# Kathleen Beller
**Kathleen Beller** (born 1956) is an American actress whose career began in commercials and daytime television as a child and who is best known for playing Kirby Anders on the 1980s prime-time soap opera *Dynasty* and for a Golden Globe-nominated supporting role in the 1979 film *Promises in the Dark*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) • [2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/kathleen-beller/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956; sources give Queens, New York (IMDb) or Westchester, New York (TV Guide, Fandango)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) • [3](https://www.fandango.com/people/kathleen-beller-51312) |
| First television role | 1971, on the daytime soap opera *Search for Tomorrow*; she left the show in 1974[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/) |
| Film debut | *The Godfather Part II* (1974), as the Girl in "Senza Mamma", credited as Kathy Beller[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54026-THE-GODFATHERPARTII?cp=1&pos=0&sid=599b561b-eb11-4c5d-9b0d-442e1d6ce4e3&sr=0.21496847) |
| Golden Globe nomination | 1980, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture, for *Promises in the Dark* (1979)[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/kathleen-beller/) |
| Signature television role | Kirby Anders on *Dynasty*, 45 episodes from 1982 to 1984; reprised in *Dynasty: The Reunion* (1991)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) |
| Marriage | Married musician Thomas Dolby on July 2, 1988; three children; previously married to Michael Hoit[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) |
## Early work
Beller began performing in commercials as a youngster and teen, and in 1971 she won her first TV part on the daytime soap *Search for Tomorrow*.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/) She studied drama at age 13 in Bristol, England.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) After leaving the soap in 1974 she moved from New York to Los Angeles and obtained a small part in [Francis Ford Coppola](https://www.edgepedia.org/francis-ford-coppola)'s *The Godfather Part II*, appearing as the girl in the "Senza Mamma" theatrical sequence under the name Kathy Beller.[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54026-THE-GODFATHERPARTII?cp=1&pos=0&sid=599b561b-eb11-4c5d-9b0d-442e1d6ce4e3&sr=0.21496847)
The late 1970s brought her most prominent film work. She played the title role in the television film *Mary White* (1977), appeared as Angie Popchik in [Stanley Donen](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-donen)'s musical comedy *Movie Movie* and as Betsy Hardeman in *The Betsy* (both 1978), and starred as Gail Osborne in the television movie *Are You in the House Alone?* (1978).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/251678-Kathleen-Beller?isMiscCredit=False) In Jerome Hellman's drama *Promises in the Dark* (1979) she played Elizabeth (Buffy) Koenig, a cancer patient, a supporting role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture at the 1980 ceremony.[2](https://goldenglobes.com/person/kathleen-beller/) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/251678-Kathleen-Beller?isMiscCredit=False)
## Dynasty and the 1980s
**Kirby Anders.** Beller joined the cast of ABC's *Dynasty* in the third-season episode "Kirby", first aired December 8, 1982, playing the daughter of the [Carrington](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrington) family's majordomo Joseph Anders.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0567428/) A contemporary newspaper report noted that she won the role of the "vivacious Kirby Anders-Colby" over several better-known actresses, including [Melissa Sue Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-sue-anderson), and that until that year she had been mainly a film actress.[8](https://newspapers.swco.ttu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/d6f06e79-b1fb-4fb1-8cd3-1fc1dc32ac7e/content) IMDb credits her with 45 episodes as Kirby between 1982 and 1984.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) Her contract was not renewed after season 4, and the character was written out of the show.[9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today) She returned to the role in the 1991 miniseries *Dynasty: The Reunion*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) In The CW's later reboot of *Dynasty*, the character was played by Maddison Brown.[9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today)
Her film work in the early 1980s included Theresa in *Fort Apache, the Bronx* (1981), Kate in the adaptation of [Margaret Atwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/margaret-atwood)'s *Surfacing* (1981), and Princess Alana in Albert Pyun's *The Sword and the Sorcerer* (1982).[10](https://www.fandango.com/people/kathleen-beller-51312/film-credits) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) remained her main venue: she starred in the 1985 thriller *Deadly Messages* as Laura Daniels, played Meredith Tolliver in *Cloud Waltzing* and Mary Caitlin Callahan in the NBC drama *The Bronx Zoo* (1987–1988), and made guest appearances on *Murder, She Wrote* in 1984 and 1989.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/) • [9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) lists 36 acting credits for her, including earlier guest spots on *Hawaii Five-O*, *Baretta*, *Medical Center*, and *The Six Million Dollar Man*.[11](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kathleen-beller/credits/3000052072/)
## Later career
After *Dynasty: The Reunion* in 1991, Beller largely stepped away from acting.[9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today) Her remaining screen credits include *Life After Sex* (1992), *Legacy* (1993), and a voice role in the 1994 video game *Cyberia*; IMDb also lists a 2016 short film, *Tom*, in which she played the Mother.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) In 2020 she appeared in the Candlelight Vigil Remembering Matthew Seligman television special, a tribute to her husband's bandmate.[9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today)
## Personal life
Beller has been married to the musician [Thomas Dolby](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-dolby), known for "She Blinded Me with Science", since July 2, 1988, and the couple have three children; she was previously married to Michael Hoit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/) Her son Harper Robertson transitioned in the 2000s and married his partner in 2014; reacting to the marriage, Beller said, "I don't think we would have ever dared hope Harper would be as happy as he now is. It's such relief."[9](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today)
## References
1. [Kathleen Beller, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000898)
2. [Kathleen Beller, Golden Globes Awards Database](https://goldenglobes.com/person/kathleen-beller/)
3. [Kathleen Beller Overview, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/kathleen-beller-51312)
4. [Kathleen Beller, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kathleen-beller/)
5. [The Godfather Part II (1974), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54026-THE-GODFATHERPARTII?cp=1&pos=0&sid=599b561b-eb11-4c5d-9b0d-442e1d6ce4e3&sr=0.21496847)
6. [Kathleen Beller filmography, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/251678-Kathleen-Beller?isMiscCredit=False)
7. [Dynasty: Kirby (1982), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0567428/)
8. [Seller's Kirby adds spice to 'Dynasty' cast, newspaper clipping, Southwest Collection, Texas Tech University](https://newspapers.swco.ttu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/d6f06e79-b1fb-4fb1-8cd3-1fc1dc32ac7e/content)
9. ['Dynasty' Star Kathleen Beller: Where Is "Kirby Anders" Today?, AllVipp](https://www.allvipp.com/tv-movies/dynasty-star-kathleen-beller-where-is-kirby-anders-today)
10. [Kathleen Beller Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/kathleen-beller-51312/film-credits)
11. [Kathleen Beller List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kathleen-beller/credits/3000052072/)
---
*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 Be to Bo*
*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