Match the Supporting Actress with the Show - 1980s Quiz

Answer: Rhea Perlman

"Cheers" ran from 1982 until 1993 and took place in a Boston bar where the staff and regular customers made up the cast. It was famously nearly canceled its first season due to poor ratings but went on to become one of the most Emmy-decorated comedies of all time. Rhea Perlman portrayed wisecracking waitress Carla Tortelli whose family life and numerous kids were a frequent topic on the show. Perlman received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1983-1991 and 1993, and she won the award in 1984-1986 and 1989. Co-star Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternin) also received Supporting Actress Emmy nominations in 1990-1991, picking up the award in both years. Guest star Frances Sternhagen received a Supporting Actress nomination in 1992 but didn't win; this was before a separate category was created for guest appearances.

Answer: Betty Thomas

Credited as one of the best "Cop Shows" of all time by "TV Guide", "Hill Street Blues" ran from 1981 to 1987 and followed the officers and staff of a police station in an unnamed large city. Betty Thomas portrayed Officer (later, Sergeant) Lucille Bates for the entire run of the series. Bates was a street-wise tough police officer with a gentle side. Thomas received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1981-1987, winning the award in 1985. Co-star Barbara Bosson (Fay Furillo) also received Supporting Actress nods for her work on the show in 1981- 1985 but didn't win. Guest star Alfre Woodard received the Supporting Actress Emmy in 1984 for her appearance on the show; this was before a separate category was created for guest appearances.

Answer: Lisa Bonet

One of the most popular series of the 1980s, "The Cosby Show" ran from 1984 to 1992 and followed the lives of the upper middle class Huxtable family. During its original run, the show was ranked in the top five in the U.S. for every year it was broadcast except its last year, and it was the number one ranked show from 1986-1990. Lisa Bonet portrayed daughter Denise Huxtable on the first three seasons of the show before leaving to star in a spin-off series, "A Different World".

She returned in the sixth season with a husband and step-daughter. Both Bonet and her co-star Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable) received Supporting Actress Emmy nominations in 1986 but neither won.

Answer: Susan Ruttan

"L.A. Law" ran from 1986 to 1994 and was focused on the staff at the law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak. Co-created by Steven Bochco who had also developed "Hill Street Blues", the series featured the same format of multiple, interwoven plots and a large ensemble cast like "Hill Street Blues". On the show, Susan Ruttan portrayed Roxanne Melman, the devoted secretary to sleazy lawyer Arnie Becker (Corbin Bernsen). Ruttan received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1987-1990 but didn't win.

Other co-stars who picked up Supporting Actress nominations for the show were Michelle Green (Abby Perkins) and Amanda Plummer (Alice Hackett) in 1989, Diana Muldaur (Rosalind Shays) in 1990-1991, Conchata Ferrell (Susan Bloom) in 1992, and Jill Eikenberry (Ann Kelsey) in 1994, but none of them won the award.

Answer: Allyce Beasley

"Moonlighting" only aired from 1985 to 1989, but the chemistry between stars Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd and rapid-fire dialogue made it one of the memorable series of the 1980s. Shepherd's Maddie Hayes, a down-on-her-luck model, owned a detective agency as a tax write-off and ended up working there with Willis' David Addison. Allyce Beasley portrayed the quirky receptionist at the agency, Agnes DiPesto, usually referred to as Ms. DiPesto. Beasley received Supporting Actress nominations for her work on the show in 1986 and 1987 but didn't win.

Answer: Bonnie Bartlett

The medical drama "St. Elsewhere" ran from 1982 to 1988 and followed the staff at a Boston teaching hospital called St. Eligius. On the show, Bonnie Bartlett portrayed Ellen Craig, the wife of Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels, her husband in real life). Bartlett received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1986-1988, picking up the award in 1986 and 1987. Co-star Christina Pickles (Helen Rosenthal) also received Supporting Actress nominations for her work on the show in 1983 and 1985-1988 but didn't win. Guest stars Doris Roberts and Piper Laurie also received Supporting Actress nods in 1983 and 1984, respectively; this was before a separate category was created for guest appearances. Roberts won the Emmy in 1983. Rhea Perlman did portray Carla Tortelli on a cross-over episode of "St. Elsewhere", but it was only a guest appearance on one episode.

Answer: Estelle Getty

"The Golden Girls" debuted in 1985 and ran until 1992 and featured four senior citizens sharing a home in Miami, Florida. Beatrice Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty portrayed Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia on the sitcom, with Sophia being Dorothy's mother, even though Estelle Getty was actually younger than Beatrice Arthur. Getty received Supporting Actress Emmy nominations in 1986-1992, winning the award in 1988.

Answer: Julia Duffy

The sitcom "Newhart" ran from 1982 to 1990 and featured comedian Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, the owner of a Vermont inn and host of a local TV talk show. The show is perhaps best known for its finale that tied the show to Newhart's 1970s sitcom, "The Bob Newhart Show". On "Newhart", Julia Duffy portrayed the spoiled and high-maintenance Stephanie Vanderkellen who replaced her cousin Leslie as the maid at the inn in the second season of the series. Vanderkellen eventually married Michael Harris (Peter Scolari), the producer of Dick's TV show. Duffy received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1984-1990 but didn't win.

Answer: Melanie Mayron

The baby boomer drama "thirtysomething" ran from 1987 to 1991 and was influenced by the 1983 film "The Big Chill". Both examined the post-hippie days as the generation settled into family life in the 1980s. The show featured an ensemble cast that revolved around husband and wife Michael Steadman (Ken Olin) and Hope Murdoch (Mel Harris), and Melanie Mayron portrayed Michael's quirky and relationship-challenged cousin Melissa Steadman. Mayron received Emmy nominations for her work on the show in 1989-1991, winning the award in the first year. Co-stars Patricia Wettig (Nancy Weston) and Polly Draper (Ellyn Warren) also received Supporting Actress Emmy nods in 1988 with Wettig picking up the award that year.

Answer: Carol Kane

The sitcom "Taxi" ran from 1978 to 1983 and focused on the employees of the Sunshine Cab Company. Judd Hirsch led an ensemble cast that included Tony Danza, Marilu Henner, Andy Kaufman, Christopher Lloyd, and Danny DeVito, who portrayed the cab company dispatcher Louie De Palma. Carol Kane joined the series in 1980 in a recurring role, portraying Simka Dahblitz, an immigrant from the same unusual country as Latka Gravas (Kaufman).

They eventually married, and she became a regular cast member in the fifth season. Kane received one Emmy nomination for her work on the show in 1983, and she took home the award. Rhea Perlman did appear in six memorable episodes of "Taxi" as Zena Sherman, Louie DePalma's girlfriend, but she wasn't a regular cast member and didn't receive an Emmy nomination for her work on the show.