Kristy McNichol Comes Out of the Closet to Help Bullied Kids and Former Child Star Comes Out ‎

Kristy McNichol, famous for her roles on the TV series “Empty Nest,” and “Family” has come out of the closet in an effort to help children being bullied.

McNichol, 49, has lived with her partner Martie Allen, for the past two decades.

She decided to make a statement about her sexuality and share a photo because she is “approaching 50″ and wants to “be open about who I am,” People Magazine reported.

She “is very sad about kids being bullied,” her publicist Jeff Ballard told People Magazine. “She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different.”




McNichol was best known for her roles on the drama “Family,” for which she won two Emmy Awards, and later “Empty Nest.” She has also starred in several films, including “Little Darlings” in 1980 with Tatum O’Neal.






McNichol was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1992, and subsequently ended her television career. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

“She is healthy and very happy ,” says Ballard, according to People Magazine. “And she enjoys living a very private life.”

Synopsis
Born on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California, Kristy McNichol got her start in commercials as a child actress. She acted in the television drama "Family," for which won she two Emmy Awards, and started a singing career. She starred in several films over the next decade but an on-going battle with bipolar disorder harmed her productivity. She retired from acting in the late 1990s.
Contents.Kristy McNichol Comes Out of the Closet to Help Bullied Kids and Former Child Star Comes Out ‎

Synopsis
Child Actor
Big Break
Branching Out
Struggles
Later Work

Child Actor

Actress, singer. Born Christina Ann McNichol on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. Kristy McNichol was one of the most popular young actresses during the 1970s and 1980s. When she was three, her parents divorced. Kristy and her brothers Jimmy and Tommy were raised by their mother.

At the age of 6, McNichol shot her first commercial. Both she and her brother Jimmy were trying to make as performers with their mother Carollyne serving as their manager. In 1974, McNichol made her television debut in the short-lived drama Apple’s Way. She played Patricia Apple, a young city girl who moves to her father’s small hometown in Iowa along her parents and three other siblings. Much of the drama centered on the clash between the family’s urban ways and their new rural community. Unfortunately, the series failed to find much of an audience.
Big Break

McNichol fared much better with her next television series, Family. As teenager Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence, she was the youngest member of the Lawrence family. Sada Thompson and James Broderick played her parents on the series. Meredith Baxter-Birney appeared as her older sister Nancy who left her husband while she was pregnant, and Gary Frank was cast as her older brother Willie who was in his late teens. Quinn Cummings later joined the family as Annie Cooper, their adopted daughter.

During its four-year run, the characters of Family faced many different kinds of hardships, from cancer to alcoholism. McNichol’s Buddy often had to grapple with many teen-related issues, such as dating and sexuality. For her work on the series, McNichol received four Emmy Award nominations and won two Emmy Awards. She was received the Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Award in 1977 and the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Award in 1979.
Branching Out

In addition to her work on the series, McNichol started a film career. She made her film debut in the dark comedy The End (1978) with Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise. On the small screen, McNichol made a number of popular television movies, including Like Mom, Like Me (1978) and Summer of My German Soldier (1978). She also starred in Blinded by the Light (1980) with her brother Jimmy.

Besides acting, McNichol enjoyed some popularity as a singer. She performed on a number of television variety shows and specials, including The Donny and Marie Show and The Carpenters Christmas Special. She and her brother Jimmy recorded an album of disco songs in 1978 and had a minor hit with the single “He’s So Fine.”

Around the same time Family ended in 1980, McNichol took her film career to another level, co-starring with fellow child actress Tatum O’Neal in Little Darlings. The plot revolved around a bet between their two characters about who could lose their virginity first while at summer camp. Their love interests were played by Matt Dillon and Armand Assante. While the film received mixed reviews, McNichol won praise for her portrayal of Angel, a tomboy from the wrong side of tracks.

The following year, McNichol had two major film roles. She co-starred with Dennis Quaid as a sister-and-brother musical duo in The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia (1981). The summertime drama was met with lukewarm reviews, but her next effort brought her strong praise. McNichol starred in Neil Simon’s dramatic comedy Only When I Laugh (1981) as Marsha