Norma Arnold (Kevin's mother)
- Norma Arnold is the daughter of Jane Gustavson (Jean Speegle Howard) and her husband Karl (Macon McCalman) 113.
- "Alley Mills brings to the role of Norma warmth, humanity and a maternal instinct that makes you want to pick up the phone and give mom a call." (Quote from Edward Gross: "Growing Up in the Sixties: The Wonder Years", p. 39)
Alley Mills
| Birthday: | May 9th, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois |
| Family: | Alley's mother was an art editor for the American Heritage magazine
and then founded a publishing company for rare books with Alley's stepfather.
Alley's parents have been divorced in 1959. Her father, Don Mills, was
remarried to French singing star Genevieve. He was a television producer,
writer and director. Later, he became an executive at NBC network. Youngest
of three children.
(Different sources gives different first names for Alley's father: Ted or Don, the latter more reliable one by Daily News of June 17-June 23, 1990). |
Alley Mills
- grew up in in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
- started acting on stage as the lion in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in fifth grade at Miss Spence's School for Girls in Manhattan
- at age 8 TV debut on "The Patti Page Show" and professional stage debut at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, with Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Reeve, and Peter Evans
- attended a series of exclusive boarding schools in France and the United States during her teen-age years
- admitted to Yale as one of the first female undergraduates
- graduated magna cum laude in 1973 with a BA in drama and art history
- went to England and received an MA degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts
- returned to New York and acted in theatre pieces like Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Collier's Friday Night"
- then took a cross-country camping trip to L.A. where she settled after receiving offers, including a part on the TV series "The Associates," with actor Martin Short
- married to 64-year-old actor Orson Bean (1997). Orson, who met her on a blind date, didn't even want to go to their initial date because he was old enough to be her father. See interview with Alley Mills. She appeared in three episodes of the TV series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", see below, at the side of him who is a regular in this series (Loren Bray).
- Her agent's address is: Stone Manners Agency, 8436 W 3rd Street, Suite 740, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
Filmography:
| Title | Character she played | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys Town Video Series - Helping Your Child Succeed | host | ? | Educational Video |
| Jane White Is Sick & Twisted | Mom | 2001 | Movie |
| The Beach Boys: An American Family | Audree Wilson | 2000 | TV movie |
| Tricks | Ruth | 2000 | Movie |
| Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan | Julie Scarfa | 1995 | TV movie |
| Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare | Portia | 1995 | TV movie |
| Moment
of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire
aka Caught in the Crossfire |
Royce Payne | 1994 | TV movie |
| Tainted Blood | Mrs. Patterson | 1993 | TV movie |
| Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted | Carol | 1992 | TV movie |
| I Love You Perfect | unknown | 1989 | TV movie |
| To Heal a Nation | unknown | 1988 | TV movie |
| The Wonder Years | Norma Arnold | 1987-1993 | TV series |
| The Atlanta Child Murders | Amy Kennear | 1985 | TV movie |
| Going Berserk | Nancy Reese | 1983 | Movie |
| The Other Woman | Amy Vitelli | 1983 | TV movie |
| "Making the Grade" | Sara Conover | 1982 | TV series |
| Prototype | Dr. Rebecca Bishop | 1982 | TV movie |
| A Matter of Life and Death | Allison Cross | 1981 | TV movie |
| Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case | unknown | 1980 | TV movie |
| "The Associates" | Leslie Dunn | 1979-1980 | TV series |
She hosted the video "Boys Town Video Series - Helping Your Child Succeed".
Guest Star in:
| TV Series | as | in Episode | Date |
| "Yes, Dear" | Jenny Ludke | A Complicated Plot (2.11) | 12/17/01 |
| "NYPD Blue" | Sonya Morrow | This Old Spouse (7.20) | 05/16/00 |
| "Popular" | Robin John | Wild, Wild Mess (1.9) | 12/02/99 |
| "Profiler" | Amber Wiley | Inheritance (3.12) | 02/06/99 |
| "Touched by an Angel" | Liz | Last Dance (4.25) | 05/10/98 |
| "Roseanne" | TV Mom #4 | last episode "All about Rosey" (7.19) | 03/01/95 |
| "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" | in (1.11) as Saloon Woman, then Marjorie Quinn | Happy Birthday (1.11) Where the Heart Is (Parts 1 & 2) (2.6-7) Ready or Not (3.27) For Better or Worse (Parts 1 & 2) (3.28-29) When a Child is Born(1) (4.27) When a Child is Born(2) (4.28) Starting Over (5.23) Lead Me Not (6.7) A Time to Heal (Part 1) (6.8) A Time to Heal (Part 2) (6.9) |
03/27/93 11/20/93 05/13/95 05/20/95 05/11/96 05/18/96 04/26/97 11/08/97 11/15/97 11/22/97 |
| "Moonlighting" | ? | The Man who Cried Wife (3.2) | 09/30/86 |
| "Punky Brewster" | Mrs. Deaton | Open Door Broken Heart (Part 2) (3.8) | 12/09/87 |
| "Hill Street Blues" | Tracy Renko | Zen and the Art of Law Enforcement (2.13) Personal Foul (2.16) Shooter (2.17) Invasion of the Third World Body Snatchers (2.18) |
02/18/82 03/25/82 05/06/82 05/13/82 |
| "Lou Grant" | Lisa | Search (4.12) | 02/09/81 |
| "Kaz" | ? | They've Taken Our Daughter (1.19) | 03/25/79 |
| "The Waltons" | Nancy | The Obsession (7.4) | 10/19/78 |