Anyone who watched Fantasy Island during its run in the late '70s and early '80s will remember Mr. Roarke and his assistant Tattoo, who were played by Ricardo Montalbán and Hervé Villechaize, respectively. The pair welcomed a revolving door of guests to their mysterious island, so they were really the only two series regulars. But, during Season 5 of Fantasy Island, another repeat cast member was added to the mix: Wendy Schaal, who played Julie. Julie was Mr. Roarke's goddaughter and worked as his assistant.
Schaal was only on Fantasy Island during that one season, but it became one of the roles she is best known for. That said, it's far from her only big part. From starring in many movies to voicing a famous animated character, read on to find out more about Schaal's career and life.
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She was already acting prior to Fantasy Island.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesWhen Schaal joined Fantasy Island in 1981, she was 27 years old and had already appeared on a number of TV shows, including Welcome Back, Kotter, Little House on the Prairie, and It's a Living. She also appeared on Rhoda, which starred her stepmother Valerie Harper. Schaal's father, actor Richard Schaal, was also on the show.
In the years after Fantasy Island, her film career took off.
Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.comAfter her season of Fantasy Island, Schaal continued to work in television, with jobs including Happy Days, AfterMASH, The A-Team, and MacGyver in the '80s, and Murder, She Wrote, Friends, The X-Files, and Six Feet Under in the '90s and 2000s. She's also acted in movies, including four by the director Joe Dante: Innerspace, The 'Burbs, Runaway Daughters, and Small Soldiers.
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She's been voicing an animated TV character for more than 15 years.
Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesSince 2005, Schaal has voiced Francine, one of the main characters on the animated primetime comedy American Dad. In a 2014 interview with The Pop Break, Schaal was asked if playing Francine for so long has stopped her from doing other voice work. "Yes! The short answer is yes," she responded. "I’m a spoiled brat now." She added that she could take on other opportunities, but "It’s just I’m really comfortable with this pace in my career so nobody on the exterior is stopping me from doing anything."
She's been married and has one child.
Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesSchaal was married to Stephen M. Schwartz from 1977 to 1987, and they welcome one child, named Adam. Schaal's life is pretty private, but she did reflect on life and big changes in a general sense in a 2015 interview with Latino Review. Asked about American Dad being around for ten years at that point, she said, "It's been a great, wonderful experience ... In these ten years we’ve had so much life happen. We’ve had babies born and marriages and divorces and deaths and everything. You work together with people for a whole decade, a lot happens."
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