Amy Yasbeck, the actress best known for her television role on Wings and a string of 1990s film credits, was photographed in Los Angeles this week during a rare public outing, drawing attention from fans who noted her relaxed, casual appearance.
The 63-year-old wore a plaid shirt over a black tank and cargo pants, a departure from the glamour of some of her better-known screen roles. Yasbeck rose to prominence in the late 1980s and 1990s with steady television work and a series of film appearances, and she has continued to make occasional public appearances and advocacy efforts in the years since.
Yasbeck was born Sept. 12, 1962, in Blue Ash, Ohio, and moved into television and film with guest roles on series such as Dallas, Magnum, P.I., and Murphy Brown. She had a brief run on the soap Days of Our Lives in the mid-1980s and later appeared as the mermaid Madison in the 1988 TV sequel Splash, Too. Her film résumé includes Problem Child and its sequel, Pretty Woman, The Mask and two Mel Brooks films, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) and Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995).
On television, Yasbeck played Casey Chappel Davenport on the NBC sitcom Wings from 1994 to 1997, a role that made her a familiar presence to network audiences. She later starred in the series Alright Already and Life on a Stick, and guest-starred on shows including That’s So Raven in 2006. Industry discussions at the time reportedly considered a spin-off centered on Yasbeck and co-star Anneliese van der Pol, but that project did not move forward.
Yasbeck met actor John Ritter during a 1990 table read for Problem Child and the two later married in September 1999. They had a daughter, Stella, born in 1998. The couple appeared together on screen multiple times, including in Problem Child 2 and a guest appearance on Wings.
Ritter died suddenly in 2003 from an aortic dissection, a condition that had not been diagnosed prior to his collapse. In the years following his death, Yasbeck advocated for greater awareness of aortic disease and cardiovascular health. She filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the hospital and physicians involved in Ritter’s care; while some settlements reportedly were reached, a jury ultimately cleared the physicians of wrongdoing. Media reports at the time said Yasbeck secured more than $14 million in settlements.
Shortly after Ritter’s death, Yasbeck helped establish the John Ritter Foundation, an organization aimed at raising public awareness about aortic dissections and aortic health. In a 2022 interview with People, she said the foundation took up a great deal of her time and praised its progress in increasing awareness.
Yasbeck’s recent outing in Los Angeles drew nostalgia from fans who remember her 1990s film and television work, as well as attention to her advocacy and occasional television appearances. She has largely kept a low public profile while continuing work related to heart-disease awareness and the foundation she helped launch.