Connie Needham

American actress and dance instructor (born 1959)

Connie Needham

Born|

Connie Marie Bowen

(1959-12-05) December 5, 1959 (age 65)

Anaheim, California, U.S.

Occupations|

* Actress
* dance instructor

Years active| 1977–1995
Known for| Elizabeth Bradford in Eight Is Enough
Spouse|

David Needham

(m. 1979; div. 2005)​

Children| 2

Connie Needham (born Connie Marie Bowen; December 5, 1959) is an American actress and dance instructor. As Connie Newton, she portrayed Elizabeth Bradford on the television series Eight Is Enough from 1977 to 1981.

## Career

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Although her most prominent role was as Elizabeth Bradford on the 112 episodes of the series Eight Is Enough and its two subsequent television movies, Needham had nine other appearances after that series ended in 1981.

Needham portrayed two different characters during the run of the television series Fame. Her first appearance was in the episode "To Soar and Never Falter" (1982) as Kathy Murphy, a dancer in the initial stages of multiple sclerosis. The episode won Harry Harris an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series. Her other appearances on Fame were as Kelly Hayden in three episodes the following year.

Needham made a guest appearance on the Leslie Nielsen comedy TV series Police Squad! as Jill, a dance teacher who attracts the line "When she leaves, put a tail on her". She appeared in an episode of L.A. Law in 1987, and made her final appearance as a waitress in a 1995 episode of Ellen.

As of November 2006, Needham was working as a dance instructor in Orange County, California, teaching junior jazz and lyrical classes and choreographing team competitions and annual recitals. [citation needed]

## Personal life

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While credited on screen as Connie Newton, she married David Needham, a set designer on Eight is Enough, on April 7, 1979, during a late season 3 hiatus of the series. Newton switched her screen name to her married name, Connie Needham, from season 4 onwards. David Needham's father is stuntman and film director/producer Hal Needham. Connie and David divorced in 2005. They have two daughters, Kimberly and Taylor.

In July 2009, it was announced that Needham was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[1] She has since made a full recovery.

## Filmography

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Film and television  Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1977-1981  | Eight Is Enough | Elizabeth Bradford  | 112 episodes
1982  | The Love Boat | Debbie Holton  | 1 episode
1982  | Police Squad! | Jill  | Episode: "Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror in the Neighborhood)"
1982  | Fame | Kathy Murphy  | Episode: "To Soar and Never Falter"
1983  | Fame | Kelly Hayden  | 3 episodes
1983  | An Uncommon Love |  | TV movie
1987  | Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion | Elizabeth Bradford  | TV movie
1987  | L.A. Law | Denise Franklin  | Episode: "Brackman Vasektimized"
1989  | An Eight Is Enough Wedding | Elizabeth Bradford  | TV movie
1995  | Ellen | Waitress  | Episode: "Gladiators"

## Notes

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1. ^ "Connie Needham battling ovarian cancer" Archived April 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, TV.com, August 5, 2009.

## External links

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* Connie Needham at IMDb

Authority control databases: National |

* Spain

|

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced