Before she was Tom Hanks‘ wife or a Hollywood star in her own right, Rita Wilson was a 15-year-old cheerleader competing with Marcia Brady. Wilson made her television debut in a 1972 episode of The Brady Bunch, playing Pat Conway, a girl vying with Marcia for the coveted position of head cheerleader. More than five decades later, the early role is a surprising glimpse at Wilson before the career that would make her a household name.
Rita Wilson Was a Cheerleader Competing With Marcia Brady
@ritawilson#TBT I can’t believe that it’s been over 50 years since this episode aired… to think that my appearance on Brady Bunch was the kickoff to my career as an actor is wild. I got my SAG-AFTRA card which meant I was in the union and could now be hired for more jobs. Seeing Maureen McCormick, who is just a few months older than me, arrive to the set, be kind along with the other stars was so welcoming. I even meant Elizabeth Montgomery , Samantha, from Bewitched! We filmed at Paramount Studios. To this day when I drive into that studio lot it feels like home.
♬ original sound – ritawilsonJoe Namath and Don Drysdale’s guest-starring appearances on The Brady Bunch remain indelible childhood memories for many Gen Xers who were mesmerized by the Brady kids’ encounters with celebrities. But a whole host of future stars also passed through the Brady house on the beloved ’70s family comedy, including an actress whose own Hollywood career was just getting started.
In 1972, Wilson was 15 years old when she landed her first television role as Marcia Brady’s cheerleading rival in an episode titled “Greg’s Triangle.” The two girls are competing for the head cheerleader position, which means they have to audition for none other than Marcia’s stepbrother, Greg.
Wilson got the part almost by chance after tagging along to a friend’s audition.
“I got the part,” Wilson told The Guardian, “which meant I was suddenly working on my favourite show, with actors I’d loved for years.”
What began as a spontaneous trip to an audition became the first television credit in a career that would eventually take Wilson far beyond the Brady house.
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Rita Wilson’s First TV Role Was Just the Beginning
@ritawilson31 years ago today, Sleepless In Seattle was released to the world! Written and directed by Nora Ephron, it remains one of the best romantic comedies of all time and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it. #sleeplessinseattle #noraephron
♬ original sound – ritawilsonWilson went on to become a familiar face in films including Sleepless in Seattle, Runaway Bride and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which she also produced. She later expanded her career into music, launching her professional singing career in 2016.
Away from her own work, Wilson became part of one of Hollywood’s best-known couples when she married two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. But her career didn’t begin with a major movie or starring television role. It began with a small part on one of the most iconic television shows of the 1970s.
For fans discovering the appearance more than five decades later, there’s something especially fun about seeing Wilson before she was Rita Wilson as we know her today. She was simply a 15-year-old actress who tagged along to an audition with a friend, landed the part and found herself competing with Marcia Brady.
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