# Julia Duffy
**Julia Duffy** (born 1951) is an American actress best known for playing the self-infatuated maid Stephanie Vanderkellen on the CBS sitcom *Newhart* from 1982 to 1990, a role that brought her seven consecutive Emmy nominations. Her birth name is Julia Margaret Hinds, and her screen career has also included the daytime dramas *Love of Life* and *The Doctors*, the lead in *Baby Talk*, a season on *Designing Women*, and, decades later, roles in *Palm Royale*, *Night Court*, and Peacock's *The 'Burbs*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julia-duffy/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951; her birthplace is given as Minneapolis by several databases, though she told the Star Tribune she was born in St. Paul and grew up in Minneapolis and Edina[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julia-duffy/) • [3](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937) |
| Training | Moved to New York City in 1970 to enroll at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy) |
| Signature role | Stephanie Vanderkellen on *Newhart* for seven seasons (1982–1990), with seven straight Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, 1984–1990[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/julia-duffy) • [3](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937) |
| Other honors for the role | Three Viewers for Quality Television awards, five American Comedy Award nominations, and a Golden Globe nomination[5](https://vidiot.com/UPN/SS/bioDuffy.html) |
| Early television | Gerry Braylee on *Love of Life* (1972), then Penny Davis on *The Doctors* from 1973[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy) |
| Broadway | Starred in the revival of *Once in a Lifetime* (1978) as Susan Walker[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/julia-duffy-72011) |
| Marriage | Wife of actor Jerry Lacy since 1984[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/julia-duffy-72011) |
## Training and early work
Duffy began acting on stage in her teens and moved to New York City in 1970 to attend the [American Academy of Dramatic Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-academy-of-dramatic-arts), graduating in 1972.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy) • [7](https://blog.fbasd.org/retrospective-sitcom-legacy-iconic-roles-fe4v.html) Her first television audition won her the role of Gerry on the daytime drama *Love of Life*, which led to a four-year run as Penny Davis on *The Doctors* starting in 1973.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy) • [8](https://www.designingwomenonline.com/Bios/Julia.php)
**Stage work ran alongside television.** She appeared in regional theater productions including *Three Sisters* and *The Enchanted* at the Kennedy Center, and starred in the Broadway revival of *Once in a Lifetime* in 1978.[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/julia-duffy-72011) • [5](https://vidiot.com/UPN/SS/bioDuffy.html) After moving to Los Angeles in 1978 she took television and film roles, starring as Princess Ariel in the medieval comedy series *Wizards and Warriors* and guest-starring on *Cheers*, *Lou Grant*, *The Love Boat*, and *Breaking Away*.[8](https://www.designingwomenonline.com/Bios/Julia.php)
## Newhart and Stephanie Vanderkellen
The role that defined her career came through a guest shot. Duffy appeared in a first-season episode of *Newhart*, the sitcom starring [Bob Newhart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-newhart) as Dick Loudon, a how-to writer turned Vermont innkeeper, and became a full-fledged cast member after producers overhauled the series.[3](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937) • [9](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321) The first-season episode "What Is This Thing Called Lust?" introduced [Stephanie](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie) as the cousin of the previous maid; it was written as a one-time appearance with no sign of the pouting, me-first attitude that became the character's calling card.[3](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937)
Stephanie was a spoiled heiress cut off from her allowance and hired as a maid at the inn, a character built on the comic tension between her conviction of her own superiority and her inability to perform basic tasks.[7](https://blog.fbasd.org/retrospective-sitcom-legacy-iconic-roles-fe4v.html) Duffy described her approach in a 1984 interview: "I like to go the extreme to see how funny something can be," while insisting it was possible to be funny, broad, and still have sex appeal, citing [Carole Lombard](https://www.edgepedia.org/carole-lombard) as a model she wanted to go beyond.[10](https://newhartarchive.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/interview-julia-duffy-takes-comedy-seriously/) Bob Newhart credited her with making the show work once it was established: after its first two years, he said, Julia, along with [Peter Scolari](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-scolari), "made the show work. Julia was marvelous."[11](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/remembering-bob-newhart)
The run brought steady recognition. Duffy was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series every year from 1984 through 1990, seven nominations in a row.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/julia-duffy) The show itself drew twenty-five Emmy nominations over its eight seasons without the kind of wins its fans felt it deserved; Duffy recalled that each year's non-wins produced outraged articles in *Time*, *Rolling Stone*, and *Vanity Fair* calling it an overlooked gem, and that the show became [David Letterman](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-letterman)'s favorite.[12](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/julia-duffy/) She has said the seven seasons were the highlight of her career: "I don't think I'll ever top it."[3](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937)
## After Newhart
Duffy was one of three finalists for the role of [Diane Chambers](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-chambers) on *Cheers* in 1982, testing with [Ted Danson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ted-danson) and [Fred Dryer](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-dryer) before the part went to Shelley Long; she has said not getting it left her free to do *Newhart*.[9](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321) After *Newhart* ended, she starred in *Baby Talk*, a series version of *Look Who's Talking* that featured a young George Clooney. She left after 12 episodes, describing the production as dysfunctional; she recalled Clooney singing Frank Sinatra tunes between scenes but also blowing up when he saw someone treated badly on set.[9](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321)
She then joined *Designing Women* for its sixth season, playing Allison Sugarbaker, cousin of Suzanne and Julia Sugarbaker, alongside [Jan Hooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/jan-hooks) as replacements for [Delta Burke](https://www.edgepedia.org/delta-burke) and [Jean Smart](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-smart). Duffy judged the highly rated season a step down from the show's original concept, saying the writers still heard the departed characters' voices in their heads.[9](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321) She later played the "annoyingly perfect" neighbor Barb on *The Mommies* and a similar recurring role on *Grace Under Fire*, and from 2001 had a recurring part as high school principal Mrs. Hodge on *Reba*.[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julia-duffy/) She also played headmistress Frances Harmon in UPN's *Social Studies*, a character brought up rich and genteel who now had to work for a living.[5](https://vidiot.com/UPN/SS/bioDuffy.html)
## Later career and the book
Through the 2000s and 2010s Duffy worked steadily in guest roles and film, including *Intolerable Cruelty* (2003), *Camp X-Ray* (2014), *Shameless*, *Suburgatory*, *The League*, and *The Cool Kids* (2018).[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julia-duffy/) • [13](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/julia-duffy/credits/3000169851/) In 2009 she drew praise for her stage performance as Birdie in [Lillian Hellman](https://www.edgepedia.org/lillian-hellman)'s *The Little Foxes* at the [Pasadena Playhouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/pasadena-playhouse).[14](https://stagescenela.com/2009/07/julia-duffy/)
In 2018 she published *Bad Auditions*, a short book recounting her own audition missteps, from failing to adjust to a casting director's requests to misprinting dialogue the night before a reading, aimed at showing young actors that mistakes can be survived and learned from.[9](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321) • [15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0240564/fullcredits)
**A late-career resurgence** began in the 2020s. Duffy guest-starred as Susan on the *Night Court* revival (2023), played Mary Jones Davidsoul across both seasons of *Palm Royale* (2024–2025), and in 2026 starred as Lynn Gardner in *The 'Burbs*, a Peacock series adapted from the 1989 [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks) film, in which she, Mark Proksch, and Paula Pell play a trio of wine-swilling suburban neighbors investigating a disappearance.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy) • [16](https://apnews.com/article/8c50380193cd8e283ba883b17ab01c60)
## Connection to Bob Newhart
Duffy has repeatedly described Newhart as a formative influence; she watched *The Bob Newhart Show* in syndication and knew every episode by heart before joining his second sitcom, and has argued that he pioneered casting a stand-up comedian who could actually act in a sitcom role.[12](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/julia-duffy/) When Newhart died on July 18, 2024, at 94, a Daily Beast interview described her as the last surviving main cast member of *Newhart*; her posted tribute called him "second most important man in my life."[17](https://www.thedailybeast.com/actress-julia-duffy-on-working-withand-adoringbob-newhart/)
## References
1. [Julia Duffy - Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/julia-duffy/)
2. [Julia Duffy, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/28380/julia-duffy)
3. ['Newhart' is home to Julia Duffy, The Minnesota Star Tribune (February 29, 2008)](https://www.startribune.com/newhart-is-home-to-julia-duffy/16089937)
4. [Julia Duffy, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/julia-duffy)
5. [UPN: Social Studies Cast Bio - Julia Duffy](https://vidiot.com/UPN/SS/bioDuffy.html)
6. [Julia Duffy, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/julia-duffy-72011)
7. [Julia Duffy Career Retrospective, FBASD](https://blog.fbasd.org/retrospective-sitcom-legacy-iconic-roles-fe4v.html)
8. [Designing Women Online - Julia Duffy biography](https://www.designingwomenonline.com/Bios/Julia.php)
9. [Minneapolis-born actress Julia Duffy dishes on 'Newhart,' 'Cheers' and George Clooney, The Minnesota Star Tribune (October 28, 2018)](https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-born-actress-julia-duffy-dishes-on-newhart-cheers-and-george-clooney/498579321)
10. [Julia Duffy Takes Comedy Seriously, The Globe and Mail (March 10, 1984), via The "Newhart" Archive](https://newhartarchive.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/interview-julia-duffy-takes-comedy-seriously/)
11. [Remembering Bob Newhart, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/remembering-bob-newhart)
12. [Julia Duffy interview, Bob Newhart: Unbuttoned, American Masters Digital Archive, PBS (March 14, 2005)](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/julia-duffy/)
13. [Julia Duffy List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/julia-duffy/credits/3000169851/)
14. [Julia Duffy interview, StageSceneLA (July 2009)](https://stagescenela.com/2009/07/julia-duffy/)
15. [Julia Duffy (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0240564/fullcredits)
16. [Keke Palmer is a fish out of water in horror-comedy series based on cult movie 'The 'Burbs', AP News (February 6, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/8c50380193cd8e283ba883b17ab01c60)
17. [Actress Julia Duffy on Working With—and Adoring—Bob Newhart, The Daily Beast (July 23, 2024)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/actress-julia-duffy-on-working-withand-adoringbob-newhart/)
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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 Do to Es*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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