Lydia Cornell

• Name — Lydia Cornell • Birth Name — Lydia Korniloff • Born — 23 July 1953 • Birthplace — El Paso, Texas, U.S. • Education — Scarsdale High School • Known for — Too Close for Comfort • Occupation — Actress • Alma Mater — Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and Arts University of Colorado Boulder (BSc) • Years Active — 1979–present • Children — 2

Cornell was born Lydia Korniloff in El Paso, Texas on July 23, 1953. She is the eldest daughter of concert violinist Irma Jean Stowe, the great-granddaughter of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Gregory Jacob Korniloff, a graduate of the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and Arts, who was later assistant concertmaster of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. Cornell is the elder sister of the late Paul Korniloff, a piano prodigy, and Kathryn Korniloff, co-founder of the band Two Nice Girls and a sound designer and composer since 1995. While a nine-year-old fourth grade student at Mesita Elementary School, Cornell was chosen as El Paso's "Little Miss Cotton" in March 1963. In 1966, Cornell and her family moved to Scarsdale, New York. She attended both Scarsdale Junior High School and Scarsdale High School, from which she graduated in 1971. Cornell then enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), where she studied business, drama, English, Russian, Spanish and Anthropology. During the summer between her sophomore and junior years, she worked as a photographer and server at the Caribou Ranch recording studio in Nederland, Colorado, where she met stars including Billy Joel, The Beach Boys, America, Chicago, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, David Cassidy, and Henry Diltz. The Ozark Mountain Daredevils credited her on their album Men from Earth and, prior to graduating CU, she worked as the road manager for musician Michael Murphey. She graduated from CU in May 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Business, with majors in both advertising and English/drama. By the time of her father's death in May 1977, Cornell had joined the rest of the Korniloff family, who had been living in The Hague, the Netherlands since mid-1975. Soon after, her mother and siblings moved back to El Paso, Texas. By 1978 Cornell had moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. While there she had a job for three months working at a recording studio and modeling for album covers, before being employed by Jack Webb Productions as a secretary-production assistant. Still known as Lydia Korniloff, Cornell also worked as an assistant to the producer on the television movie Little Mo, a biography of tennis star Maureen Connolly.

• Illustration — Cornell in Too Close For Comfort, 1980 Cornell's first screen appearance was as Lydia Korniloff in a walk-on as a girl in a car in the film Steel (1979), produced by and starring Lee Majors. Her first professional speaking part was in an episode of The Love Boat, for which she had two lines. In the summer of 1980, Cornell spent nine weeks filming in the Greek Isles for her appearance in the mythological horror film Blood Tide, which was not released until 1982. Cornell's first major role was as Sara Rush, the daughter to Ted Knight's character Henry Rush, on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort during 1980–1985. In 1982, at the height of the sitcom's popularity, Cornell was described by sexologist Robert T. Francoeur as providing a modern example of "classic female stereotypes in the mold of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield". Cornell appeared in several single episode roles on television series such as The Love Boat, Charlie's Angels, The Drew Carey Show, Quantum Leap (the pilot episode) Full House, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, T. J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Hunter, Hardball, Black Scorpion, Hotel, Fantasy Island and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also appeared as a guest on episodes of television game shows including Battle of the Network Stars, Super Password, and Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour.

Cornell works as a stand-up comedian writing her own material. She writes political barbs on her personal blog.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1982 — Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve — Herself — Co-hosted with Anson Williams • 1984 — The Dukes of Hazzard — Mary Beth — Episodes: Undercover Dukes Part One, Undercover Dukes Part Two • Knight Rider — Sabrina — Episode: Speed Demons • 1980-1985 — Too Close for Comfort — Sara Rush — Season 1-5 • 1980-1986 — The Love Boat — 5 episodes • 1986 — The A-Team — Jody Joy — Episode: Wheel of Fortune • Simon & Simon — Lisa Jenkins — Episode: Family Forecast • 1984-1986 — Hotel — Doris O'Neil Clare Winslow — Episode: Trials Episode: Facades • 1986 — T.J. Hooker — Christine Shankman — Episode: "Death Trip" (S5, E15) • 1987 — Isabel Sanford's Honeymoon Hotel — 1 episode • Hunter — Nicki Rains / Rena Farrell — Episode: Straight to the Heart • 1989 — Full House — Linda Mosley — Episode: El Problema Grande de D.J. • Quantum Leap — Sally — Episode: Genesis: Part 1 - September 13, 1956 (• Monsters — Portia — Episode: A Bond of Silk • Hâgar the Horrible — Honi (voice) — TV short • 1990 — Hardball (1989 TV series) — Episode: "Every Dog Has His Day" (S1, E17) • 2001 — Black Scorpion (TV series) — Patricia Carlyle — Episode: "No Sweat" (S1, E9) • 2005 — Curb Your Enthusiasm — Bra Saleswoman — Episode: "The Christ Nail" (S5, E3) • 2018 — It's A Beach Thing (TV series) — Mrs. Spangler — Episode: Series pilot • 2020 — Viral Vignettes (TV series) — Valerie — Episode: "Care Package" (S1, E4)