Courtney Thorne-Smith

Courtney Thorne-Smith is an American actress best known for her roles on Melrose Place, Ally McBeal, According to Jim and Two and a Half Men. Thorne-Smith grew up in Atherton, California, where she attended Menlo-Atherton High School before graduating from Tamalpais High School in 1985. She also studied acting with the Ensemble Theatre Company in Mill Valley.

Thorne-Smith made her acting debut in the 1986 film Lucas, starring opposite Charlie Sheen. She went on to appear in Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise (1987) and Summer School (1987) before landing a recurring role on L.A. Law. Her breakthrough came in 1992 when she was cast as Alison Parker on Fox’s primetime drama Melrose Place, a role she played for several seasons.

She later joined the cast of Ally McBeal as Georgia Thomas, earning a Screen Actors Guild Award in 1999 as part of the show’s comedy ensemble. She went on to star as Cheryl on ABC’s According to Jim for eight seasons and later played Lyndsey McElroy on Two and a Half Men. She also starred in Hallmark’s Emma Fielding Mysteries franchise as the titular character. In 2007, she published her debut novel Outside In.

Thorne-Smith married geneticist Andrew Conrad in 2000, but the couple divorced the following year. She married marketing executive Roger Fishman in 2007. The couple welcomed their son, Jacob, in January that following year. The pair separated in 2021, and Thorne-Smith filed for divorce in 2025.