Since the age of two, when she began modeling baby clothes for the Sears & Roebuck catalogue, actress/director/producer/writer Nancy McKeon, a native of Westbury, NY, and childhood resident of Forest Hills, Queens, has been adding fifteen minutes after fifteen minutes to her never-ending fame. Nancy McKeon in Pen Pals. Photo by Russ Rowland. Now making her stellar NYC stage debut in the Off-Broadway production of Pen Pals at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, the young McKeon’s early rise to fame was launched when she and her brother Philip completed more than 65 commercials in just seven years, leading to her being cast on Starsky and Hutch in 1977. That was followed by appearances on such other popular TV shows as Fantasy Island and The Love Boat, voiceover work on Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo in 1979, her best known role as Jo Polniaczek on the long-running 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, her portrayal of Inspector Jinny Exstead on the Lifetime police drama The Division from 2001-04 (two episodes of which she also directed), and competing on the 27th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2018, among her other innumerable credits. McKeon made her film debut in the 1991 movie Where the Day Takes You and has subsequently acted in and produced many others through her company Forest Hills Entertainment, including the short film A Wakening, which she wrote and directed, winning two film festival awards in 1999. And after many years in LA, she recently relocated back to NY and took to the live stage for the first time, starring in the October production of Pen Pals at New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, before the play’s current Off-Broadway transfer. Nancy graciously made time during this busy month to answer our quick questions about herself, her career, and her holiday favorites. Nancy McKeon. Photo by Russ Rowland. 1. What do you love most about the holiday season? Nancy: Time with family and friends and all the beautiful lights and decorations. 2. What’s on your Christmas to-do list this year? Making the best Yorkshire puddings! 3. What’s your beverage of choice for toasting the holidays? Crémant du Jura Rosé. 4. If you had a pet reindeer, what would you name it? Ziggy. 5. Have you made a New Year’s resolution for 2025? Nope! 6. Have you ever made or kept a New Year’s resolution? Nope! Not a resolution person. 7. Who or what has been the biggest inspiration in your career? Writers! They start with a blank page, and then . . . magic! 8. Which do you find more challenging, and which is more rewarding – stage or screen? I don’t think I could choose; being able to experience it all is a privilege! 9. What three emotions do you feel when you’re performing? I couldn’t limit myself to just three! Nancy McKeon and Johanna Day in Pen Pals. Photo by Russ Rowland. 10. What do you find most relatable about your character Bernie in Pen Pals? Her love and loyalty to the people she loves. 11. Is there a role or show you would like to play in the future? Not specifically – but imagining all the possibilities is fun! 12. What do you do for fun when you’re not performing? Cooking for family and friends; traveling! 13. What three words would you use to describe yourself? Introvert, extrovert, curious. 14. What’s the best thing about being famous? Kindness from the people I meet. 15. If you could have one wish come true for the New Year, what would it be? Continuing the joy of being on stage! Thanks, Nancy, for sharing a fast and lively 15 minutes with us; all best wishes for the holidays and on your return to Pen Pals for the closing performances in February! Pen Pals plays through Sunday, February 9, 2025, at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $30-118, plus fees), go online. The rotating cast stars Nancy McKeon as Bernie through December 22, 2024, and returning from February 5-9, 2025.