'70s & '80s Stars Who Played Parents On Modern Sitcoms

Some of the most beloved actors from the '70s and '80s got a chance to come back on modern sitcoms. The years didn't just make them older; they made them small-screen parents and introduced them to a new generation of TV audiences. Imagine a Gen-Z viewer who only knows Brooke Shields from her stint playing Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mom on "That '70s Show" and not from her famous Calvin Klein jeans campaign or her controversial film roles.

Sitcoms have a rich history of hiring big-name actors to pop in for guest appearances. These appearances give audiences a burst of nostalgia and joy. There is something sweet and comforting about seeing a familiar face step into a new role that is completely different from the character you remember. Which cigarette-smoking, chore-hating TV mom from the '80s guest-starred in two episodes of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"? Which improv funnyman brought his usual brand of dry comedy gold to playing Phil Dunphy's (Ty Burrell) loving dad on "Modern Family?" Which New Hollywood star played the father of two friends?

Love to see the stars of yesterday redefine themselves? Here are nine '70s and '80s stars who played parents in modern sitcoms.

"Married... With Children" took the concept of the wholesome family sitcom and dragged it through the gutter. The series that helped put the then-new network, Fox, on the map replaced the loving, supportive family with total dysfunction. Katey Sagal played the Bundy family matriarch Peggy Bundy, a cigarette-smoking shopaholic who never met a household chore that she liked.

Sagal appeared in two episodes of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," one of the best feel-good shows of 2021. Sagal played Jake Peralta's (Andy Samberg) mother, Karen Peralta, who raised her son without much help from his father, portrayed by Bradley Whitford. Her first "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" stint came in the 2016 Season 3 episode "Karen Peralta," in which the public school art teacher tells Jake that she has rekindled her romance with his father. Sagal popped up again in the Season 5 episode "Two Turkeys." Jake and his then-fiancée Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) gather up their parents to meet on what turns out to be a cringe-filled Thanksgiving. 

Sagal's role as a loving, doting mom on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is much different from her stint as Peggy Bundy. The "Sons of Anarchy" star is thankful that she has had such a long career. "The biggest comment I get is, 'Wow, you're still working!'" Sagal told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm like, 'Wow, this is so great that I'm able to continue to be a working actor and still be interested in the roles that I'm getting to play.' I feel very grateful about that."

Elliott Gould was one of the most famous actors of the 1970s. He became a familiar face in New Hollywood films, a movement that broke the rules of traditional cinema. Perhaps his best work came in Robert Altman's counterculture films "M*A*S*H" and "The Long Goodbye." Christina Pickles was a regular presence on the small screen in the '70s and '80s. She appeared on the daytime soap operas "The Guiding Light" and "Another World." The English actor's highest-profile acting gig came as Nurse Helen Rosenthal on "St. Elsewhere," which earned her five Emmy nominations.

Pickles and Gould would go on to play Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica's (Courteney Cox) parents, Jack and Judy Geller, on "Friends." The role introduced them to a whole new generation of fans who weren't even alive during their acting salad days. Jack was known to make some pretty serious cringey remarks, and Judy made sure to criticize Monica whenever possible. However, they were both loving parents, especially to the more favored Ross. 

Pickles earned one Emmy nod for her work on "Friends." "My sixth nomination, for 'Friends,' was especially gratifying," she told Television Academy. "The role of Mrs. Geller, mother of Monica [Courteney Cox] and Ross [David Schwimmer], resonates with so many people, was expertly crafted and so very well written. I still get stopped for it all the time."

Morgan Fairchild began acting at 10 years old. In the late 1970s and early '80s, most American TV audiences knew the blond beauty from her single-episode stint on "Dallas" and her breakthrough role on "Flamingo Road." Kathleen Turner was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1980s. She steamed up the big screen opposite William Hurt in her movie debut "Body Heat." However, Turner proved to be more than just a manipulative noir femme fatale; she showed action heroine appeal and comedy chops in "Romancing the Stone," "Peggy Sue Got Married," and "The War of the Roses."

Fairchild and Turner portrayed Chandler Bing's (Matthew Perry) divorced parents on "Friends." Fairchild played Chandler's mother, Nora Tyler Bing, and Turner played Chandler's estranged dad, Charles "Helena Handbasket" Bing. Charles is a transgender woman and Las Vegas performer. Chandler and his father have a strained relationship dating back to his childhood.

Turner only appeared in three episodes of the series. The real reason Kathleen Turner wouldn't reprise her role on "Friends" is due to perceived bad manners. "I didn't feel very welcomed by the cast," she revealed in a 2018 interview with Vulture. "I remember I was wearing this difficult sequined gown — and my high heels were absolutely killing me. I found it odd that none of the actors thought to offer me a seat. Finally it was one of the older crew members that said, 'Get Miss Turner a chair.'"

It was the place where everybody knows your name. In 1982, Shelley Long started her stint as brainiac barmaid Diane Chambers on "Cheers." Diane and Sam Malone's (Ted Danson) opposites-attract, will-they-or-won't-they chemistry helped to make the Thursday night sitcom one of the hottest shows of the 1980s. Long won an Emmy and two Golden Globes for her performance. Despite the stellar Nielsen ratings and accolades, Long walked away from the hit series in 1987 after five years. 

What happened to the beloved sitcom star after "Cheers"? She made the transition to the big screen with "Troop Beverly Hills" and "Don't Tell Her It's Me." However, the actor was never able to recapture the massive success she had with "Cheers." Long did pop in for TV guest spots from time to time over the years. She entered the "Modern Family" universe in 2009 as Claire and Mitchell's mother and Jay's (Ed O'Neill) ex-wife, DeDe Pritchett. 

DeDe doesn't have the best relationship with anyone in her family. She is often mean, critical, and painted as manipulative. However, Long is hilarious in the over-the-top role, especially in the Season 1 episode called "The Incident," which revisits Jay and Gloria's (Sofía Vergara) wedding. DeDe gets drunk, makes an inappropriate toast, and destroys the wedding cake. Long appeared in eight episodes of the series. DeDe dies in her sleep during a vacation in Greenland in the Season 10 episode "Good Grief."

Fred Willard was one of the kings of both classic improv and sketch comedy. The Second City alum and "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" regular took quick wit and dry humor to the next level. In the 1970s and 1980s, Willard became a regular guest star on popular shows like "The Bob Newhart Show," "Laverne & Shirley," and "The Love Boat." The funnyman also got laughs on the big screen with "This Is Spinal Tap" and "Roxanne." In total, Willard amassed over 300 acting credits and appeared in over 1,000 episodes of television. 

Willard became a regular guest star on "Modern Family" as Phil Dunphy's (Ty Burrell) adorable dad, Frank Dunphy. It's easy to see where Phil got his goofy but sweet sense of humor. Phil and Frank have a close father-son connection. Frank died in the Season 11 episode "Legacy." Willard received two Emmy nods for his performance on the hit show. One of the tragic details about the cast of "Modern Family" is that Willard died in 2020, about a month after his beloved "Modern Family" character.

Willard's "Modern Family" family showed the comedy star a lot of love on social media following his death. Co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Rest In Peace sweet @Fred_Willard. You will always be a true original and I am so honored that our lives intersected. No one will ever come close to replacing your genius."

In 1978, John Carpenter introduced Michael Myers to terrified audiences when the director debuted the slasher film "Halloween." The movie became a hit, and its "final girl" heroine, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, became known as a scream queen. Over on the small screen in 1978, Rob Reiner was just finishing up his eight-season run as Archie Bunker's (Carroll O'Connor) liberal son-in-law Michael "Meathead" Stivic. In the 1980s, Reiner shifted his focus to behind the camera and went on to direct some of the most iconic films of the decade, including "This Is Spinal Tap," "The Princess Bride," and "When Harry Met Sally..."

In the 2010s, the veteran actors became recurring guest stars on the sitcom "New Girl" as Jess' divorced parents Joan and Bob. They make their first appearance in Season 2 when they both dine at Jess' apartment for Thanksgiving. Jess unsuccessfully attempts to rekindle her parents' romance by pulling a "Parent Trap." While their characters fought on-screen, Jamie Lee Curtis' family was closer to Rob Reiner and his wife than anyone realized.

Curtis received some flak for saying that she preferred doing a live multi-camera show over a single-camera sitcom like "New Girl." However, she later clarified her statement. "I said it wasn't my favorite experience although the show itself is fantastic ... and that Zooey Deschanel is an absolute gem of a human and said I got to play with my friend, Rob Reiner, as exes and that was sweet and lovely," Curtis wrote on Instagram. 

In the 1970s, George Segal was not just a handsome leading man; he had excellent comedic timing and dramatic chops to match. Segal often starred in romantic comedies and played characters who didn't have great luck with love. The actor starred in the 1970s films "Blume in Love," "Fun With Dick and Jane," and "A Touch of Class," for which his performance won him a Golden Globe.

Segal also worked on the small screen. Perhaps his funniest and most endearing role came in his later-in-life portrayal of Albert "Pops" Solomon on ABC's "The Goldbergs." Pops was Beverly's (Wendi McLendon-Covey) father and grandfather to Adam (Sean Giambrone), Barry (Troy Gentile), and Erica (Hayley Orrantia). Pops was the person in the family whom everyone went to for support and was the fun grandparent that every kid wanted. Segal played Pops for eight hilarious seasons. 

The "Just Shoot Me" actor talked about Pops during a 2013 interview with The A.V. Club. "He's irascible and loving and slightly demented, which leaves room for a lot of high jinks. It's wherever the writers want to take it, but to me, it's all fun. It's funny in a kind of way from my youth." The Academy Award nominee died in 2021 at the age of 87.

Before the world knew her as Jackie Harris from "Roseanne," Laurie Metcalf was an acclaimed stage actress who was one of the original ensemble members of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Metcalf became a household name when she scored the gig as Roseanne's younger sister on the ABC sitcom. She earned three Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy in the 1990s. The working-class Jackie, a perpetual dreamer, worked as everything from a truck driver to a police officer and could never seem to find the man of her dreams. "Roseanne" ruled the ratings for nine seasons.

In 2007, the "Lady Bird" actor began guest-starring as Mary Cooper on "The Big Bang Theory." Mary is Sheldon Cooper's (Jim Parsons) born-again Christian mother who hails from East Texas. Mary's religious beliefs often conflicted with her son's science-based ideology; however, they loved and supported each other. "It's so crystal clear to me who that character is that it just kind of comes alive even when months and months go by without revisiting her," Metcalf told The Wrap in 2016. "The writing is smart and tight, and everybody on that set is really professional and doesn't take being there for granted at all."

In 2017, "The Big Bang Theory" prequel series "Young Sheldon" hit the air. In a twist of fate, Metcalf's real-life daughter Zoe Perry won the role of Mary Cooper on "Young Sheldon." 

Brooke Shields was not just a child model turned teen actress in the 1970s; she became a pop culture phenomenon and sparked a national conversation about sexualizing minors. Shields first ignited controversy for her 1978 role as a child prostitute in "Pretty Baby," when the actor was just 11 years old. She went on to dominate the zeitgeist and generate further controversy with her sexualized roles in "The Blue Lagoon" and "Endless Love."  

The Princeton University graduate survived her tumultuous years as a child actor and model. Brooke Shields lives a lavish life largely thanks to her success playing the title character in the 1990s sitcom "Suddenly Susan." The respected wellness author also made several guest spots on television programs in the 2000s, including her role as Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mom, Pam Burkhart, on "That '70s Show." The role was originally played by "The Brady Bunch" alum Eve Plumb in the show's freshman season; however, producers opted to recast the role of Pam. Shields appeared in seven episodes as an absent mother who seemed to care more about dating men than she did about her daughter. 

"A spray tan and lots and lots of hair," Shields told The A.V. Club regarding her character. "That was such a well-oiled machine over there, and all of them couldn't have been nicer to me. All of the kids, Debra Jo [Rupp] ... Everyone was just respectful, no one was a brat, and it was nice to see a successful show where everyone was still good people."