Biography
Woefully underappreciated American actress Annette O'Toole combined intelligence, wit, and delicate, often teasing allure with a girl-next-door magnetism that served her impeccably, both during her ingenue years and well into adulthood. Born in 1953, the scarlet-haired Houston native followed the lead of her dance studio owner mother by practicing her footwork with stunning determination. Annette's family moved to the City of Angels before her 14th birthday, where she shifted gears from dancing to acting, enrolled in drama courses, and landed guest roles in such series as
The Partridge Family and
Hawaii Five-O.
In 1974, O'Toole tackled her first major feature role -- that of sweet-hearted beauty pageant contestant Doria Houston (otherwise known as Miss Anaheim) in
Michael Ritchie's legendary satire
Smile (1975). She did stellar work opposite
Robby Benson in the romantic comedy
One on One (1977), which premiered to favorable critical reviews, but a similar effort with
Gary Busey a few years later, called
Foolin' Around (1980), failed to display like chemistry. For better or worse, O'Toole's big break arrived in 1982, when she was cast opposite
Christopher Reeve as Lana Lang in Superman 3; the film, of course, clocked in as an enormous stinker, overbloated to the point of absurdity, with O'Toole providing its only saving grace.
That film imparted bittersweet undercurrents to O'Toole's life; it brought her the greatest character identification of her career, to be certain, but (along with an ill-advised appearance in
Paul Schrader's awful 1982 movie
Cat People), may have contributed to keeping her offscreen for several years. She rebounded with force in Armyan Bernstein's outstanding sex comedy
Cross My Heart, as one of two romantic leads opposite
Martin Short. The late 1987 release displayed the wit, charisma, and intelligence of both of its stars (and incorporated a hilarious nod to Superman 3, suggesting that Bernstein and Gail Parent may have written the role specifically for O'Toole), but for some unascertainable reason, failed to connect with an audience.
O'Toole then signed for roles in the
Alan Rudolph comedy-mystery
Love at Large (1989) and the horrific
Stephen King telemovie
It (1990), which found the actress, along with
John Ritter,
Richard Thomas, and others, squaring off against homicidal clown Pennywise (
Tim Curry). Her next major feat came in the late '90s, when she played Lisa, the spunky ex-wife of the police detective title character (
Don Johnson) on the series
Nash Bridges (1996-2001). She then achieved recognition by playing a different
Superman role than the one previously essayed -- that of Clark Kent's mother, Martha -- on the popular prime-time series
Smallville (2001). At about the same time, O'Toole made headlines by marrying her second husband, comedian and actor
Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley,
This Is Spinal Tap), in 1999. The two co-authored a song for the
Christopher Guest mockumentary
A Mighty Wind (2003), entitled "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," in which McKean co-starred sans O'Toole. In a particularly memorable bit, the couple performed that number together on-stage at the 2004 Academy Awards ceremony. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide