Joanna Kerns
0.7Acting

Joanna Kerns

Feb 12, 1953 - San Francisco, California, USA

Joanna Crussie DeVarona Kerns is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992.

After Growing Pains ended, she turned to directing. She directed one episode of Growing Pains while starring on the show and got hooked. She has also directed episodes of television shows including Dawson's Creek, Titans, Scrubs, Private Practice, Psych, Felicity, Grey's Anatomy, Privileged, ER, Ghost Whisperer, Army Wives, Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, The Goldbergs, This Is Us, and Fuller House.

She has also made notable appearances in feature films, including A*P*E, Girl, Interrupted, and the 2007 comedy Knocked Up. She has also starred in a number of TV movies.

In 1974, Kerns met a commercial producer, Richard Kerns, on the set of a commercial, and they married two years later. Their marriage lasted nine years and the couple had a daughter, Ashley Cooper. In 1994, she married Marc Appleton, a prominent Los Angeles architect. In August 2019, she filed for divorce from Appleton.

She previously dated comedian and actor Freddie Prinze a short time before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The two had worked together on the 1976 TV movie, The Million Dollar Rip-Off.

Credits

Cast

Media
Movie2001All Over the GuyLydia
Movie1986Love Struck
Movie1978ComaDiane
Movie1976A*P*EMarilyn Baker
Movie1991Voices That CareSelf - Choir Member
Movie1982Mother's Day on Waltons MountainDoris Marshall
Movie1993Shameful SecretsMaryanne Walker-Tate
Movie1985The Rape of Richard BeckAnita Parrish
Movie1990The Great Los Angeles EarthquakeDr. Clare Winslow
Movie1993Not in My FamilyVeronica Ricci
Movie1987Street JusticeCatherine Watson
Movie1993The Man with Three WivesKaty
Movie2004Growing Pains: Return of the SeaversMaggie Seaver
Movie2000The Growing Pains MovieMaggie Seaver
Movie1996Terror in the FamilyCynthia Marten
Movie1997Mother Knows BestCeleste Cooper
Movie1976The Million Dollar Rip-OffJessie
Movie1994Mortal FearDr. Jennifer Kessler
Movie1994No Dessert, Dad, 'Til You Mow the LawnCarol Cochran
Movie1997Sisters and Other StrangersGail Connelly Metzger
Movie1991Deadly Intentions... Again?Sally
Movie1982A Wedding on Waltons MountainDoris Marshall
Movie1985Stormin' HomeLana Singer
Movie1996No One Could Protect HerJessica Rayner
Movie1995Whose Daughter is She?Laura Eagerton
Movie1980Marriage Is Alive and WellMeg
Movie1991CaptiveKathy Plunk
Movie1992Desperate Choices: To Save My ChildMel Robbins
Movie1995See Jane RunJane Ravenson
Movie1989Those She Left BehindDiane Pappas
Movie1992The NightmanEve
Movie1989The Preppie MurderLinda Fairstein
Movie1985A Bunny's TaleAndrea
Movie1998Emma's WishEmma Bridges-Mame
Movie1988She's Having a BabyJoanna Kerns (uncredited)
Movie1999Girl, InterruptedAnnette
Movie1999At the Mercy of a StrangerElizabeth Cooper
Movie1987Cross My HeartNancy
Movie1975It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!Citizen (uncredited)
Movie2007Knocked UpAlison's Mom
Movie1984The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.Pamela Saletta
TV Show1985Growing PainsMaggie Seaver162
TV Show2002Less than PerfectJudy, Owen's Other Mom2
TV Show1980Magnum, P.I.Mary Kanfer1
TV Show1977CHiPsColleen1
TV Show2004The Tony Danza ShowSelf1
TV Show1974Rhoda1
TV Show1983The A-TeamTrish Brenner1
TV Show1975Starsky & Hutch1
TV Show1977The Love BoatBeth Luckner1
TV Show1976Quincy, M.E.1
TV Show1996E! True Hollywood Story1
TV Show1976Charlie's AngelsNatalie1
TV Show1981Hill Street Blues1
TV Show1976Laverne & Shirley1
TV Show1977Three's CompanyBobby Trilling2
TV Show1972Emergency!1
TV Show1984HunterDr. Kettering1
TV Show1994Chicago Hope2
TV Show1993Intimate PortraitSelf1
TV Show1975SwitchMae Brenner1
TV Show1996Aliens in the FamilySelf (voice)1
TV Show1984The Four SeasonsPat Devon13
TV Show1997The Wonderful World of Disney1
TV Show2009Eastwick1
TV Show1990Blind FaithMaria Marshall2
TV Show1983VMarjorie Donovan2
TV Show1985Street HawkMona Wiliams1
TV Show1995Hope and GloriaJoanna Kerns1
TV Show1962The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonSelf1
TV Show1980Magnum, P.I.Jenny Hunter1

Crew

Media
Movie2003Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey StoryDirectorDirecting
Movie2004Growing Pains: Return of the SeaversDirectorDirecting
Movie2017UnrestAssociate ProducerProduction
Movie1992The NightmanCo-Executive ProducerProduction
Movie2024Love, DanielleExecutive ProducerProduction
TV Show2005MediumDirectorDirecting
TV Show1985Growing PainsDirectorDirecting
TV Show2000TitansDirectorDirecting
TV Show2000Boston PublicDirectorDirecting
TV Show2003One Tree HillDirectorDirecting
TV Show2007Notes from the UnderbellyDirectorDirecting
TV Show2006Men in TreesDirectorDirecting
TV Show2007Private PracticeDirectorDirecting
TV Show2007Army WivesDirectorDirecting
TV Show2008PrivilegedDirectorDirecting
TV Show1998Any Day NowDirectorDirecting
TV Show1998Love Boat: The Next WaveDirectorDirecting
TV Show2005RelatedDirectorDirecting
TV Show2004ClubhouseDirectorDirecting
TV Show1996CluelessDirectorDirecting
TV Show1999Judging AmyDirectorDirecting
TV Show2002Leap of FaithDirectorDirecting
TV Show1996Suddenly SusanDirectorDirecting
TV Show1995Hope and GloriaDirectorDirecting
TV Show1996Remember WENNDirectorDirecting
TV Show2001The DivisionDirectorDirecting
TV Show2003The O'KeefesDirectorDirecting
TV Show2005Grey's AnatomyDirectorDirecting
TV Show1998Dawson's CreekDirectorDirecting
TV Show2006PsychDirectorDirecting
TV Show2000Strong MedicineDirectorDirecting
TV Show1997Ally McBealDirectorDirecting
TV Show2001ScrubsDirectorDirecting
TV Show1999Beggars and ChoosersDirectorDirecting
TV Show2004Phil of the FutureDirectorDirecting
TV Show1994ERDirectorDirecting
TV Show2003Joan of ArcadiaDirectorDirecting
TV Show2005Ghost WhispererDirectorDirecting
TV Show2007Samantha Who?DirectorDirecting
TV Show1998FelicityDirectorDirecting
TV Show2000That's LifeDirectorDirecting
TV Show2012NashvilleDirectorDirecting
TV Show2010Pretty Little LiarsDirectorDirecting
TV Show2011Switched at BirthDirectorDirecting
TV Show2011Awkward.DirectorDirecting
TV Show2014Jane the VirginDirectorDirecting
TV Show2016Recovery RoadDirectorDirecting
TV Show2015Crazy Ex-GirlfriendDirectorDirecting
TV Show2016This Is UsDirectorDirecting
TV Show2013The GoldbergsDirectorDirecting
TV Show2017The Good DoctorDirectorDirecting
TV Show2014Chasing LifeDirectorDirecting
TV Show2020The Baker and the BeautyDirectorDirecting
TV Show2018Light as a FeatherDirectorDirecting
TV Show2019High School Musical: The Musical: The SeriesDirectorDirecting
TV Show2016Man with a PlanDirectorDirecting
TV Show2011Friends with BenefitsDirectorDirecting
TV Show2018FBIDirectorDirecting
TV Show2019WHAT / IFDirectorDirecting
TV Show2015Chicago MedDirectorDirecting
TV Show2024Happy's PlaceDirectorDirecting