Lauren Chapin
| Lauren Chapin | |
|---|---|
Chapin in 1977
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|
| Born |
Lauren Ann Chapin May 23, 1945 Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Television actress |
| Years active | 1954–? |
| Website | laurenknowsbest |
Lauren Chapin (born May 23, 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American former child actress, most remembered for her role as the youngest child "Kathy Anderson" (nicknamed "Kitten") in the television show Father Knows Best, which was produced between 1954 and 1960. Chapin was awarded five Junior Emmys for Best Child Actress.
Before, during and after Father Knows Best was in its original broadcast run, Chapin had a troubled childhood. Following the cancellation of Father Knows Best, Chapin told a reporter in 1983: "I couldn't get a job. I'd been typecast as Kathy Anderson. The more I didn't work, the more my mother drank and the more belligerent I became. I started running away from home. I became an incorrigible child." A 1981 newspaper article reported, "when acting roles failed to materialize, Chapin found work as a flight attendant, dog groomer, insurance claims examiner, carhop and cocktail waitress."
Chapin married at age 16, was divorced at 18, (An article published January 2, 1981, in The Washington Post says that she "separated from her husband within two years. They divorced five years later.") became a drug addict, turned to prostitution to support her habit, and was sent to a psychiatric institution after she attempted suicide. In addition to using drugs, she sold drugs in San Francisco, California, and was arrested for forging a check in Hollywood, California. She acknowledged, "That was the beginning of several years in and out of jail."
She is the younger sister of former child stars, Billy and Michael Chapin.
In the early 1980s, Chapin taught natural childbirth and worked for a brokerage firm. She currently manages singers and actors and performs in a live, interactive version of Father Knows Best for cruise lines, conventions, and other events.
She is the co-author of Father Does Know Best: The Lauren Chapin Story (1989), with Andrew Collins.
She is also now a licensed and ordained evangelist.
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