Lisa Eilbacher Biography

Lisa Eilbacher started working as a child actor and was first seen in the TV series ‘Wagon Train’ as the second girl in the ‘Lost Little Girl’ episode (1964). She then appeared on the show ‘My Three Sons’ as Bunny in the episode titled ‘Teacher’s Pet’ (1964). After this, she continued making guest appearances in TV series, such as ‘Alias Smith and Jones’ (1971) and ‘Bonanza’ (1972). In 1972, she made her feature film debut in the comedy drama ‘The War Between Men and Women’, playing a supporting role. However, it would be many years before she starred in another film. Until then, she played guest roles in TV series of diverse genres. In 1973, she was seen in ‘The Waltons’ as Jeanette; in ‘The Brady Bunch’ as Vicki; in ‘Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law’ as Jeannie Holden; and in ‘Gunsmoke’ as Melody. In the next couple of years, she continued being credited as a guest actress in popular series, such as ‘Happy Days’ (1974), ‘Shazam!’ (1974), ‘Movin’ On’ (1975), and ‘Gunsmoke’ (1975). Apart from TV series, she also appeared in TV films ‘Bad Ronald’ (1974) and ‘Panache’ (1976).

Eilbacher finally received a regular role in 1977 when she was cast as Callie Shaw in the well-received series ‘The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries’. The TV series was based on the lives of the individual characters from the popular mystery book series. It successfully ran for two seasons from 1977 to 1979 and starred the likes of Parker Stevenson, Shaun Cassidy, Pamela Sue Martin, and Janet Louise Johnson. As a recurring character, Eilbacher was seen in seven episodes. In the same year, she returned to the big screen with films like ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Run for the Roses’. Her other TV credits toward the end of the year included ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, ‘Logan’s Run’, and ‘Man from Atlantis’. In 1978, she starred in the TV adaptation of the Arthur Hailey book ‘Wheels’ as Jody Horton. This, too, provided a much-needed push to her career. Over the next few years, Eilbacher mostly chose to work in films with the intention of getting longer screen time. She appeared in ‘Love for Rent’ (1979), ‘To Race the Wind’ (1980), ‘This House Possessed’ (1981), ‘On the Right Track’ (1981), and ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ (1982).

In 1982, Eilbacher returned to TV as Stacey Wheeler in the detective series ‘Simon & Simon’ and later followed this up with the miniseries ‘The Winds of War’ (1983), in which she portrayed the role of Madeline Henry. In 1984, she was cast as Jeannette Summers in the action comedy film ‘Beverley Hills Cop’. This proved to be her most successful film as it performed exceedingly well at the box office. It was also considered a masterpiece by many critics and was subsequently nominated for several awards. After the movie’s success, Eilbacher managed to receive her first lead role in the 1985 TV series ‘Me and Mom’ as Kate Morgan. However, the series lasted only for six episodes and was deemed unsuccessful. Following this, she starred in a string of movies, including ‘Monte Carlo’ (1986), ‘Deadly Deception’ (1987), ‘Never Say Die’ (1988), ‘Leviathan’ (1989), ‘Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker’ (1989), ‘Joshua’s Heart’ (1990), and ‘The Last Samurai’ (1991). She received her last major role in the NBC drama series ‘Midnight Caller’ as Nicky Molloy. She played a recurring character and appeared in 19 episodes between 1990 and 1991. In 1992, she worked in her last movie, appearing as Terry O’Neill in the action film ‘Live Wire’. Toward the end of her career, she was only seen in TV films like ‘Blind Man’s Bluff’ (1992), ‘Deadly Matrimony’ (1992), ‘The Return of Hunter’ (1995), and ‘Dazzle’ (1995). Her last credited work is the TV film ‘919 Fifth Avenue’ as Janet Van Degen in 1996. Since then, Eilbacher has chosen to step back from acting to focus on her personal life.

Lisa Eilbacher was born on May 5, 1956 in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. She was raised and schooled in Paris, France, before her family moved to Beverly Hills, California. She has a sister called Cindy, who is also an actress. She also has three brothers, and one of them, Bobby, is also a TV actor. Eilbacher got married to award-winning director Bradford May in 1988.