Tracey Gold 690032 223412416 2008-07-03T23:34:41Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{Infobox actress | bgcolour = | name = Tracey Gold | birthname = Tracey Claire Fisher | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1969|5|16}} | location = [[New York City]] }} '''Tracey Gold''' (born '''Tracey Claire Fisher''' on [[May 16]], [[1969]] in [[New York City]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[actor|actress]], best known for playing Carol Seaver on the 1980s [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Growing Pains]]''. ==Early life== Gold is the older sister of actress [[Missy Gold]], who appeared on the TV series ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'' from 1979 to 1986. Her adopted stage name "Gold" comes from her stepfather Harry Gold, who married her mother when Tracey was a preschooler, and later became a powerful Hollywood agent. Her sister Missy also shares the birth name Fisher. ==Acting career== Gold has been an actress since the age of four, first appearing in a [[Pepsi]] print ad. She appeared in two canceled series, ''Shirley'' with [[Shirley Jones]] in 1979, and ''Goodnight Beantown'', starring [[Bill Bixby]] in 1983. Gold was originally cast as the youngest daughter in the original pilot series of the show ''[[Gimme A Break!]]'' starring [[Nell Carter]], but was replaced by actress [[Lara Jill Miller]] when the show went to series. In 1985, Gold auditioned for the part of Carol Seaver on ''Growing Pains'', but was not initially cast. The actress chosen for the pilot was later replaced with Gold for the series, and ''Growing Pains'' ran from 1985 until 1992. During this time, Gold became a famous teen star. In 1988, Gold also starred as [[Angela Strull]] in the [[teen film]] ''[[Dance 'Til Dawn]]''. After the end of the long-running series, Gold continued to work as an actress. Over the next decade, Gold starred in several [[television movie]]s. == Battle with anorexia == {{Unreferencedsection|date=June 2008}} [[Image:TraceyGold-FTLON.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Gold in ''For the Love of Nancy'' (1994)‎]] Gold is also famous for her highly publicized battle with [[anorexia nervosa]], which almost killed her. From about the age seven, she says that she thought about dieting, having learned the word and the concept on the many television sets she worked on as a very busy child actress. She became preoccupied with the television movie ''The Best Little Girl In The World'', starring actress [[Jennifer Jason Leigh]], about an anorexic teenager. In her autobiography, Gold says that in an attempt to control her development into a woman, she began restricting what she ate. When she was 11, she was diagnosed with the early stages of anorexia by her family pediatrician after a weight loss that accompanied a growth spurt. After some counseling, she eventually returned to a more normal weight for most of her teenage years. In 1988 at age 19, Gold gained some weight over the ''Growing Pains'' series hiatus. That season, the show's scripts called for her to be the brunt of "fat" jokes from her television brothers for many episodes in a row. Beginning in October 1988, Gold dieted from 133 pounds to about 110 pounds on a medically-supervised 500 calorie a day diet, but still occasionally the scripts included "fat" jokes at her expense. In her autobiography, she says that between 1989 and 1991, she became increasingly obsessed with food and her weight, and continued to slowly and steadily lose weight. In 1990 Gold began group therapy in an eating disorder program, but only learned more ways to lose weight. That season, her problem with weight loss was touched upon slightly on her television series, when Gold is seen looking at her body in a carnival mirror, and describes to another character the distorted image in her head. In 1991, she started starving herself more than ever and vomiting, and lost a massive amount of weight, to the point that she was admitted to a hospital in early 1992. Her lowest weight is estimated to have been near 80 pounds. She was suspended from the show for her skeletal appearance. Photos of Gold's emaciated body were plastered all over tabloid magazines, and she was one of the first celebrities ever to be formally "outed" for anorexia. She last appeared in the 1991 [[Christmas]] episode, where her problem is very obvious in some scenes, and did not return until the last two shows of the series in the late spring of 1992, although she was not nearly recovered at this point. After a several year struggle, Gold eventually recovered, and starred in the 1994 [[TV movie]] ''[[For the Love of Nancy]]'' with [[Jill Clayburgh]]. The film explored a young woman's battle with anorexia and its effects on her family. Although she was warned of the possibility that she had done damage to her reproductive organs by the years of anorexia, Gold was later able to bear four children. As she entered her thirties, she maintained a normal weight for a woman of her age, and often held speaking engagements warning young women about the dangers of eating disorders, all the while continuing work as an actress. == Personal life and post-''Growing Pains'' == [[Image:Tracey Gold-RoomtoGrow.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Cover of '''Tracey Gold''''s 2003 book]] Gold met her husband Roby Marshall through ''Growing Pains'' costar [[Joanna Kerns]], who portrayed Marshall's mother in the TV [[miniseries]] adaptation of the [[True crime (genre)|true crime]] book ''[[Blind Faith (book)|Blind Faith]]'' by [[Joe McGinniss]]. Roby had served as a consultant on the miniseries, which dramatized the 1984 case in which his father, [[Toms River, New Jersey|Toms River]], [[New Jersey]] businessman [[Robert O. Marshall]], was charged with (and later convicted of) the [[contract killing]] of his wife (and Roby's mother) Maria.<ref>Gold's father-in-law spent nearly 22 years on [[death row]] in [[New Jersey]] before his death sentence was overturned in May 2006. In August 2006, he was resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of [[parole]] in 2014.</ref> Gold and Marshall married on [[October 8]][[1994]], and have four sons: Sage Gold (b. [[February 16]][[1997]]), Bailey Vincent (b. [[March 4]][[1999]]), Aiden Michael (b. [[May 9]][[2004]]), and Dylan Christopher (b. [[April 1]][[2008]]).<ref>[http://intouchweekly.hollywood.com/2008/04/tracey_gold_item_tk.php "It's Another Boy for Tracey Gold" - ''In Touch'' Online] [[April 2]][[2008]]</ref> In 2003, Gold wrote the book ''Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life'' with Julie McCarron. === DUI arrest === Gold was arrested for [[driving under the influence]] after a car accident on [[September 3]][[2004]]. Her husband and two of her three children were injured, one with a broken clavicle and a head laceration, but her newborn infant was not hurt. She posted $50,000 [[bail]] the following day. Gold originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later changed her plea to guilty and was sentenced to one month in a [[work release]] program, 240 hours of community service, and three years' probation. Gold made an appearance on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'', explaining her side of the story and what happened on what she proclaims was "the worst night of her life." === Present day === Gold was a contestant on the program ''[[Celebrity Mole|Celebrity Mole 2: Yucatan]]'' in 2004, and starred in the movie ''Safe Harbor'' in 2006. She is currently hosting the TVGUIDE Channel mini-show ''[[Trapped in TV Guide]]''. In addition, she is the host of [[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]] show ''[[The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom]]'', which debuted on [[March 3]] [[2008]].<ref>[http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/soccer-moms/soccer-moms.html ''The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom'' - TLC.com]</ref> ==Filmography== ===Films=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | [[1976 in film|1976]] || ''[[Captains and the Kings]]'' || Rosemary Armagh || TV miniseries |- | [[1977 in film|1977]] || ''[[Roots (TV miniseries)|Roots]]'' || Young Missy Reynolds || TV miniseries |- |rowspan="4"|[[1978 in film|1978]] || ''[[A Rainy Day]]'' || Stephanie as a Child || |- | ''[[The Dark Secret of Harvest Home]]'' || Missy Penrose || TV miniseries |- | ''[[Night Cries]]'' || Donna Blankenstrip || TV movie |- | ''[[Little Mo (TV movie)|Little Mo]]'' || Cindy Brinker || TV movie |- |rowspan="3"|[[1979 in film|1979]] || ''[[The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel]]'' || Laurie Mae Moon || TV mvoie |- | ''[[Jennifer: A Woman's Story]]'' || Emma Prince || TV movie |- | ''[[The Child Stealer]]'' || Pam Rodman || TV movie |- | [[1980 in film|1980]] || ''[[Marilyn: The Untold Story]]'' || Young [[Marilyn Monroe|Norma Jean]] || TV movie |- | [[1981 in film|1981]] || ''[[A Few Days in Weasel Creek]]'' || Buddy || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[1982 in film|1982]] || ''[[Shoot the Moon]]'' || Marianne Dunlap || |- | ''[[Beyond Witch Mountain]]'' || Tia || TV movie |- |rowspan="3"| [[1983 in film|1983]] || ''[[Another Woman's Child]]'' || Lisa || TV movie |- | ''[[Thursday's Child (TV movie)|Thursday's Child]]'' || Alix || TV movie |- | ''[[Who Will Love My Children?]]'' || Pauline Fray || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[1985 in film|1985]] || ''[[A Reason to Live]]'' || Ellen Maynes || TV movie |- | ''[[Lots of Luck]]'' || Cindy Maris || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[1986 in film|1986]] || ''[[The Blinkins]]'' || Shady || TV movie / Voice |- | ''[[The Best of Times (film)|The Best of Times]]'' || Jaki's friend || Uncredited |- | [[1988 in film|1988]] || ''[[Dance 'Til Dawn]]'' || Angela Strull || TV movie |- | [[1993 in film|1993]] || ''[[Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story]]'' || Christa Uchytil || TV movie |- | [[1994 in film|1994]] || ''[[For the Love of Nancy]]'' || Nancy Walsh || TV movie |- |rowspan="4"| [[1995 in film|1995]] || ''[[Stolen Innocence]]'' || Stacy || TV movie |- | ''[[Sleep, Baby, Sleep]]'' || Sylvie Pierson || TV movie |- | ''[[Lady Killer (1995 film)|Lady Killer]]'' || Sharon || TV movie |- | ''[[Beauty's Revenge]]'' || Beth || TV movie |- |rowspan="4"| [[1996 in film|1996]] || ''[[A Kidnapping in the Family]]'' || Sarah Landers Taylor || TV movie |- | ''[[Face of Evil]]'' || Darcy Palmer/Barbara Richards || TV movie |- | ''[[The Perfect Daughter]]'' || Alexandra Michaelson || TV movie |- | ''[[To Face Her Past]]'' || Lori Molina || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[1998 in film|1998]] || ''[[Dirty Little Secret (TV movie)|Dirty Little Secret]]'' || Sarah Wheetley || TV movie |- | ''[[The Girl Next Door (1998 film)|The Girl Next Door]]'' || Anne 'Annie' Nolan || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[1999 in film|1999]] || ''[[Wanted (1999 film)|Wanted]]'' || Sue Bentley || |- | ''[[A Crime of Passion]]'' || Alyssa Pierce || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[2000 in film|2000]] || ''[[Stolen from the Heart]]'' || Leslie Wagner || TV movie / as Tracy Gold |- | ''[[The Growing Pains Movie]]'' || Carol Seaver || TV movie |- |rowspan="2"| [[2001 in film|2001]] || ''[[She's No Angel]]'' || Liddy Carlyle || TV movie |- | ''[[What's the Worst That Could Happen?]]'' || Woman at Auction || Uncredited |- | [[2002 in film|2002]] || ''[[Wildfire 7: The Inferno]]'' || Nell Swanson || TV movie |- | [[2004 in film|2004]] || ''[[Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers]]'' || Carol Seaver || TV movie |- | [[2005 in film|2005]] || ''[[Captive Hearts (TV movie)|Captive Hearts]]'' || Elizabeth Sorenson || TV movie |- | [[2006 in film|2006]] || ''[[Safe Harbor (TV movie)|Safe Harbor]]'' || Carly Segan || TV movie |- | [[2007 in film|2007]] || ''[[Final Approach (TV movie)|Final Approach]]'' || Linda Howren || TV movie |- | [[2008 in film|2008]] || ''[[Solar Flare (TV movie)|Solar Flare]]'' || Dr. Clark || TV movie |} ===TV series=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year(s) !! Title !! Role !! Seasons !! Notes |- | 1979–80 || ''[[Shirley (TV series)|Shirley]]'' || Michelle Miller || 1 || |- | 1983–84 || ''[[Goodnight, Beantown]]'' || Susan Barnes || 1 || |- | 1985–92 || ''[[Growing Pains]]'' || Carol Seaver || 1–7 || Co-Starred in every season |- | 2008–present || ''[[The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom]]'' || Host || 1-Present || |} ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{imdb name|id=0325097|name=Tracey Gold}} *{{tvtome person|id=6164|name=Tracey Gold}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Tracey}} [[Category:American television actors]] [[Category:American child actors]] [[Category:Participants in American reality television series]] [[Category:People from New York City]] [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[es:Tracey Gold]] [[fr:Tracey Gold]] [[nl:Tracey Gold]] [[fi:Tracey Gold]]