Peggy Lipton

Peggy Lipton (born Margaret Ann Lipton on August 30, 1946) was an iconic American model, actress, and singer whose influence stretched from the swinging sixties to the late 2010s. Raised in an upper‑middle‑class Jewish family in New York City, she began modeling at the age of fifteen after her father arranged early jobs with the Ford Agency, quickly becoming a sought‑after face in fashion magazines. The family’s 1964 move to Los Angeles opened doors in Hollywood, and she signed a Universal Pictures contract, debuting on television in The John Forsythe Show at nineteen. Over the next few years she amassed guest spots on such series as Bewitched, The Virginian, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, building a reputation for a delicate, vulnerable screen presence that would later define her signature role. In 1968 she was cast as Julie Barnes, the free‑spirited “flower child” undercover cop in The Mod Squad, a part that earned her four Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations, and a winning Golden Globe in 1970 for Best Actress in a Television Drama. Her portrayal of the “canary with a broken wing” made her a fashion icon, inspiring trends in mini‑skirts, bell‑bottoms, and love beads while cementing her status as a cultural touchstone of the era. After The Mod Squad concluded, Lipton stepped back from full‑time acting to focus on family life, marrying legendary producer Quincy Jones in 1974 and raising two daughters, Kidada and Rashida, both of whom would follow in her artistic footsteps. She resurfaced in 1988 with a television movie and regained widespread acclaim in David Lynch’s cult series Twin Peaks (1990‑1991) as the beloved schoolteacher Norma Jennings, later reprising the role in the 2017 revival. Throughout her career she also recorded music, scoring modest Billboard successes with singles like “Stoney End” and collaborating on the 1984 Frank Sinatra hit “L.A. Is My Lady”. Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004, she fought bravely until her death on May 11, 2019, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking performances and a lasting imprint on American pop culture.