# Courtney Thorne-Smith
**Courtney Thorne-Smith** (born 1967) is an American actress best known for starring roles on long-running network television series: Alison Parker on the primetime soap *Melrose Place*, Georgia Thomas on the comedy-drama *Ally McBeal*, and Cheryl on the sitcom *According to Jim*, plus a recurring role as Lyndsey McElroy on *Two and a Half Men*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/) She made her feature debut in the coming-of-age film *Lucas* (1986) but built her career on television, and she has also published a novel and executive-produced the Hallmark mystery films in which she later starred.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1967, San Francisco, California[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/bio/) |
| Signature roles | Alison Parker on *Melrose Place* (1992–99, 160 episodes); Georgia Thomas on *Ally McBeal* (1997–2002, 69 episodes); Cheryl on *According to Jim* (2001–09, 182 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/) |
| Feature debut | *Lucas* (1986), cast as Charlie Sheen's girlfriend after being discovered by 20th Century Fox in her senior year of high school[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/) |
| Later franchise | Title character Emma Fielding in three Hallmark Movies & Mysteries films, 2017–2019, also serving as executive producer[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith) |
| Writing | Novel *Outside In* (Broadway Books, 2007); articles on body image and healthy living for Self, InStyle, and Allure, where she was a contributing editor[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967) • [6](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/2868416.pdf) |
| Honors | Screen Actors Guild Award for her work on *Ally McBeal*[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967) |
| Marriages | Andrew Conrad (married June 2, 2000; ended January 2001); Roger Fishman (married January 1, 2007)[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967) |
## Early life and start in acting
Thorne-Smith was born in San Francisco and grew up in Menlo Park, a suburb south of the city. [Walter Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/walter-smith), her father, worked as a computer market researcher, while her mother, Lora Thorne, practiced as a therapist; the two split up when Courtney was seven, and at various points she resided with each of them. She attended Menlo-Atherton High School and transferred to Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, graduating in 1985.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/bio/) Her interest in acting began with a kindergarten production of *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs*, and during her senior year she performed with the Ensemble Theatre Company in Mill Valley.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/)
__Her break came during high school__, when 20th Century Fox was searching for a new face to play [Charlie Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-sheen)'s girlfriend in the film *Lucas* (1986). She was cast in the role, canceled plans to attend Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/) When she registered with the [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild) she hyphenated her name, combining her mother's maiden name and her father's surname to honor both families.[7](https://www.geocities.ws/courtneythorne_smith/Biography/biography.html)
Early credits included the sitcom *Fast Times* (CBS, 1986), the films *Welcome to 18* and *Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise* (both 1986–87), and *Summer School* (1987), in which she played a surfer student opposite [Mark Harmon](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-harmon). Her first regular series role was the nanny on the short-lived NBC sitcom *Day by Day* (1988–89), followed by 1990 guest appearances on *L.A. Law* as a [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers) cheerleader who dates lawyer Michael Kuzak ([Harry Hamlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-hamlin)).[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/)
## Melrose Place
Thorne-Smith was cast as Alison Parker on *Melrose Place* (Fox, 1992–99), a primetime soap produced by [Aaron Spelling](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-spelling), and appeared in 160 episodes.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/) Alison's storylines ranged from alcoholism to a kidnapping, and her rivalry with her boss Amanda Woodward ([Heather Locklear](https://www.edgepedia.org/heather-locklear)) and romance with roommate [Billy Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-campbell) (Andrew Shue) anchored the show as it grew in popularity through the 1990s. Thorne-Smith and her castmates reached a level of fame during the decade that few actors experience, and in 1999 she became the face of Almay cosmetics' "Skin Stays Clean" line.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967)
## Ally McBeal and According to Jim
Rather than being typecast by the soap role, she moved to the Fox dramedy *Ally McBeal* (1997–2002) as attorney Georgia Thomas, appearing in 69 episodes.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/) Although the show won Emmys and drew large audiences, it was known for behind-the-scenes turmoil, and Thorne-Smith left in 2000.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith) During the same period she appeared in the feature film *The Lovemaster* (1997) and guest-starred on *Spin City* (1997–98) and *The Norm Show* (2000).[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/)
Her next series regular job lasted eight seasons: Cheryl, the long-suffering wife of [Jim Belushi](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-belushi)'s slacker title character on ABC's *According to Jim* (2001–09), in 182 episodes.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/) When that ended she moved to *Two and a Half Men* (CBS, 2003–15), playing Lyndsey McElroy, the on-again, off-again girlfriend of Alan ([Jon Cryer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-cryer)), recurring for the last five seasons of the show.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/) • [6](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/2868416.pdf) Later television work included two guest episodes of *Fresh Off the Boat* (2016–17) and one on *Mom* (2020).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/)
## The Conan O'Brien interview
One episode from her film career became better known than the film itself. In 1997, promoting the [Carrot Top](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrot-top) comedy *Chairman of the Board* on *Late Night with Conan O'Brien*, Thorne-Smith was joined by [Norm Macdonald](https://www.edgepedia.org/norm-macdonald), who derailed the interview by mocking her career trajectory and the movie, joking that he bet the "Board" in the title was spelled "B-O-R-E-D." The segment became one of the show's most famous.[8](https://time.com/6098035/norm-macdonald-comedy/)
## Hallmark films and recent work
From 2017 to 2019 Thorne-Smith starred as archaeologist-turned-sleuth [Emma Fielding](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-fielding) in three Hallmark Movies & [Mysteries](https://www.edgepedia.org/mysteries) television films based on the novels of archaeologist and crime fiction author Dana Cameron: *Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery* (2017), *Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery* (2018), and *More Bitter Than Death: An Emma Fielding Mystery* (2019). She also served as executive producer on the first and third films, and James Tupper co-starred in all three.[9](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/courtney-thorne-smith-interview-two-and-a-half-men-star-reprises-her-role-as-emma-fielding-in-hallmark-mystery) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith)
In 2024 she starred in the Lifetime television movie *He Slid Into Her DMs* and hosted the reunion podcast *Still the Place* with her *Melrose Place* co-stars Daphne Zuniga and Laura Leighton.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/)
## Writing and advocacy
Thorne-Smith published the novel *Outside In* with Broadway Books in 2007.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967) Her writing has tackled topics including body image and healthy living through feature pieces published in InStyle, Allure, and Self, the last of which also made her a contributing editor.[6](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/2868416.pdf) She has also been a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation's Race for the Cure, appearing on Special K cereal boxes in a Kellogg's-sponsored breast cancer awareness campaign.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967)
## Personal life
Thorne-Smith married Andrew Conrad, a genetic scientist and business owner, on June 2, 2000; the marriage ended in January 2001. She married Roger Fishman, a media consultant, on January 1, 2007, and their son Jacob Emerson Fishman was born in 2008.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967) In June 2025, trade reporting said she had filed for divorce from her husband of 18 years.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/)
## References
1. [Courtney Thorne-Smith, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/)
2. [Courtney Thorne-Smith Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/courtney_thornesmith)
3. [Courtney Thorne-Smith Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005489/bio/)
4. [Courtney Thorne-Smith, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/courtney-thorne-smith/)
5. [Thorne-Smith, Courtney 1967–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/thorne-smith-courtney-1967)
6. [Crown Media press release, Courtney Thorne-Smith as Emma Fielding](https://awsprxdam.crownmediadev.com.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/highRes/2868416.pdf)
7. [Courtney Thorne-Smith Interviews, biography page](https://www.geocities.ws/courtneythorne_smith/Biography/biography.html)
8. [Norm Macdonald's Comedic Genius Explained in One Brilliant Joke, Time](https://time.com/6098035/norm-macdonald-comedy/)
9. [Courtney Thorne-Smith Interview, Smashing Interviews Magazine](https://smashinginterviews.com/interviews/actors/courtney-thorne-smith-interview-two-and-a-half-men-star-reprises-her-role-as-emma-fielding-in-hallmark-mystery)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Sw to T*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license