Brunette Laurie Walters was born on January 8, 1947 in San Francisco, California. Laurie enrolled in Humboldt State College and originally planned on majoring in wildlife conservation. Walters switched to theater and briefly attended UC Santa Barbara. She then moved to Berkeley, California and helped form the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Laurie got her equity card at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. Walters first began acting in films and TV shows in the early 70s. She was especially likable and memorable as the shy, awkward, and virginal Sheila Grove in "The Harrad Experiment" and "The Harrad Summer." Laurie was also solid and sympathetic as spunky college student Jenny Macallister in the spooky horror outing "Warlock Moon." Walters achieved her greatest enduring popularity as endearing screwball Joannie Bradford on the hit sitcom "Eight Is Enough." Following the cancellation of "Eight Is Enough" Laurie continued to act on episodic television and in a couple of "Eight Is Enough" reunion TV specials. Moreover, she toured in dinner theater and acted in theater productions of such plays as "Richard III" and "Playboy of the Western World." Walters quit acting in the late 90s and became a dedicated environmentalist (she coordinated the volunteer program for the Los Angeles organization Tree People). More recently Laurie has resumed acting on stage in the southern California area as well as directed theater productions in Ojai, California under her married name of Laurie Walters Slade.
