Jean Kasem

Jean Kasem
Jean with husband Casey Kasem on the red carpet at the 45th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in September 1993
Born	Jean Thompson c. 1955 (age 61–62) Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Alma mater	University of Guam
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Casey Kasem (m. 1980; d. 2014)
Children	1 child 3 stepchildren including Kerri Kasem

Jean Thompson Kasem (born c. 1955) is an American actress. She is the widow of radio personality Casey Kasem.

Jean Thompson was one of five children born to Irene Celia Thompson (1919-2008) and Herbert Owens Thompson Sr. (deceased). She is of Norwegian heritage on her mother's side. She lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, before her civil-servant father moved the family to Guam in 1963. She attended the University of Guam at age 16, but after marrying a U.S. Navy lieutenant when she was 17, she left to work as a waitress and saleswoman on U.S. military bases throughout the Pacific Ocean to which her husband was posted. The marriage lasted six years. She moved to California and unsuccessfully attempted to find work in broadcast journalism. Frustrated, she joined an acting workshop and soon found roles on such TV series as Matt Houston, Fantasy Island and Alice.

Kasem played the recurring role of Loretta Tortelli, the dimwitted wife of Nick Tortelli (Dan Hedaya) on Cheers and as a cast-member of the short-lived spinoff The Tortellis. She made a brief appearance in Ghostbusters as one of Louis Tulley's party guests. Kasem has also worked as voice actor for such animated television series as Darkwing Duck, 2 Stupid Dogs, Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, Johnny Bravo, and Mother Goose and Grimm.