Linda Purl has always brought a certain global flair to her performances, and honestly, that’s not surprising when you look at her background. Linda Purl’s early life was anything but ordinary—born in 1955 in Greenwich, Connecticut, she moved to Japan at just five years old. Linda Purl spent the next decade there, growing up immersed in Japanese culture, which definitely shaped her perspective as an artist. During those formative years, she even took the stage at Tokyo’s prestigious Imperial Theatre, performing in productions like The King and I, Oliver!, and The Miracle Worker. Talk about an impressive start.
Now, when Linda Purl returned to the United States at fifteen, she didn’t slow down one bit. She enrolled at Wykeham Rise School, a private boarding school focused on the performing arts, and continued building her craft. Later, she studied at Finch College and honed her skills further at the renowned Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. By this point, Linda Purl was already gaining real momentum in acting. She had appeared in The Walking Major (1970), a Japanese-American collaboration also known as Aru Heishi no kake—a pretty unique early credit, to say the least.
Her big break in American cinema came with Jonathan Demme’s Crazy Mama in 1975, and from there, Linda Purl kept climbing. She made a memorable mark in the horror genre with a role in the cult favorite Visiting Hours (1982). Fans of legal dramas might recognize Linda Purl from her time on Matlock (NBC, 1986–1995), where she played Charlene, the daughter of the main character, during the show’s first season. And later, she co-starred in Robin’s Hoods (USA, 1994–95), another hit within the same genre.
In 1998, Linda Purl shifted gears toward theater, joining the original cast of Getting and Spending on Broadway, followed by a role in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But she never left screens behind. Over the years, Linda Purl guest-starred on major TV series like Cold Case (CBS, 2003–2010) and Homeland (Showtime, 2011–). Most recently, in 2018, viewers saw Linda Purl on the medical drama Code Black (CBS, 2015–), proving once again that her range and presence continue to resonate across genres and generations.
When it comes to Linda Purl’s filmography, fans and critics alike often point to Crazy Mama (1975) as her standout performance—definitely the highest rated movie in her career. It’s clear that Linda Purl brought a unique energy to that role, which really resonated with audiences. On the other hand, Visiting Hours (1982) tends to receive more mixed or lower reviews, making it one of the less celebrated entries in Linda Purl’s body of work. While it still has its moments, it just doesn’t seem to match the impact of her earlier success. Overall, Linda Purl has had a varied career, but these two films—Crazy Mama and Visiting Hours—stand out as the high and low points in terms of critical reception.