It’s been over 20 years since out actress Meredith Baxter ceased playing one of America’s most beloved TV moms Elyse Keaton on Family Ties. While she’s had a few recent television gigs, including Family Guy and Cold Case, Baxter has just landed a guest role playing Lea Thompson’s mom on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth, according to TV Guide.
Thanks to the network that brought us gay friendly shows like Pretty Little Liars and Greek for casting Baxter, 64, as Bonnie Tamblyn Dixon, grandmother to one of the main characters, the well-oft Bay Kennish (Vanessa Marano) who was switched at birth with Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclerc).
Baxter, who came out as a lesbian in 2009, began her career in the early seventies starring on television in Bridget Loves Bernie and Family, as well as in the acclaimed film All the President’s Men. She went on to become a bit of a TV movie queen before and after her stint on Family Ties. In 2010 she played twin therapists on Cathy DeBuono and Jill Bennett’s web series We Have to Stop Now.
Meredith Baxter to Guest Star on 'Switched at Birth'
It’s been over 20 years since out actress Meredith Baxter ceased playing one of America’s most beloved TV moms Elyse Keaton on Family Ties. While she’s had a few recent television gigs, including Family Guy and Cold Case, Baxter has just landed a guest role playing Lea Thompson’s mom on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth. In 2010 she played twin therapists on Cathy DeBuono and Jill Bennett’s web series We Have to Stop Now.
By Tracy E. GilchristNovember 18 2011 / 7:00 PM
Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the
intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
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