Moonlighting

Background:

An American actress hailed from Brooklyn, New York, Allyce Beasley achieved recognition and prominence thanks to her role as rhyming, love-smitten receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the ABC series “Moonlighting” (1985-1989). For her outstanding acting job, she picked up two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe nominations. Commenting on her character on the show, she stated, “I thought the phone thingies were going to be a challenge, but that also helped me become who Miss Dipesto was.”

The breast cancer survivor is also known for providing the voice of Miss Alordayne Grotkey in the Disney hit series “Recess” (1997-2000), in the theatrical movie sequel “Recess: School's Out” (2001) as well as in the direct to video installments “Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street” (also 2001) and “Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade” (2003). She has also guested in TV series “Remington Steele,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Diagnosis Murder,” “7th Heaven,” “Felicity,” “Joan of Arcadia,” “Medium” and had a recurring role in “As the World Turns.” Her film credits include “Loaded Weapon” (1991), “Stuart Little” (1999), “Legally Blonde” (2001), “Shattered!” (2008).

An active voice over actress, Beasley has become the announcer on Disney Channel's “Playhouse Disney” for many years. Her voice could also be heard in commercials for “Cox Communications” and in several animated film or TV programs.

As for charity, Beasley has worked with the Schools On Wheels program, through which she helps and tutors homeless children.

Beasley was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1990s and had undergone a successful surgery. She recalled, “I went to work a week after surgery and it probably saved my spirit and saved my life because this is what I love and I got to do it. Instead of thinking “Oh, I never know when I'll act again” I had a job waiting for me and I just did it and I loved it.”

Beasley had one son with the late actor Vincent Schiavelli (married from 1985 to 1988).

Allyce Tannenberg

Childhood and Family:

Allyce Beasley was born Allyce Tannenberg on July 6, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents Marvin Tannenberg and Harriet were a cartoonist and bookkeeper, respectively. She attended Brockport State College.

Allyce has been married three times. She married first husband Christopher Sansoci from 1970 to 1972. Over a decade later, she tied the knot with actor Vincent Schiavelli (born on November 11, 1948; died on December 26, 2005) on August 4, 1985. They welcomed a son, Andrea Joseph, in 1987 before divorcing on November 20, 1988. Allyce married present husband Jim Bosche on January 15, 1999.

Miss Grotkey of Recess

Career:

Allyce Beasley began her television acting career in the early 1980s with guest spots in the series “King's Crossing,” “Filthy Rich,” “Taxi” and “Cheers” (all 1982), “Remington Steele” (1983) and “Shaping Up” (1984). Her TV movie debut arrived in 1983 when she was cast as Mrs. Cutler in the CBS comedy/drama “One Cooks, the Other Doesn't,” opposite Rosanna Arquette. Also in that same year, she did voice overs for the Emmy Award winning animated telepic “Garfield on the Town.”

Following a part as a receptionist in “The Ratings Game” (1984), a cable TV film directed by and starring Danny DeVito, Beasley landed her first regular role in “Moonlighting,” a ABC comedy/drama that ran for five seasons of 67 episodes from March 1985 to May 1989. The series starred Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as private detectives Madelyn 'Maddie' Hayes and David Addison Jr., respectively, and Beasley as Agnes DiPesto, the offbeat receptionist who regularly answered the phone in rhyming couplets. Curtis Armstrong later joined the cast of the show in 1986 as Herbert Viola, an investigator and Agnes' love interest. On doing kissing scenes with Armstrong, she recalled, “He was married at the time and so was I, and I think I was especially uptight about it, having just found out about Bert's addition the night before. You know how wonderful and what a gentleman and professional he is. I think he was really happy about joining the show, but I mean, he was probably pretty nervous too. Basically they said “Here. Have your 15 minutes. Have coffee. Now, you know, get on top of each other!”

“Moonlighting” was a success with critics and audiences alike during its early seasons, but the ratings gradually declined in the late of season 3. For her work on the show, Beasley was nominated for two consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1986-1987) and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (1988). Telling about what her part did for the show, she said, “He (Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of 'Moonlighting') summed it by saying that Agnes was kind of an emotional geiger counter for Maddie and David. You could really tell how their relationship was going through Agnes' eyes.”

After the cancellation of “ Moonlighting,” Beasley appeared in episodes of “ALF” (1990, as Margaret), “Superboy” (1991, as Agent Harris), “Touched by an Angel” (1996, as Kate Pound) and also did a string of voice overs for TV and film programs like “Darkwing Duck” (1991), “Wilder Napalm” (1993), “Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man” (1994), “Extreme Ghostbusters” (1997) and “The Wild Thornberrys.” She enjoyed a popular show with the Disney animated series “Recess,” where she provided the voice of fourth-grader teacher Miss Alordayne Grotkey from 1997 to 2000.

Beasley made her film acting debut by playing Janice in the horror “Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation” (1990), a third sequel to the 1984 controversial movie “Silent Night, Deadly Night.” It was followed by performances in the road movie “Motorama” (1991), penned by Joseph Minion , screenwriter of “After Hours,” “Loaded Weapon” (1991), a comedy starring Emilio Estevez, Samuel L. Jackson and William Shatner and helmed by Gene Quintano, “Magic Kid II” (1994), Mark Jones' horror, “Rumpelstiltskin” (1995), the biopic “Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story” (1996), based on the life of Dorothy Day (played by Moira Kelly), the journalist turned social activist and founder of the Catholic Worker newspaper, “Dream with the Fishes” (1997), the Academy Award nominated adventure “Stuart Little” (1999, as Aunt Beatrice Little) and “The Prince and the Surfer” (1999), where she acted together with former husband Vincent Schiavelli. Meanwhile, in 1993, Beasley also added her TV credits with performances in the made for TV film “Love, Lies & Lullabies,” starring Susan Day, and the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's “The Tommyknockers,” where she memorably played Deputy Becka Paulson (both ABC).

In the new millennium, Beasley portrayed Sarah Finch in episode “Two Birds with One Sloan” of “Diagnosis Murder” and Mrs. Beasley in an episode of “7th Heaven” called “Liar, Liar” (both 2000). The next year, she reprised her voice role of Miss Grotkey in the movie version of the TV series “Recess,” “Recess: School's Out” (2001), directed by Chuck Sheetz. The film was a moderate success with critics, but was a huge hit among animated fans. She would later recreate the role for the direct to video sequels “Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street” (also 2001) and “Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade” (2003).

Still in 2001, Beasley made a brief appearance as a guidance counselor in “Legally Blonde,” a blockbuster comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Robert Luketic. She also guest starred in the popular college set drama “Felicity,” playing Sharon, and was featured as a telemarketer in the telefilm “Call Me Claus,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. Next up for Beasley, she starred with James Eckhouse in the drama film “Cathedral” (2002) for director/writer Bruce Schwartz, played the mother of Michael Weston in the direct to video “Wishcraft” (2002), supported Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette in the comedy “A Foreign Affair” (2003), directed by Helmut Schleppi and penned by Geert Heetebrij, and played Doris in a 2003 episode of the short lived police drama “10-8: Officers on Duty,” starring Danny Nucci and Ernie Hudson. In the 10 minute short “No Ordinary Hero” (2004), she starred as Zoe, along side David Castro as Jesus. The same year, she also appeared in an episode of “Joan of Arcadia,” but did not take another scrren acting job until four years later in the drama film “Shattered!” (2008), in which she starred along side A. Russell Andrews, Lynsey Bartilson, Jill Bennett, Becky Boxer, Jsu Garcia, among others.

Recently, in 2009, Beasley played Ruth Boddicker in an episode of the supernatural series “Medium” called “The Talented Ms. Boddicker,” aired on May 25. The next day, she began her recurring role of Edna in the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns.” 2009 also found her on stage playing Mrs. Tottendale in “The Drowsy Chaperone” at Gateway Playhouse on Long Island.

Awards:
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