Kathleen Lloyd

Kathleen Lloyd (born Kathleen Gackle on September 13, 1948 in Santa Clara, California) is an American actress and musician whose career spanned more than three decades, beginning in the early 1970s and concluding in the mid‑2000s. She grew up as the daughter of a poultry farmer from Santa Maria, while her mother performed as a flamenco dancer, providing a culturally rich household that nurtured both her artistic and musical inclinations. After attending the University of California, Los Angeles, Lloyd abandoned her studies when she received the prestigious Hugh O'Brian Acting Award, a turning point that launched her into professional acting. Her breakthrough came with the lead female role of Jane Braxton in The Missouri Breaks (1976), where she acted opposite legends Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, earning critical notice for her poise and on‑screen chemistry. Lloyd further demonstrated her versatility by starring in the horror genre, appearing in The Car (1977) and It Lives Again (1978), films that have since become cult classics among genre enthusiasts. Beyond film, Lloyd became a familiar face on network television, amassing more than eighty screen appearances; notable recurring roles included Assistant District Attorney Carol Baldwin on Magnum, P.I. (1983‑1988), Stella Siegel on The Gangster Chronicles, and Nurse Linda Wulfawitz on Hill Street Blues. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she was sometimes credited as Kathy Lloyd or Kathleen Gackle, reflecting the fluid nature of her early career branding. In addition to acting, she maintained her passion for music, performing and recording while balancing a demanding schedule of guest spots on series such as Ironside, Kung Fu, and Babylon 5. Although she retired from on‑screen work in the early 2000s, her body of work continues to be celebrated by fans of classic television and vintage cinema alike.