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Born Victoria Leigh Blum, on Oct 15, 1954, in The Bronx, New York, USA. Reportedly 5' 7", 36-21-34.
The tragedy is always the same.
First, the pretty young actress does a lot of stupid T&A films that attract little notice. Then comes her big break, again as a T&A actress, that momentarily puts her in the spotlight. A few higher profile T&A films follow, after which the young actress has made enough money that she figures she doesn't have to make these sorts of films anymore and can play serious roles now. She waits and waits and the serious roles never come, and all the recognition and momentum she had worked so hard to build start to crumble. Five or ten years later, after time has taken its toll on her looks, she gives up and makes more nudie pictures that are even more graphic than anything she would have considered doing before. And the only people watching are those that can still dimly recall the way she used to look a decade before and wish she had made these films then...
So it was with Tanya Roberts, who was on Charlie's Angels for only one season (its last) but never escaped the curse that has clipped the career wings of her fellow Angels (unless you consider Farrah Fawcett's kleptomania hobby a kind of career). Shortly after Charlie's Angels was cancelled, Tanya became a hot commodity and found herself in a brief rash of films capitalizing on her recent sex-stardom (The Beastmaster, Sheena, A View to a Kill). After the Bond picture, though, the ambitious and energetic Bronx native vowed that she was done with T&A flicks for good, reasoning that “most of James Bond's leading ladies, including the likes of Jane Seymour and Ursula Andress, have gone on to become big, big stars. And I'm going to join them. At last we've got the money together so I don't have to do any more rubbish. I'm not taking my clothes off any more and I'm not going to do films which make me look stupid any more!” Never mind that critics had little good to say about Tanya's acting abilities thus far — the James Bond Yellow Brick Road to respectability and success would surely save her.
But three years with no work is a long time to wait, and in 1988 she began to crack and did some brief nudity in Purgatory. Two more years of nothing and then she was seemingly in a race with the aging Shannon Tweed to put out as many cheesy straight-to-video sexual thrillers as possible. It's widely believed that her Inner Sanctum, the highest grossing film of its kind and the #1 most rented video in the country at the time, actually began the whole genre of video “erotic thrillers”, but Shannon won out in the end as the queen of these Straight-to-Video flicks in terms of sheer volume. And though Tanya seems to have dropped out of the race, fans can still appreciate the small but concentrated trail of nudity their muse left behind on her path to obscurity.
Also sprach Golem.
(More recent commentary below)
The Second Coming of Tanya
For those who haven't already noticed, Tanya's new lease on life is covered on my Laura Prepon page.
The Second Leaving of Tanya
For reasons I haven't yet discovered (beyond unsubstantiated rumors of a drug and/or alcohol problem), Tanya's new lease on life has been revoked and her character written off of That '70s Show. Better luck next decade, I guess...
TANYA ROBERTS’ FILMOGRAPHY
* Titles in red feature Tanya in the raw *
Film
- An American in China (2006) .... Silvia Braddock
- The Pandora Directive (1996) .... Regan Madsen
- National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins (1995) .... Herself
- Deep Down (1993) .... Charlotte
- Almost Pregnant (1992) .... Linda Alderson
- Sins of Desire (1992) .... Kay Egan
- Inner Sanctum (1991) .... Lynn Foster
- Legal Tender (1991) .... Rikki Rennick
- Night Eyes (1990) .... Nikki
- Twisted Justice (1990) .... Secretary
- Purgatory (1988) .... Carly Arnold
- A View to a Kill (1985) .... Stacey Sutton
- Sheena (1984) .... Sheena
- Hearts and Armour (1983) .... Angelica
- The Beastmaster (1982) .... Kiri
- Racquet (1979) .... Bambi
- California Dreaming (1978) .... Stephanie
- Fingers (1978) .... Julie
- The Yum-Yum Girls (1976) .... April
- Forced Entry (1975) .... Nancy Ulman
- The Tourist Trap(1979) Becky
Made for Cable Movies
- National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins (1995; Showtime) .... Herself
- Body Slam (1989; HBO)
Cable
- Hot Line (1996-; Cinemax) .... Rebecca
Television
- That '70s Finale (2006) .... Midge Pinciotti
- Barbershop: “Family Bussiness” (Sep 25, 2005) .... Ms. Palmer
- Eve: “Kung Fu Divas” (Feb 8, 2005) .... Rebeca
- That '70s Show: “Rip This Joint” (Nov 3, 2004) .... Midge Pinciotti
- That '70s Show: “It's Only Rock and Roll” (Oct 6, 2004) .... Midge Pinciotti
- That '70s Show: “Beast of Burden” (Sep 29, 2004) .... Midge Pinciotti
- That '70s Show: “Time Is on My Side” (Sep 8, 2004) .... Midge Pinciotti
- That '70s Show: “The Seeker” (May 19, 2004) .... Midge Pinciotti
- Hollywood Squares (May 14, 2004) .... Herself
- Hollywood Squares (May 13, 2004) .... Herself
- Hollywood Squares (May 12, 2004) .... Herself
- Hollywood Squares (May 11, 2004) .... Herself
- Hollywood Squares (May 10, 2004) .... Herself
- Off Centre (Apr 7, 2002)
- Pajama Party (Mar 10, 2000) .... Herself
- That '70s Show (1998-2001) .... Midge Pinciotti
- High Tide: “Girl on the Run” (Mar 3, 1997) .... Rhonda Fogel
- Silk Stalkings: “Till Death Do Us Part” (Dec 3, 1995) .... Callie Callahan
- Burke's Law: “Who Killed Nick Hazard?” (Jan 21, 1994) .... Julie Reardon
- Fantasy Island: “The Ghost's Story, The/Spoliers” (May 8, 1982) .... Miss Amanda Parsons
- The Love Boat: “Green, But Not Jolly/Past Perfect Love/Instant Family” (Jan 30, 1982) .... Diane Dayton
- Vega$: “Golden Gate Cop Killer: Part 1” (Mar 19, 1980) .... Officer Britt Blackwell
- Vega$: “Golden Gate Cop Killer: Part 2” (Mar 19, 1980) .... Officer Britt Blackwell
- Charlie's Angels (1980-81) .... Julie Rogers
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