Trivia: Best remembered for his high-profile acting roles on two 1970s television sitcoms -- that of genial news writer Murray Slaughter on CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) and that of sweet-natured Captain Merrill Stubing on ABC's The Love Boat (1977-1986), stage-trained actor Gavin MacLeod in fact began his career typecast as a villain. He landed parts in Hollywood features including The Sand Pebbles (1966), Deathwatch (1966), and The Comic (1969), and enjoyed a tenure as Joseph "Happy" Haines on the sitcom McHale's Navy from 1962 through 1964. After The Love Boat permanently laid anchor in the mid-'80s, MacLeod signed on as a spokesperson and pitchman for Princess Cruises and returned to regional theatrical work. He also tackled guest spots on programs including Touched by an Angel and (in a move that surprised everyone) the HBO prison drama Oz. Off-camera, MacLeod is an outspoken born-again Christian. He hosted a popular talk show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, along with his wife, Patti (whom he divorced in 1982 and remarried three years later), called Back on Course, and personally funded many of the Greatest Adventure Stories from the Bible animated videos for children.

Trivia: Universally recognized as Ship's Doctor Adam Bricker on the blockbuster prime-time sitcom The Love Boat (1977-1986) -- a part he held for the entire nine-season run of the series -- actor Bernie Kopell entered the doors of show business via a most unlikely route. Born in Brooklyn, Kopell attended Erasmus High and then New York University (with a dramatic art major). After a stint at sea aboard the naval vessel USS Iowa, Kopell signed on to drive a taxicab in Southern California -- and achieved his big break on the day that Oregon Trail (1959) film producer Dick Einfeld hitched a ride in the back of his cab. In a span of minutes, Kopell reportedly managed to convince Einfeld that he was not really a cab driver but an actor in serious need of work. The effort paid off, and Kopell snagged his first part -- a two-line part in Oregon as an aide to president James K. Polk. In the early '60s, Kopell joined the Actors' Ring Theatre in Los Angeles, where he developed a knack for characterizations and voices; this led, in turn, to character-type roles on a myriad of television programs including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Steve Allen Show, and My Favorite Martian (which often, though not always, cast the wiry Kopell as a Hispanic). By the early '70s, Kopell had landed steady assignments on Get Smart, Bewitched, That Girl, and other series. The Love Boat, however, embodied his breakthrough. He followed it up with an emcee assignment on The Travel Channel (hosting its Railway Adventures Across Europe) and a surge in theatrical work, with portrayals in regional productions of such plays as Rumors, A History of Shadows, and Death of a Salesman.

Trivia: Actor Fred Grandy enjoyed two distinct careers -- an initial career as an actor and a proverbial second wind on the political stage. As a thespian, Grandy signed for guest spots on early-'70s series including Maude and Phyllis, but built his reputation via his nine-season portrayal of Yeoman-Purser Burl "Gopher" Smith, right-hand man to Captain Merrill Stubing (Gavin MacLeod), on the popular television sitcom The Love Boat (1977-1986). He proved popular with audiences, but by the mid-'80s reportedly grew tired of acting and gravitated to the political arena because he found it more challenging. Indeed, in 1986 -- the year of Boat's cancelation -- Grandy was elected as a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Iowa.

Trivia: For millions of Americans, the prime-time situation comedy The Love Boat will be forever inseparable from the image of Ted Lange, an actor cast for nine seasons as the genial Isaac the Bartender on the Pacific Princess luxury liner and trademarked by his iconic "two-finger drop" greeting. Yet Lange's portrayal of Isaac scarcely hinted at the actor's dexterity or dramatic range. In truth, this actor received classical dramatic training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and would go on, after the Princess took its final voyage in September 1986, to establish himself as a revered creative force in regional theater.Lange initially broke into films with many portrayals in Hollywood programmers during the early '70s, including Trick Baby (1972), Blade (1972), and Black Belt Jones (1974), and landed a regular role in the one-season ethnic sitcom That's My Mama (1974), as a streetwise philosopher opposite Clifton Davis (Amen) and Theresa Merritt. The Love Boat, of course, brought Lange his most widespread recognition; nonetheless (as indicated), he hearkened back to his theatrical roots beginning in the late '80s and divided his time between writing, directing, and stage acting roles. His resumé as a scribe sports at least 17 original plays including Lemon Meringue Facade, Behind the Mask -- An Evening with Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Evil Legacy -- The Story of Lucretia Borgia, while he has appeared dramatically in productions including Hair and Taming of the Shrew and has directed plays ranging from Othello to the rock & roll musical Born a Unicorn.

Trivia: Pennsylvania-born actress Lauren Tewes achieved broadest recognition for her stint as Cruise Director Julie McCoy on the long-running ABC situation comedy The Love Boat. Unfortunately, Tewes (unlike many of her fellow cast members) left the program prior to the final voyage of the Pacific Princess -- reportedly spiraling into a much-publicized bout of severe cocaine addiction from which she eventually fully recovered, but which cost her the role on the series. Tewes nevertheless demonstrated admirable resilience by returning for at least two Love Boat telemovies and remained active in television and film. Subsequent projects included guest appearances on the small-screen series dramas Hunter and Murder, She Wrote, and roles in features such as The Doom Generation (1995) and It Came From Outer Space 2 (1996).

Trivia: Jill Whelan enjoyed an acting career as a child star, with a seven-season (1979-1986) portrayal of Vicki, Captain Merrill Stubing's young daughter, on the prime-time ABC situation comedy The Love Boat. After the series wrapped in 1986, Whelan returned for a number of Love Boat telemovies, acted in regional theater, and played a regular role on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless. Astute movie buffs may remember Whelan for a brief but memorable big-screen contribution that happened during her Love Boat tenure: she also portrayed Lisa Davis, the ailing child sent into convulsions when a singing nun knocks out her I.V., in the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker farce Airplane! (1980).

Trivia: The daughter of a lounge singer, Lisa Hartman grew up watching in fascination as audiences responded to her dad's nightclub act. Despite a peripatetic childhood, Hartman was determined to pursue a showbiz career as soon as she was old enough. She fronted a Houston rock band at 16, and headed to LA three years later, where she recorded her first album. It went directly to the one-dollar bin, but Hartman was only slightly fazed by this early failure; if the musical world didn't want her just yet, there were always modelling jobs and TV commercials. Her first TV series was 1977's Tabitha, a foredoomed attempt to bring the Bewitched baby into the adult world of giggles and jiggles. After several ups and down, Hartman was cast as saloon songstress Ciji on the nighttime serial Knot's Landing (1982). Ciji was eventually killed off, but Hartman was back on the series within months as a Ciji look-alike, waitress Cathy Geary. Though this series would firmly establish Hartman as one of TV's best "bad girls," she was able to take a few sabbaticals from villainy, notably as host of the syndicated magazine series Cover Story. Lisa Hartman has remained in the public eye into the 1990s, chiefly as the wife (and frequent singing partner) of country-western star Clint Black.

Trivia: Served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam after graduating college. Was a non-celebrity competitor on The $10,000 Pyramid in 1974 and, after he became a star, appeared on the show a number of times. In 1990, made his Broadway-musical debut in City of Angels. Played Jeeves in the 1996 American premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical By Jeeves. Played the Wizard of Oz in a national tour of Wicked (2010). Runs the Richard Kline Acting Workshop. Has toured and made public appearances with his Three's Company costars Joyce DeWitt and Priscilla Barnes.

Trivia: While known primarily for her role as Marcia Brady, the eldest child on the girls' side of The Brady Bunch clan, Maureen McCormick has gone on to become a reality-show participant (VH1's Celebrity Fit Club) and recording artist, as well as having continued her career as an actress. McCormick has made multiple appearances on sitcoms (Happy Days, Scrubs, and The Amanda Show, to name a few), and portrayed the role of Rebecca Hotchkiss for ten episodes of NBC's Passions. McCormick has also written an autobiography chronicling her life experiences before, during, and after The Brady Bunch. In addition to returning to various Brady-related projects over the years, McCormick competed on the fifth season of the reality series Celebrity Fit Club.

Trivia: A veritable mainstay on mid-'70s U.S. television, Renaissance performer Charo (née María Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza) began life in Murcia, Spain, in 1951 and commenced her foray into show business by learning the guitar at the hands of the legendary Latin jazz maestro Andrés Segovia. Her success in that sphere yielded a lucrative recording contract in Europe and a movie role in the feature Don Juan Tenerio. Her career further expanded when she met, fell in love with, and married the famed bandleader Xavier Cugat -- a man over 50 years her senior. In seemingly no time, Charo joined Cugat's stage act as a dancer, and the ensemble hit nightspots across the U.S. including Caesar's Palace, The Tropicana, and The Flamingo. Charo earned the nickname "The Cuchi-Cuchi Girl" for her trademark exclamation "Cuchi! Cuchi!" By the 1970s, Charo's reputation caught fire and she turned up as a small-screen regular on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reportedly sitting on his guest couch in excess of 45 times), and on the prime-time situation comedy The Love Boat (1977-1986). Though Boat's producers never officially tapped Charo as a regular cast member, she set a record number of guest spots on that program, and expanded her acting resumé with work on such features as Airport '79: Concorde (1979), Moon Over Parador (1988), and Thumbelina (1994); she also participated in season three of MTV's The Surreal Life (2004), alongside Flavor Flav, Dave Coulier, and others. Charo temporarily retired from touring as a musical act when her son, Shel, reached the age of five. She divorced Cugat in 1978 and married her second husband, Swedish Kjell Rasten, that same year.

Trivia: A character actor who specialized in upbeat, energetic everymen (often with a strong romantic angle), Jay Thomas made his most enduring mark on U.S. television sitcoms during the mid- to late '80s and early '90s. A native of Kermit, TX, Thomas kick-started his career as a standup comedian in the American South, with a particularly strong emphasis on French Quarter comedy clubs in New Orleans, LA. He achieved his big television break in the late '70s thanks to Mork & Mindy show creator Garry Marshall, who cast him as deli owner Remo DaVinci on that blockbuster program just as its ratings were beginning to slide; Thomas remained with it for two seasons, from 1979-1981. Following little-seen movie roles in films such as 1984's C.H.U.D. and 1985's The Gig (a particularly colorful part as an obnoxious entertainer), Thomas returned to series television in a big way, first with a recurring role on Cheers, as Eddie LeBec, the ne'er-do-well, washed-up hockey player husband of saucy barmaid Carla (Rhea Perlman) -- a role he held from 1987-1989 (which ended with the character being run over by a Zamboni machine!). Thomas followed up his Cheers part with two additional key sitcom roles: the lead role of New York Post columnist Jack Stein -- the romantic sparring partner of Wally Porter (Susan Dey) -- on Love & War (1992-1995), and (in a less frequently seen but equally memorable performance) Jerry Gold, one of the paramours of Candice Bergen's acerbic title character, on Murphy Brown -- a role that lasted for nine years. (Both programs were produced by Diane English.) When Brown folded in 1998, Thomas moved back into features, essaying supporting roles in such films as Last Chance (1999), Dragonfly (2002), and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006).

Trivia: Born Orson Whipple Hungerford, Jr., he was a virile, muscular, handsome leading man and supporting actor of Hollywood films of the '60s. He was billed "Ty Hungerford" in his first film, I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958). He starred in the TV series Bronco (1958-61) and Riptide (1965), but in the mid '60s his Hollywood career dried up; he moved to Europe for a decade, appearing in European films sporadically until the early '70s. For some time he lived in Los Boliches, Spain, where he owned a bar and a chain of laundromats. In the summer of 1974 he was jailed for a month and fined $9200 for drug-trafficking, having allegedly been found with 25 kilos of hashish hidden in his car. In 1977, back in the U.S., he converted to Born-Again Christianity; for some time he was a minister, preaching in tents around the country and heading his own congregation in Prescott, Arizona. He also filmed a half-hour religious program, Going Home, that aired three times a week in 39 states on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. He has been married six times and divorced five; his wives included actress Andra Martin, former Miss Universe Marlene Schmidt, and model Jeanette Atkins.

Trivia: American actress/dancer Dody Goodman gained a measure of newspaper column space for her dancing solos in such '40s Broadway musicals as High Button Shoes and Wonderful Town. Adopting the guise of a fey airhead, Goodman was good for a few off-the-wall quotes whenever she submitted to an interview. She came to the attention of nighttime talkshow host Jack Paar, who after becoming enchanted by Goodman's ditzy persona and seemingly spontaneous malaprops, invited the lady to become a semi-regular on The Tonight Show. As Goodman's fame grew, she became difficult to handle on the show, and Paar wasn't happy with her upstaging habits. Commenting on another guest one evening, Paar quipped "Give them enough rope." "And they'll skip!" ad-libbed Goodman brightly. Dropped summarily by Paar in 1958, Goodman spent the next decade showing up on other talk programs, game shows and summer stock as a "professional celebrity." Goodman staged a comeback in 1976 as Louise Lasser's mother on the TV soap opera parody Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. After this, Dody Goodman's career gained momentum with regular appearances on TV's Diff'rent Strokes, movie roles (Grease [1978]) and cartoon voiceover work (The Chipmunk's Adventure [1987]). She died in 2008 at the age of 93.

Trivia: Larry Linville is best known for playing weasel-like Major Frank Burns on the esteemed, long-running series M*A*S*H*. He began his career as a supporting actor in the pilot for the television series Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and made his feature-film debut in Jack Lemmon's Kotch (1971). Linville left M*A*S*H in 1977 after appearing on it for five years. Since then he appeared in low-budget films such as Rock and Roll High School Forever (1990) and Body Waves (1991). Linville also continued working on television in series such as Grandpa Goes to Washington (1978-1979) and Herbie the Love Bug (1982) and as a guest star in other series. Linville's stage appearances included a Broadway stint in Travels With My Aunt, though in the '90s, he was more likely to appear in dinner theater.