Kristy McNichol (born Christina Ann McNichol on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, to a Scottish father and a Palestinian mother)[citation needed] is a former American actress, most known for her role as Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence on the TV drama Family, and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol.
She began her career with guest appearances on such series as Starsky and Hutch and The Bionic Woman. Her first stint as a series regular came with the role of Patricia Apple in Apple's Way.
In 1976, she was cast as Buddy in Family, for which the actress earned Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1977 and 1979.
In 1978 at the height of her stardom, McNichol, along with her brother Jimmy, released a self-titled album Kristy & Jimmy McNichol, which featured the single "He's So Fine."
When Family went off the air in 1980, McNichol began a promising feature-film career with the hit teen coming of age story Little Darlings.
In 1988, McNichol returned to episodic television, playing the character of Barbara Weston on the NBC sitcom Empty Nest, but she had to leave in 1992, when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. [1] McNichol returned to the series for its final episode in 1995.
Kristy McNichol was the host of the annual "Kristy McNichol Celebrity Tennis Tournament," benefitting the H.E.L.P. group for abused children in Los Angeles. She is currently teaching acting in a private school in the Los Angeles area.
Source: Wikipedia