Marla Heasley

Marla Heasley
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Portrays:	Lt. Nancy Trent
Date of Birth:	September 4, 1959
Date of Death:	Missing required parameter 1=month! ,
Age:	66
Nationality:	USA
Related Media
		@ BW Media
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IMDb profile

Marla Heasley (born September 4, 1959) is an American film and television actress.

Career

Early Work

Heasley's professional acting career began with the Galactica 1980 episode "Spaceball," where she portrayed Air Force Lieutenant Nancy Trent, who served as Colonel Sydell's secretary. Prior to this television debut, Heasley appeared in the first four episodes of Star Search in the Spokesmodel category.

Heasley's path to acting was unconventional, as she initially aspired to a career in fashion merchandising rather than entertainment. While attending Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and modeling on the side, her father introduced her to Norman Brokaw of the William Morris Agency. During a commercial audition, she met acting coach Zina Provendie, who invited her to audit a class. Heasley fell in love with acting and signed with Brokaw at William Morris, despite having no prior acting experience. She took her training seriously, attending acting classes intensively, joining a repertory theater, and moving to New York for a year to study with an acting coach.

Her first television role was in the 1979 television movie Can You Hear the Laughter? The Freddie Prinze Story.

The A-Team

Heasley is best known for her recurring role as Tawnia Baker in the hit NBC series The A-Team (1983-1987). She played a newspaper reporter who worked with the team, introduced in season 2, episode 15, "The Battle of Bel-Air" as a replacement for Melinda Culea's character Amy Allen. Her character's name was chosen by series creator Stephen J. Cannell, who combined his daughter's first name (Tawnia) with his mother's maiden name (Baker).

Prior to being cast as Tawnia Baker, Heasley had made an earlier guest appearance in the series as Cherise, a character in season 2, episode 4, "Bad Time on the Border." Although cast as a regular for the Tawnia Baker role, she was not added to the show's opening credits and did not appear in every episode during her tenure with the series. Her character was written out of the series in the season 3 two-part episode "The Bend in the River," where Tawnia was married off.

Heasley appeared alongside Battlestar Galactica star Dirk Benedict, who played Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the series.

Other Television and Film Work

Following her work on Galactica 1980 and during her time on The A-Team, Heasley guest-starred in numerous television series throughout the 1980s, including T.J. Hooker (starring Star Trek actor William Shatner), The Love Boat, Riptide, Mike Hammer, and The Highwayman.

Her feature film work included Born to Race (1988), The Marrying Man (1991) starring Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, and Amore! (1993). Her last credited acting role was in 1993.

Personal Life

Family Background

Heasley grew up in the entertainment industry. Her father, Jack Heasley, and uncle, Robert Heasley, were identical twin professional ice skaters known as The Heasley Twins. The twins were taught to ice skate by the famous skater-turned-actress Sonja Henie while attending Beverly Hills High School. They performed with Henie and Dorothy Lewis in ice revues and appeared in numerous films, including The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953), Ice Capades (1941), Thin Ice (1937), and A Chump at Oxford (1940). The Heasley Twins also appeared in advertising campaigns and later became successful entertainment managers, representing actors including Shelley Winters, Betty Hutton, and Audie Murphy.

Heasley grew up in Beverly Hills and attended Beverly Hills Catholic School until age 12. She later attended Palm Springs High School, graduating in the late 1970s.

Relationships and Marriage

Heasley was engaged to singer Wayne Newton, with their relationship lasting from 1983 to 1991 and their engagement from 1987 to 1991. On March 1, 2001, she married Christopher Harriman, an international business developer who had been a successful recording artist in Europe in the early 1980s. The couple had been dating since 1992.

Current Activities

After retiring from acting in the 1990s, Heasley transitioned to other professional pursuits. She has worked as a graphic designer for more than 20 years, designing brands, logos, and websites. In 2019, she became an Integrative Nutritional Health Coach after a long personal health journey.

In 1987, Heasley became ill with Epstein Barr and Hashimoto Thyroiditis, and in 2009, she developed Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD). These health challenges influenced her path toward integrative nutrition and health coaching. She has mentioned completing a book about health.

Heasley serves as Chief Creative Officer at Brightside Industries Group, LLC, based in Beverly Hills, California. She continues to engage with fans through social media and has participated in interviews about her time on The A-Team, including a recent Zoom interview with Jim Conlan of RCB Radio Ireland.

References

External Links

• Marla Heasley at the Internet Movie Database