A late addition to the show, Brooklyn native Brisebois began her career at the age of seven, appearing on an episode of Kojak and the original Broadway production of Annie. She joined the series in its ninth season as the daughter of Edith’s cousin, who has abandoned the little girl to the Bunkers’ care. She continued to appear on four seasons of the 1979 spin-off Archie Bunker’s Place, and received a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the show in 1982.
After that show ended, Brisebois had a multi-episode arc on Knots Landing, and guest spots on The Love Boat and Mr. Belvedere. However, by the end of the decade, she decided acting wasn’t for her, and switched her focus to music — a smart decision, as the late ’90s saw her band, the New Radicals, skyrocket to fame. She can be seen jamming out on the keyboard in the video for their top 40 hit, “You Get What You Give,” which received heavy MTV rotation in 1998.
