`Er' Actor's Use Of A Cane Is Just Part Of The Job

Q: How about a brief biography of actress Laura Innes, who plays Dr. Weaver on "ER." Is her cane a prop or does she actually have a bad leg?

A: Innes got her dramatic start in Chicago theater playing Stella opposite John Malkovich's Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and originating the role of Glenna in David Mamet's "Edmund." She married actor David Brisbin in 1988 and, after the birth of their son, Cal, the family moved to L.A. Innes's first big TV exposure was on "Wings," as Lowell's ex-wife Bunny. She played Louie Anderson's wife in "Louie" about the same time she landed the "ER" role. The details of Dr. Weaver's disability have never been explained on the show, but it's strictly a dramatic device.

Q: What happened to Christianne Hirt, who played Hannah on the "Lonesome Dove" series? She was killed in the final episode and I haven't seen or heard of her since.

A: The Canadian actress is working north of the border these days, doing Canadian TV and movies. She was last seen on the big screen in Howie Long's action movie "Firestorm."

Q:. What was the name of the puppet Ted Baxter used to draw in the TV show "Too Close for Comfort"?

A: After he played broadcaster Ted Baxter on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," actor Ted Knight played kiddie cartoonist Henry Rush on "Too Close for Comfort." His hand puppet, the Cosmic Cow, was the inspiration for his comic strip. Knight starred in "Too Close," later renamed "The Ted Knight Show," until his death from cancer in 1986.

Q: What's happened to HBO's series "Oz"? In November they said they were filming new episodes but I haven't heard anything since then.

A: Production of season 2 of the CableACE-winning series began in late January and continues in New York. Eight new episodes of the prison drama will begin airing in July. Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson ("Homicide: Life on the Street"), executive producers of the series, have announced the new season's episode directors. The list includes Kathy Bates ("Titanic"), Mary Harron ("I Shot Andy Warhol"), and Jean DeSegnonzac and Nick Gomez, who directed episodes of "Oz" last season.

Q: I was a big "Charlie's Angels" fan. Who, in real life, was married to Andrew Stevens - Jaclyn Smith or Kate Jackson?

A: Jackson married Stevens in 1979. During their yearlong union, they executive-produced and starred in a TV movie remake of "Topper." Jaclyn Smith was married to "Felony Sqaud's" Dennis Cole from 1978-81.

Q: Was a TV movie made of Dominick Dunne's "An Inconvenient Woman"? If so, who played Pauline Mendelson and Flo March?

A:. The TV movie based on the Dunne novel debuted on ABC in 1991. Jill Eikenberry portrayed Pauline and Rebecca De Mornay was Flo. It's rerun occasionally on Lifetime cable.

Q: I was watching "Frasier" and wondering if Peri Gilpin (Roz) is really pregnant?

A: Radio producer Roz's pregnancy is a creation of "Frasier" writers. Gilpin, who grew up in Dallas and studied at the Dallas Theater Center, is not pregnant.

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