Nancy McKeon

Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the long-running NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. McKeon was born in Westbury, New York to a show business family; she and her older brother Philip did numerous commercials. She also appeared on the soap operas The Secret Storm and Another World. The McKeons moved to Los Angeles in 1975, when Philip got a job as Linda Lavin's son on t... more

Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the long-running NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. McKeon was born in Westbury, New York to a show business family; she and her older brother Philip did numerous commercials. She also appeared on the soap operas The Secret Storm and Another World. The McKeons moved to Los Angeles in 1975, when Philip got a job as Linda Lavin's son on the television series Alice. In 1979, McKeon was discovered by a casting director for The Facts of Life after a performance in a Hallmark greeting cards advertisement. She was cast as tough and independent tomboy Jo Polniaczek, and debuted on the show in the fall of 1980. This would be her most famous role and her shot to stardom; she would play the role until the show was canceled in 1988. McKeon also provided the voice for many ABC Weekend Special cartoon characters, including the voice for Scruffy. Since then, McKeon has starred in many made... less