Kristy McNichol is a renowned actress who is best known for portraying Buddy in the TV drama series Family. Throughout the 1970s, the actress was a well-known figure in the motion picture business. Subsequently, the actress progressed her career by appearing in two lucrative box office productions. Later, while working on a film project in France, the gifted performer had a public collapse. She returned to the TV scene but later announced her divorce.
Who Is Kristy McNichol?
Kristy McNichol was born as Christina Ann McNichol, on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, to Carolyn and Jim McNichol. She grew up with her two brothers, Jimmy and Thomas. Jimmy also became a famous child actor and was once hailed as a teen idol.
Nevertheless, Kristy’s parents separated when she was three years old. All of the kids moved in with their mother after this. Carolyn remarried quickly. Jennifer Lucas was Kristy’s half-sister from her mother’s second marriage.
Kristy McNichol’s Career
From a very young age, Kristy had indicated a desire to work in the entertainment world. Even as a toddler, she modelled and made an appearance in a few newspaper ads. Eventually, she started making appearances in TV ads. When she was six years old, she made her TV debut in her first advertisement. She also made an appearance alongside her brother Jimmy in a number of her early ads. In the early years, their mother served as their manager.
Although she enjoyed singing as well, acting was still her first love. She made the decision to go on TV and movie auditions shortly after. She made her TV debut by the time she was eleven years old.
Her first TV role was in 1973 in the show Love, American Style. Later, she made appearances in a number of other programmes, including Sara, Starsky & Hutch, Apple’s Way, and ABC Afterschool Special. She once faced attempts at sexual molestation by the director of the advertisements while she was an adolescent performer.
In 1976, Kristy joined Family as a young actress and played Letitia Lawrence. She took her role seriously and always remembered her lines quickly. Her mother aspired to be an actress at this time as well. The young actress thus made a constant effort to assist her in realising her ambition. She was even more worn out from managing her mother’s and her own careers.
The actress started making films in 1978. Two years later, she was cast in the theatrical film Little Darlings as Angel Bright. In the animated fantasy film Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, she portrayed the Princess in a voiceover.
What Happened To Kristy McNichol?
The gifted actress was already beginning to suffer from weariness by 1984. She even turned down the opportunity to film sequences for the film Just the Way You Are in Europe. But she went to Paris to work on an Edouard Molinaro project. Kristy lost weight during this time because she was depressed and uncomfortable.
In the height of her acting career, Kristy McNichol was given a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Before formally quitting from performing in 2001, she battled mental health concerns throughout the 1990s. She claimed once that acting professionally since she was a young child was the main cause of the majority of her psychological problems.
In a 2012 interview, Kristy came out as a lesbian. She disclosed that she had been living since the 1990s with Martie Allen, her partner. She claimed she made the decision to come out of the closet in order to inspire people who are being bullied because of their sexual orientation.
Kristy McNichol’s Net Worth
The star’s current net worth is $4 million. Her multiple TV series and film roles have contributed to her income. Kristy’s success in such a short period of time as an actress is demonstrated by the fact that her value has not decreased despite her acting career. She would be among the wealthiest and most successful celebrities if she were still performing.