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”’Courtney Thorne-Smith”’ (born November 8 1967<!– DO NOT ADD SPECIFIC DATE OR LOCATION OF BIRTH WITHOUT VALID CITATION. –>) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as [[List of Melrose Place characters#Alison Parker|Alison Parker]] on ”[[Melrose Place]]”, Georgia Thomas on ”[[Ally McBeal]]”, and Cheryl on ”[[According to Jim]]”, as well as her recurring role on ”[[Two and a Half Men]]” as Lyndsey McElroy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Cast of Melrose Place: Where Are They Now? |url=https://people.com/tv/melrose-place-where-are-they-now/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=Peoplemag |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009064134/http://people.com/tv/melrose-place-where-are-they-now/ |url-status=live |archive-date=October 9, 2017}}</ref>
”’Courtney Thorne-Smith”’ (born 1967<!– DO NOT ADD SPECIFIC DATE OR LOCATION OF BIRTH WITHOUT VALID CITATION. –>) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as [[List of Melrose Place characters#Alison Parker|Alison Parker]] on ”[[Melrose Place]]”, Georgia Thomas on ”[[Ally McBeal]]”, and Cheryl on ”[[According to Jim]]”, as well as her recurring role on ”[[Two and a Half Men]]” as Lyndsey McElroy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Cast of Melrose Place: Where Are They Now? |url=https://people.com/tv/melrose-place-where-are-they-now/ |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=Peoplemag |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009064134/http://people.com/tv/melrose-place-where-are-they-now/ |url-status=live |archive-date=October 9, 2017}}</ref>
==Early life==
==Early life==
American actress (born 1966 or 1967)
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Courtney Thorne-Smith |
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|---|---|
 Thorne-Smith in 2013 |
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| Born | 1966 or 1967 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Known for | Melrose Place Ally McBeal According to Jim |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
Courtney Thorne-Smith (born 1966 or 1967) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl on According to Jim, as well as her recurring role on Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.[1]
Thorne-Smith grew up in Menlo Park, California, a suburb south of San Francisco. Her father, Walter Smith, was a computer market researcher, and her mother, Lora Thorne, was a therapist. They divorced when Courtney was seven years old, and she lived with both parents at different stages. She has an older sister, Jennifer, who is an advertising executive.
Thorne-Smith attended Menlo-Atherton High School, in Atherton, California, but she graduated from Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California, in 1985. She performed with the Ensemble Theater Company in Mill Valley while attending high school.[2]
Thorne-Smith made her first film appearance in the 1986 feature film drama Lucas, alongside Winona Ryder, Corey Haim, and Charlie Sheen. She was also involved in a number of movies in the late 1980s, such as Welcome to 18 (1986), Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987), Summer School (1987), and Side Out (1990). In 1998, she starred in the box office flop Chairman of the Board with Carrot Top. In 2009, she appeared in Sorority Wars.
She appeared on a few mid-1980s television series such as Growing Pains and the short-lived Fast Times, as well as made-for-television movies including The Thanksgiving Promise and Infidelity before landing a regular role in the 1988–1989 sitcom Day by Day with Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In 1990, she was featured in six episodes of L.A. Law as Laker Girl Kimberly Dugan.
Her first notable starring television role was as Alison Parker on Melrose Place from 1992 to 1997.[3] During this time, in 1995, she starred in a made-for-television movie Beauty’s Revenge which was also marketed in CD and DVD form as “Midwest Obsession”. Following this, she went on to play Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal from 1997 to 2000. Thorne-Smith originally auditioned for the title role in the show, which ultimately went to Calista Flockhart. Her character was written out of Ally McBeal at the beginning of season four in 2000, though she returned for occasional guest appearances afterwards. She later said that she left the show in part because of the pressure to stay thin. “I started undereating, overexercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system,” she told US Weekly. “The amount of time I spent thinking about food and being upset about my body was insane.”[4]
From 2001 to 2009, she starred as Cheryl on According to Jim. In 2007, her real-life pregnancy was hidden on the show at first, but was then written into the plot.[5] On February 18, 2010, she signed on to play Alan Harper‘s (Jon Cryer) girlfriend, Lyndsey McElroy, in season seven of Two and a Half Men.[6] She appeared in 52 episodes from season seven through twelve.
From 2017 to 2019, Thorne-Smith starred in a series of three television films, the Emma Fielding Mysteries on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, based on the novels by Dana Cameron.[7]
On September 18, 2007, Thorne-Smith’s novel, Outside In, was published by Broadway Books in New York.[8][9]
In 1997, she became a spokesperson for cosmetics brand Almay, being the face of their new “Skin Stays Clean” line of make-up.[10] She appeared for Almay’s print ads and television commercials until 2001. In 2003, Thorne-Smith appeared on Kellogg’s Special K cereal boxes as part of a breast cancer awareness campaign with Kelloggs and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.[11]
During her career, she has appeared on the cover of magazines such as Shape, Parade, Self, InStyle Weddings, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Vogue Knitting and Fit Pregnancy.[citation needed]
On June 2, 2000, Thorne-Smith married genetic scientist Andrew Conrad. The couple separated in January 2001.[12]
On January 1, 2007, she married talent agent Roger Fishman.[13] On January 11, 2008, she gave birth to their son.[14][15] The couple separated in September 2021, and Thorne-Smith filed for divorce in June 2025.[16]
Awards and nominations
[edit]
- ^ “The Cast of Melrose Place: Where Are They Now?”. Peoplemag. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Roberta Caploe, Jamie Caploe (1996). Melrose Confidential. Carol Publishing Group. p. 12. ISBN 0806517433.
- ^ “‘Melrose Place’ Revival in the Works with Original Stars Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga”. Peoplemag. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 5, 2000). “The Skinny on Courtney Thorne-Smith”. TV Guide. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ Courtney Thorne-Smith’s Pregnancy Written into Show Archived April 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, TV Guide, October 22, 2007.
- ^ Porter, Rick (February 18, 2010). “Courtney Thorne-Smith woos one of Two and a Half Men“. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010.
- ^ Robbins, Caryn (March 28, 2017). “Courtney Thorne-Smith to Star in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ SITE UNSEEN: AN EMMA FIELDING MYSTERY”. BroadwayWorld.com.
- ^ Outside In reviewed, USA Today Book Review, September 20, 2007.
- ^ “Courtney Thorne-Smith at book party”. Peoplemag. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ “Ally McBeal: ALMAY Makes Courtney Thorne-Smith Newest Spokesperson; Cosmetic Company Signs ‘Ally McBeal’ Star”. shockme99.tripod.com. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ “Courtney Thorne-Smith – Other works”. IMDb. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ “Thorne-Smith’s Marriage Falls Apart”. January 5, 2001. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
- ^ Clinton, Ivory (January 9, 2007). “Courtney Thorne-Smith Marries”. People. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007.
- ^ “Courtney Thorne-Smith Has a Boy”. People. January 11, 2008. Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- ^ “The 40-Plus Moms Club”. Peoplemag. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Sheffield, Toria (June 21, 2025). “‘Melrose Place’ Star Courtney Thorne-Smith Files for Divorce from Roger Fishman After 18 Years of Marriage”. People. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (August 1, 2024). “Courtney Thorne-Smith & Stella Gregg To Lead New Lifetime Movie ‘He Slid Into Her DMs’“. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
