Kristy McNichol (born Christina Ann McNichol on September 11, 1962, in Los Angeles, California) is a former American actress, known for her roles as Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence on the TV drama Family, and as Barbara Weston on the sitcom Empty Nest. She is the sister of former child actor Jimmy McNichol.
She began her career with guest appearances on such series as Starsky and Hutch and The Bionic Woman. Her first stint as a series regular came with the role of Patricia Apple in Apple's Way.
In 1976, she was cast as Buddy in Family, for which the actress earned Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series in 1977 and 1979.
In 1978 at the height of her stardom, McNichol, along with her brother Jimmy, released a self-titled album Kristy & Jimmy McNichol, which featured the single "He's So Fine."
When Family went off the air in 1980, McNichol began a promising feature-film career with the hit teen coming of age story Little Darlings.
In 1982, she starred in the cult movie The Pirate Movie alongside Christopher Atkins of The Blue Lagoon fame. In December of that year, Kristy walked off the set of I Won't Dance in the French Alps after suffering a breakdown due to her first bout with bipolar disorder.
In 1988, McNichol returned to episodic television, playing the character of Barbara Weston on the NBC sitcom Empty Nest, but she had to leave in 1992, when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. McNichol returned to the series for its final episode in 1995.
Kristy McNichol was the host of the annual "Kristy McNichol Celebrity Tennis Tournament," benefitting the H.E.L.P. group for abused children in Los Angeles. She is currently teaching acting in a private school in the Los Angeles area.
Her last public statement to her fans was in June 2001, when she said:
"A lot of people have wondered what I've been up to. I retired from my career after 24 years. My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part -- MYSELF! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So many fans are disappointed that I'm not currently acting, however some may not realize that the process I'm in at this time is necessary and vital for my personal happiness and well-being."
In that same year, she terminated her annual celebrity tennis tournament for charity that she had organized while still a teen. .
