Claudia Lonow

Claudia Lonow started her career as an actress, playing Michele Lee's chubby, loud-mouthed teenage daughter on Knots Landing (1979). Favorite episodes include: the one where she has kidney failure and is saved by Donna Mills's kidney; the one where she runs away with the town murderer, "Chip," and drives her mother to drugs; and the one where she almost loses her virginity, but instead winds up donning clown make up and singing "Put On A Happy Face" with her mom.

Lonow's next career was waitressing. She did stand up comedy for a while, working across the country and doing some television. When she gave her best joke to Sarah Silverman, and Silverman killed with it, a writer was born.

Her television-writing career took off when she wrote a semi-autobiographical spec pilot about a former nighttime soap opera television actress who gets sent to rehab, called "Rude Awakening." Showtime bought the show, which ran for 55 episodes. Lonow has been creating and writing television ever since: "Good Girls Don't" for Oxygen; "Accidentally On Purpose" for CBS and "How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life)" for ABC. Lonow completed directing her first short film, (which she also co-wrote) entitled, "Bummed."