Loni Anderson was an actress struggling to make it as the 1970s started, and it took her most of the decade to get to the top. She'd made two feature film appearances, but they were in roles so small she wasn't even credited. She's made single-episode appearances in shows like 'S.W.A.T' and 'The Bob Newhart Show,' but nothing that resembled regular work.
That all changed when she was cast as 'Jennifer Marlowe' the sexy receptionist on the TV show 'WKRP in Cincinnati' in 1978. She was an instant hit with viewers and stayed with the show for four years. More than forty years later it's still the role she's best known for, but it also became the launching bad for her later career, starting with a guest spot in 'Three's Company.' Her secretarial role had put her in front of a wide audience on a consistent basis, and directors took note.