As the only girl in a family of four children, Tracey Needham found her height gave her a leg up whenever she would play football with the boys.I grew up being very competitive with guys", says Needham, who is 5'11". "I was always jumping into football games and wanted to be treated equally and not have boys take it easy on me because I was a girl. But I usually ended up with my nose bloody." Needham was born on a March 28 in Dallas, TX, where her father was a homebuilder. When she was 8, the Needhams moved to Denver, and her father's work dictated that the family move back and forth between the two cities. Needham was fully grown by the eighth grade, and later, when she took to heart a high-school theater director's snippy advice that she was too tall to appear on stage, she worked on the technical crew instead. After her high-school graduation, Needham traveled through Europe and Australia. In 1988, she went to Los Angeles to study acting and audition for roles. She made her TV acting debut on "Jake and the Fatman". After a few more acting classes, she landed the part of Paige Thatcher, the big sister on _"Life Goes On" (1989/I)_ (1989-93), beginning in the series's second season. "On 'Life Goes On', I learned for the first time how to hit a mark, developed confidence and became comfortable with myself", she says.
Tracey Needham has an affinity for portraying strong female roles amidst traditionally male environments. She relates to these tough women because she is the only sister in a family of three brothers. While growing up, she was always jumping into football games and wanted to to be treated equally and not have boys take it easy on her. "But I usually ended up with a bloody nose, " she recalls. She called on her own past experiences to play the strong but feminine LT.(j.g.) Meg Austin in the first season of "JAG." As the female star of a military action-adventure series, Needham portrayed a Navy Judge Advocate General attorney who was also a computer-weapons expert. "Meg is a bright, strong woman constantly trying to prove herself in a largely male environment, " she says. The Needham family moved from Dallas, TX, her place of birth, to Denver, CO when she was 8 but because of her father's work they had to shuttle back and forth between the two cities. Needham had grown to her full statuesque height by the 8th grade and later, when she took a strong interest in theater, she took to heart her high school theater director's impertinent suggestion that she was too tall to appear onstage and worked behind the scenes on the technical crew instead. After her high-school graduation, Needham travelled through Europe and Australia, and in 1988 she arrived in Los Angeles to model, study acting and audition for roles. She made her TV acting debut in the drama series "Jake and the Fatman, " and after a few more acting classes, got her first big break on the critically-acclaimed ABC drama "Life Goes On, " playing the free-spirited big sister Paige Thatcher.
