80s actress Bess Armstrong makes rare public appearance at 72

Bess Armstrong, the Baltimore-born actress whose box-office high point came from 1983's Jaws 3-D opposite Dennis Quaid, stepped out for a rare public appearance on Wednesday. The 72-year-old was seen running errands in Los Angeles with her husband, producer John Fiedler, wearing a gray hoodie and green sweatpants.

Armstrong's career in the 1980s flourished with roles in High Road to China opposite Tom Selleck, Jaws 3-D, and Alan Alda's The Four Seasons. She later starred on the big screen in Nothing in Common with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason, which further cemented her status as a versatile leading lady.

Armstrong has also been remembered for her TV work, notably playing Patty Chase, Claire Danes' mother, on My So-Called Life, which ran for one season but left a lasting impact. Off-screen, she married Fiedler, a Columbia Pictures executive, in April 1986, and the couple has built a life in the entertainment industry.

Her later TV roles include appearances on Frasier, Boston Legal, and recurring roles on Showtime’s House of Lies, with guest spots on Castle, Mad Men, NCIS, S.W.A.T., and Grey’s Anatomy illustrating her longevity in the field. Fans remember her not only for screen work but also for speaking candidly about personal challenges, including the loss of a daughter born with an underdeveloped brain in 1991’s The Choices We Made: Twenty-Five Women and Men Speak Out About Abortion.

Now 72, Armstrong remains a recognizable face for fans of 1980s cinema and television. Her career continues to be recalled as a template for versatility, spanning film, stage, and a broad array of TV roles. In a retro-note, her work in The Four Seasons continues to be cited as part of a portfolio that later intersected with a Netflix adaptation of the film, planned for 2025 by Tina Fey and Steve Carell.