Lisa Aliff Explained

Lisa Lynn Aliff Greenleaf (born September 10, 1960) is an American beauty pageant winner and former actress.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, Aliff attended Cave Spring High School, and thereafter graduated college with a degree in early childhood education.[1]

After being named Miss Roanoke Valley and being the runner-up in the 1981 Miss Virginia pageant,[2] Aliff won the pageant in 1983.[1] [3] She then moved to Los Angeles and became an actress, appearing in a number of films and TV shows. Her first role was as Gail Kittredge on the TV show The Colbys, Season 1, Episode 24 "Checkmate" which aired on 22 May 1986. Over the next four years she also appeared in episodes of Cheers, Charles in Charge, Roomies, Valerie, Full House, Love and Betrayal, Who's the Boss?, Freddy's Nightmares, Dear John and Anything but Love.[4] In 1986, she was cast as Alice Sycamore (née Vanderhof) in a starring role on You Can't Take It with You, a half-hour sitcom produced for syndication in 1986, but only four episodes of the show were aired.[5] [6]

In 1987, Aliff was the primary model for Sheer Indulgence pantyhose, appearing in two separate commercials which were broadcast nationally over the course of the next two years. The commercials were released upon the debut of the pantyhose, which were marketed as having department store quality but available in local markets at a lesser price.[7]

Aliff worked with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in the movie Dragnet (1987). In 1994, Aliff was involved in a public divorce in which she said her husband falsely accused her of having an affair with Dan Aykroyd, so that her husband could obtain money through tabloid interviews and TV appearances. Her husband's allegation appeared in a two-page spread in the National Enquirer and he appeared on The Montel Williams Show. Aykroyd, who was married to another Miss Virginia, Donna Dixon, said the allegation was a "baseless fantasy" and a "flat lie".[8]

Her last acting roles were in 1990. After returning to Roanoke, she taught elementary school, middle school and high school.[1], she continued to be involved in the Miss Virginia pageant.[1]

Filmography

Movies

YearTitleRole
1987DragnetApril
1988Remote ControlHeroine
1989Love and BetrayalPatty
1989Trained to KillJessie Revels
1989Damned RiverAnne
1990PlayroomJenny

TV series

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986The ColbysGail Kittredge1 episode
1987Charles in ChargeGina1 episode
1987RoomiesMelissapilot episode
1988Valerie (The Hogan Family) Julie Warren1 episode)
1987-88You Can't Take It with YouAlice Sycamore3 broadcast episodes
1989CheersErin1 episode
1989Full HousePatty Fogerty1 episode
1989Who's the Boss?Jill1 episode
1989Freddy's NightmaresKiki1 episode
1990Dear JohnSki Bunny1 episode
1990Anything but Love

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lisa Aliff Greenleaf. Dan. Smith. 4 November 2015. TheRoanoker.com.
  2. "Vivky Pulliam Wins Crown", Bluefield Daily Telegraph, (July 12, 1981), p. 4.
  3. Web site: Former Miss Virginias, Miss Virginia:1983. February 23, 2019.
  4. Web site: Lisa Aliff . https://web.archive.org/web/20080523181047/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/927/Lisa-Aliff . dead . May 23, 2008 . Movies & TV Dept. . . . 2008 . September 7, 2013.
  5. Vincent Terrace, Encyclopedia of Television Pilots, 1937-2012 (2014), p. 332.
  6. Tim Brooks, Earle F. Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (2009), p. 1554.
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7JWoaY-jyI VHS Archive
  8. Web site: Aykroyd, Aliff cited in divorce . . January 25, 1994 . September 7, 2013.