Kay Ann Lenz (born March 4 1953) is an Emmy-award-winning American television and film actress.
Born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a producer/commentator father and a model/radio engineer mother, she began working as a child actress, appearing in such television shows as The Andy Griffith Show as well as in stage productions. She won an Emmy in 1974 for her role in ABC's Heart in Hiding and a second Emmy in 1989 for her role in Midnight Caller. She also appeared in the television mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and in movies such as Death Wish 4: The Crackdown and White Line Fever (1975).
She was memorable in the title role as the free spirit who captivated William Holden in the 1973 Clint Eastwood-directed film Breezy. She was also the voice of Cowlamity Kate in the animated television series the Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, as well as American Maid on The Tick.
Lenz was the first wife (1977-1982) of singer/actor David Cassidy.
She recently guest-starred on the September 25, 2007 episode of House.
Kay came from an L.A. showbiz family. Her father was producer/commentator Ted Lenz and her mother model/radio engineer Kay Miller Lenz. At the ripe old age of eight weeks, Kay appeared on her first TV show produced by her dad as a baby being held up and sung to. She continued on in her father's TV shows and commercials throughout her childhood. In the 60s, she appeared as a teen on stage (Pasadena Playhouse) and in guest parts on "Monroes, The" (1966), "Andy Griffith Show, The" (1960) and "Ironside" (1967). Kay flirted with 70s film stardom after being cast by director Clint Eastwood in the film Breezy (1973) opposite William Holden (I) as a plucky, troubled hippie/free spirit who has an affair with a much older businessman. Kay was singled out for her affecting performance but the film was ignored. She ventured on but none of her subsequent feisty roles in White Line Fever (1975), Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday, The (1976), Mean Dog Blues (1978) and House (1986) put her over the top. She gained quite a bit of exposure, however, after her wedding to former teen idol David Cassidy (I) in 1977. The marriage lasted six years. TV remained Kay's medium of choice and she has garnered two Emmy awards in the process.
