroe in
the 1982 horror film Visiting Hours, Pam Beesly's mother Helene in The
Office, and Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock for the first
season of the television series Matlock.Purl was born in Greenwich,
Connecticut, into a Jewish theatrical family, her mother, Marshelline
"Marshie" (Patton), being a Broadway actress, her father, Raymond
Charles Arthur Purl, an actor, and her grandmother Beatrice Saville a
founder of the Actors' Equity Association. At age five, she moved to
Japan, where she spent her childhood, becoming the only foreigner to
train at the Toho Geino Academy. While at the Imperial Theatre in
Tokyo, Purl performed in several plays, gaining the role of Louis in
The King and I, Bet in Oliver, and Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.
Furthermore, she was discovered by Toho and appeared in several
films.At age 15, Purl returned to the United States. She attended high
school at Wykeham Rise School, a private boarding school for girls,
specializing in creative and performing arts, in Washington,
Connecticut. While still in high school, she had a role on the soap
opera The Secret Storm. After attending Finch College, Purl went to
England to study under Marguerite Beale before returning to the United
States to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and
later with Robert Lewis.After playing a small role in Jory (1973),
Purl's first major movie role was in Jonathan Demme's 1975 comedy,
Crazy Mama. Subsequent movie appearances have included W.C. Fields and
Me (1976), Young Pioneers' Christmas (1976), Leo and Loree (1980),
Visiting Hours (1982), The High Country (1984), Viper (1988), Natural
Causes (1994), Mighty Joe Young (1998), The Perfect Tenant (2000), and
Fear of the Dark (2003). Linda Purl Top Movies & Young Movies