Allyce Beasley

{{Infobox person

| name = Allyce Beasley

| image = Allyce Beasley Emmy Awards.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Beasley at the 1987 Primetime Emmy Awards

| birth_name = Allyce Tannenberg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|07|06}}

| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.

| education = SUNY Brockport

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Actress
voice actress
comedian

}}

| years_active = 1982–present

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Christopher Sansocie|1970|1972|reason=divorced}}
{{marriage|Vincent Schiavelli|1985|1988|reason=divorced}}
{{marriage|Jim Bosche|1999}}

}}

| children = 1

}}

Allyce Beasley ({{née}} Tannenberg; born July 6, 1951) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as rhyming, love-struck receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the television series Moonlighting.{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/moonlighting-star-beasley-joins-cast-of-grecian-formula-com-151734|title="Moonlighting" Star Beasley Joins Cast of Grecian Formula|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=July 17, 2008|website=Playbill|access-date=October 20, 2022}} From 2001 to 2007, she was the announcer on Playhouse Disney, a morning lineup of programming for young children on Disney Channel. She appeared briefly as a guidance counselor in the comedy film Legally Blonde and played Coach's daughter, Lisa Pantusso, on Cheers.{{cite book|last=Snauffer|first=Douglas|page=54|title=The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series|publisher=McFarland & Company|date=March 10, 2015|isbn=9780786455041}} She also announced the safety video during The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida.

Early life

Beasley was born in Brooklyn, New York as Allyce Tannenberg, the daughter of Marvin, a magazine cartoonist, and Harriet Tannenberg, who worked as a bookkeeper.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/as-ms-dipesto-moonlightings-ditzy-receptionist-allyce-beasley-finally-answers-the-call-of-fame-vol-25-no-17/|title=As Ms. Dipesto, Moonlighting's Ditzy Receptionist, Allyce Beasley Finally Answers the Call of Fame|last=Grant|first=James|date=April 28, 1986|website=People|access-date=October 20, 2022}} Beasley is Jewish.{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-08-17-8603010782-story.html|title=BEASLEY: 'A LOT OF ME IN DIPESTO'|first=Betty|last=Goodwin|website=chicagotribune.com|date=August 17, 1986 }} She and her family moved frequently during her childhood, living in Philadelphia, Long Island, and New York City, before settling in the latter location.{{cite news|last=Pace|first=Constance|date=December 27, 1985|title=Allyce Beasley always knew 'Moonlighting' would go far|newspaper=Altus Times|page=8B}}

She studied philosophy at SUNY Brockport, aspiring to be a poet.{{cite news|last=Gorga|first=Denise|date=December 14, 1986|title=Subject: Allyce Beasley|newspaper=Gadsden Times|page=2}} However, Beasley developed an interest in acting and soon shifted her focus to theater. She dropped out of college and began acting in local theater productions in New Mexico.{{cite news|last=Guttman|first=Monika|date=April 1, 1986|title=Allyce Beasley: 'Moonlighting For a Living'|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review}} Upon returning to New York, Beasley took drama classes under Lee Strasberg during the day while working nights as a waitress to make ends meet. Her professional surname was chosen after football player Beasley Reece.{{cite news|last=Buck|first=Jerry|date=March 14, 1986|title=Zany Beasley jingled to stardom|newspaper=Star-News|page=3D}} She moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1982.

Career

= Television and film work =

Early in her career, Beasley appeared as Coach Pantusso's daughter on Cheers{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/watching/cheers-best-episodes.html|title='Cheers' Said Goodbye 25 Years Ago: Raise a Toast With These 9 Essential Episodes|last=Wolk|first=Josh|date=May 18, 2018|website=The New York Times|access-date=October 20, 2022}} and played the role of Latka Gravas' one night stand on the sitcom Taxi.{{cite news|last=Carter|first=Alan|date=June 10, 1986|title=Future's bright for Allyce Beasley|newspaper=The Evening Independent|page=5B}} She also made guest appearances on crime drama Remington Steele and sitcom ALF.{{cite book|page=172|title=Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows|last=Lentz|first=Harris M.|date=2001|publisher=McFarland & Company}}

In 1985, she landed the role of receptionist{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/moonlighting-first-episode-1985-review-819796/|title='Moonlighting' First Episode: THR's 1985 Review|date=September 2, 2015|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=October 20, 2022}} Agnes DiPesto on Moonlighting, starring opposite Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. Beasley claims to have auditioned for the role multiple times before getting the part.{{cite news|last=Deeb|first=Gary|date=May 22, 1988|title=Beasley key supporting ingredient|newspaper=Herald-Journal|page=4}} For her work on Moonlighting, Beasley received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1986 and 1987.{{cite web|url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/allyce-beasley|title=Allyce Beasley|website=Emmy Awards|publisher=Academy of Television Arts & Sciences|access-date=October 20, 2022}} Beasley continued playing the character until the series ended in 1989.{{cite news|last=Buck|first=Jerry|date=May 9, 1989|title=David and Maddie of 'Moonlighting' lose a case|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard|page=6D}}

Following the end of Moonlighting, Beasley was often typecast in roles similar to Agnes, which she found creatively frustrating.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-09-tv-33100-story.html|title=With An Eye On . . . : The Beast In Beasley Finally Emerges In 'The Tommyknockers'|last=King|first=Susan|date=May 9, 1993|website=The Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 22, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306054745/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-05-09/news/tv-33100_1_allyce-beasley|archive-date=March 6, 2016}} She was a friend of Susan Dey's character in the television film Lies and Lullabies and acted in the 1993 miniseries The Tommyknockers, based on the novel by Stephen King.{{cite news|date=May 9, 1993|title=Stephen King novel airs as miniseries|newspaper=The Beaver County Times|page=16}} Beasley started appearing in films during the 1990s, having roles in Dream with the Fishes (1997){{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Fj7VqqCpLYC&dq=%22Allyce+Beasley%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA69|title=Screen World 1998|last=Willis|first=John|author-link=John A. Willis|page=69|date=February 1999|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9781557833419}} and Stuart Little (1999).{{cite news|date=June 27, 2001|title=Being recognizable fails to guarantee an income|newspaper=The Vindicator|page=C4}}

She guest starred in one episode of Joan of Arcadia as Cat Woman God.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Y5iDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Allyce+Beasley%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA129|page=129|title=Television Series of the 2000s: Essential Facts and Quirky Details|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn= 9781538103807|date=October 15, 2018|last=Terrace|first=Vincent}} On Bored to Death, she played the role of Florence, the mother of Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), and appeared on the YouTube Premium series Champaign ILL.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/12/champaign-ill-youtube-review-adam-pally-sam-richardson-jay-pharoah-1202027593/|title='Champaign ILL' Review: Adam Pally and Sam Richardson Pop in Sharp YouTube Comedy|last=Travers|first=Ben|date=December 12, 2018|website=IndieWire|access-date=October 20, 2022}}

= Voice work =

Beasley has also worked as a voice actress.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/over-the-moon-vol-53-no-7/|title=Over the Moon|date=February 21, 2000|website=People|access-date=October 22, 2022|last=Miller|first=Samantha}} Her first voice over work was portraying two cats in the Garfield special Garfield on the Town (1983). She is best known for her role as Miss Alordayne Grotke in the popular Disney TV series Recess (1997−2001),{{cite book|page=494|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FMFTDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Allyce+Beasley%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA494|title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows|last=Perlmutter|first=David|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781538103746|date=May 4, 2018}} reprising this role in the feature film Recess: School's Out (2001){{cite book|last1=Willis|first1=John|author-link1=John A. Willis|last2=Lynch|first2=Tom|title=Screen World 2002|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wmv4nFqwmJ8C&dq=%22Allyce+Beasley%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA16|publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Book Publishers|isbn=9781557835987|date=December 2002}} and three direct-to-video specials.{{cite web |title=Allyce Beasley (visual voices guide) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Allyce-Beasley/ |access-date=October 20, 2022 |website=Behind the Voice Actors |type= A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information}}

She voiced herself in an episode of Johnny Bravo, made a guest appearance in the television series The Wild Thornberrys, Extreme Ghostbusters, Pound Puppies, Darkwing Duck, Lloyd in Space and Duckman in addition to voicing several characters in the video game EverQuest II.

Beasley narrated for Playhouse Disney{{cite web|url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/153666/whats-up-allyce-beasley-the-tv-fave-gets-a-long-overdue-broadway-debut-in-la-cage-aux-folles/|title=What's Up, Allyce Beasley? The TV Fave Gets a Long Overdue Broadway Debut in La Cage aux Folles|last=Henderson|first=Kathy|date=September 24, 2010|website=Broadway.com|access-date=October 20, 2022}} from April 16, 2001, until March 30, 2007. She was also the announcer for the safety video with Itchy and Scratchy that plays during The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida.

= Stage work =

During the summer of 2009, she performed onstage in The Drowsy Chaperone at Gateway Playhouse on Long Island, playing Mrs. Tottendale.

She replaced Veanne Cox in the role of Mme. Renaud/Mme. Dindon in the Tony Award-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles alongside Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge on September 14, 2010.

In the spring of 2014, Beasley portrayed Doris in the musical Damn Yankees with Lora Lee Gayer at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut.

Personal life

Beasley married photographer Christopher Sansocie in 1970. They divorced in 1972. While appearing on Taxi, Beasley met actor Vincent Schiavelli. The two were married from 1985 to 1988, and had one son, Andrea Schiavelli. In 1999, Beasley married for the third time to her current husband Jim Bosche, a writer.

Beasley was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. After undergoing a partial mastectomy and stem cell transplant, she was declared cancer free.[http://www.cancer-survivors.org/famous-breast-cancer-survivors.html List of breast cancer survivors]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005233747/http://www.cancer-survivors.org/famous-breast-cancer-survivors.html |date=October 5, 2012}}