American actress Nancy Travis was born on September 21, 1961 in New York City. She moved twice, to Baltimore and then to Boston, before returning to her hometown to study drama at the New York University. She started her career on stage, first joining the American Jewish Theater, and then joining the national tour of Neil Simon’s production Brighton Beach Memoirs. She also became a founding member of the off-Broadway theater company Naked Angels, and starred in several of their productions.
Travis began acting for the screen in 1985, first starring in the television movie Malice in Wonderland. She was part of the 1987 hit film Three Men and a Baby, which starred Tom Selleck, Steve Gutenberg and Ted Danson, playing the baby’s mother Sylvia; she reprised her role in the 1990 sequel Three Men and a Little Lady. She played supporting roles in several other films, including Internal Affairs, Chaplin, The Vanishing, Lieberman in Love, Auggie Rose and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.
Travis also held regular roles in television. In 1995, she played the lead in the sitcom Almost Perfect, playing Kim Cooper, the executive producer of a television crime drama. In 2002, she joined the cast of the successful sitcom Becker, playing new neighbor Chris Connor; originally slated for only four episodes, she became a regular cast member during the show’s fifth season. In 2007, she joined the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show, playing the lead character’s (Bill Engvall) wife, Susan Pearson.
Travis is also a sought-after voice talent. She provided her voice for characters in animated shows such as Duckman, Superman, The Wild Thornberries and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest.
Travis has also worked as a producer. She was behind the 1999 television movie My Last Love, where she also starred. She was also executive producer of the short-lived television series Work with Me.