Born September 24, 1918, in Los Angeles, CA; died of leukemia, October 16, 1997, in Los Angeles, CA. Actress. Although her early works were on the stage and she was a regular on the television soap opera scene, Lindley might be best remembered for her role as Mrs. Roper on the television series Three's Company (1977-79). She also starred as the sexually frustrated Roper in a short-lived spinoff, The Ropers. Lindley studied with Max Reinhardt's workshop and acted in his West Coast company. Her Broadway debut was in the 1942 play Comesthe Revelation. She also appeared in the stage productions of Take Her She'sMine and A Case of Libel. In the 1960s she appeared in the soap operas The Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, and Another World. Lindley switched to movies in the early 1970s, appearing in Taking Off (1971) and The Heartbreak Kid(1972). She then starred on television sitcoms and had regular roles on Bridget Loves Bernie (CBS, 1972-73), Doc (CBS, 1976), Three's Company (ABC, 1977-79) and The Ropers (ABC, 1979-80). She returned to the stage in 1981 in a production of On Golden Pond at New York's Fifth Avenue Theater and appeared inthe plays In the Sweet Bye 'n Bye (1984), The Chic Life (1984), Handy Dandy (1984- 85), Long Days Journey into Night (1984), and Death of a Salesman (1984). She also appeared in the films Desert Hearts (1986), Troop Beverly Hills (1989), and The Relic (1997). Lindley was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards (for Bridget Loves Bernie and Three's Company), was named best performer ofthe 1983-84 season at Canada's Citadel Theatre, and won the Straw Hat Awardin 1984 for her role in The Chic Life. She continued to act until a month before her death, appearing on the CBS series Cybill as the lead character's mother and on NBC's Friends, where she played Phoebe's grandmother.
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