Lisa Eilbacher
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Lisa Marie Eilbacher<ref>"Lisa Eilbacher credits". TV Guide. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "Birth Name: Lisa Marie Eilbacher. Birth Place: Dharan, Saudi Arabia. Profession: Actress."</ref> (born May 5, 1957)<ref>Template:Cite news See also:
- </ref> is an American former actress. She is best known for her role as Jeanette Summers in Beverly Hills Cop (1984).
Early life
Born to American parents in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia<ref name="nb">"Network Bio: Lisa Eilbacher (Callie Shaw in 'The Hardy Boys')". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 30, 1978. p. TV-58. Retrieved June 10, 2025.</ref> (where her father was an executive at Aramco),<ref name="ai">"Lisa Eilbacher: Have Urdu, Will Travel". Anderson Independent. March 8, 1987. p. TV-3. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "[...] Lisa has never studied acting formally. Her mother, Beverly Eilbacher, is the only acting coach she's ever had. "And she's never had any other students but my sister Cindy and me," she says. "She has a great ability to draw from you what you don't think is there. I really believe that no one can teach anyone to 'act.' You can only be taught to open up, and that she did with me.""</ref> Eilbacher is the second of five children born to Beverly and Robert Charles Eilbacher.<ref name="nb"/><ref>"Funeral Announcements". The Los Angeles Times. p.. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "EILBACHER, Robert Charles, passed away March 15, 1997. Survived by ex-wife, Beverly; daughters, Teri, Lisa, Cynthia, Kimberley; and son, Robert, Jr.; grandchildren, Ryan and Kristen. Memorial Service at Church of the Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills"</ref> With the exception of one summer (spent in Germany at age 4 with her mother and sisters), Eilbacher remained a Saudi resident for six years, after which, in early 1962, they commenced approximately one year's residence in Paris. The following year her father rejoined the family and brought it to the U.S., settling in Beverly Hills, where he quickly set up shop as a realtor,<ref>"Beverly Hills Property: Herman". The Los Angeles Times Classified Ads. May 12, 1963. p. 35. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "OPEN 1178 EVENTIDE-OPEN REDUCED to $99.500 NOW family house buy in Laemmie Estates. 4 BR., pool playground. BOB EILBACHER."</ref><ref name="mtn">"BH Realty Board: First Woman Mayor Honored". Malibu-Toppanga News. December 20, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "Directors installed were Friedman, Salka, Robert C. Eilbacher, Jack Hupp,"</ref>Template:Efn and where Eilbacher would spend the remainder of her formative years. An alumna of both Beverly Hills Catholic School and Beverly Hills High, she never received any formal theatre training, her only coaching being that dispensed by her mother. In a 1987 interview, Eilbacher described exactly what that coaching entailed.
I really believe that no one can teach anyone to 'act.' You can only be taught to open up, and that she did for me. [...] She has a great ability to draw from you what you don't think is there.<ref name="ai"/>
Eilbacher is the older sister of former actress Cindy Eilbacher (with whom she appeared in the 1974 television movie Bad Ronald),<ref name="deal">Deal, David (2007). Television Fright Films of the 1970s. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 9. Template:ISBN. "Bad Ronald is a well-crafted piece of psychological horror worth the time and effort to locate. Dabney Coleman and Pippa Scott are the parents in the family who move into the Wilby house and it is a treat to see the Eilbacher sisters, Cindy and Lisa, in their only film together as two of their daughters."</ref> and of former child actor, Bobby Eilbacher.<ref name="nb"/><ref>"Singer Plays Singer". Muncie Evening Press. September 18, 1971. p. T-19. Retrieved June 11, 2025. "Recording star Jennifer, in her acting debut, plays a singer who lost her hearing, in 'Broken Melody,' the season premiere of 'The Bold Ones' [...] Bobby Eilbacher plays a young patient, and John Saxon appears in his regular role of Dr. Ted Stuart."</ref><ref>Chance, Norman (2011). Who Was Who on TV, Volume 1. Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris. pp. 1972–173. Template:ISBN. "Bob Newhart Show, The: Comedy: 1972-1978 [...] Role — Comedy: Aggie Harrison — Ann Rutherford 1973-1974; Al Brolio — Ric Mancini 1975-1978 [...] Dave Death — Tom Patchett 1973-1977; David — Bobby Eilbacher 1974-1975; Debbie – Shirley O'Hara 1973-1976"</ref>
Career
Child actress and tv roles
Eilbacher started acting as a child, appearing on such shows as My Three Sons and Gunsmoke. She later made a transition into adult roles on such shows as The Amazing Spider-Man.
Eilbacher starred as Callie Shaw in The Hardy Boys Mysteries in 1977. The same year she appeared in the episode "The Innocent" of the short-lived Logan's Run TV series. She also guest starred on the TV series Man from Atlantis in an episode where she played Shakespeare's Juliet. She also appeared alongside her sister Cynthia "Cindy" Eilbacher at least twice, most famously in the 1974 made-for-television horror film Bad Ronald, in which they portray two of the three teenage daughters of the family newly residing in the old Wilby house.<ref name="deal"/> Prior to that, they had appeared as sisters Bridget and Beth Jordan, onscreen daughters of guest star Vera Miles in the 1971 Alias Smith and Jones episode, "The Posse That Wouldn't Quit".<ref>"TV Scout Preview: Super-Debate Night". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 20. Retrieved June 10, 2025. "'Alias Smith and Jones' has a nice story about nice folks. Smith (Pete Duel) and Jones (Ben Murphy) have been trying to elude a posse and are taken in by a family headed by Vera Miles. But the posse catches up with them and the two tomboy daughters (Cindy and Lisa Eilbacher) help them to escape. [...] VERA MILES, (L.) with BEN MURPHY, CHARLES H. GRAY and her two 'daughters' LISA and CINDY EILBACHER in a scene from 'The Posse That Wouldn't Quit' tonight at 8."</ref><ref>"Vera Miles Guest Stars as Ranch Owner". The Mexia Daily News. April 9, 1972. p. 14. Retrieved June 10, 2025.</ref>
Subsequent roles and films
In 1981, she starred in the television film This House Possessed with Parker Stevenson, with whom she worked on The Hardy Boys Mysteries.
That year she acted in Lee Philips's film On the Right Track starring television star Gary Coleman. Some reviews concluded that it was sappy and capitalizing on Coleman's TV following, many found the film charming, well written, and well acted.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ottreview">Labonté, Richard (11 July 1981). Young TV Favorite Stars in Real Movie, Ottawa Citizen</ref> Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times, felt she stood out by saying it "is Coleman's picture, but its unexpected pleasure is Eilbacher".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Eilbacher is best known for her roles in two 1980s films: An Officer and a Gentleman and Beverly Hills Cop. In An Officer and a Gentleman, she played Naval Aviation Officer Candidate Casey Seeger, a popular and charming woman who nearly flunked out of the program due to her inability to complete the obstacle course; however, she persevered and graduated. An amateur bodybuilder in real life, Eilbacher said the hardest aspect of this role was "pretending" to be out of shape.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Beverly Hills Cop, she played Jenny Summers, a childhood friend of Eddie Murphy's character who reunited with him to solve the murder of a mutual friend.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Eilbacher was also featured in the 1983 miniseries The Winds of War, playing Madeleine Henry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1985, she co-starred with Holland Taylor in the ABC detective series Me and Mom.
Personal life
She has been married to director and photographer Bradford May since 1988.<ref>Caveman Circus April 9, 2024: What happened to actress Lisa Eilbacher?</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Template:Sortname | Caroline Kozlenko | |
| 1977 | Run for the Roses | Carol | |
| 1981 | On the Right Track | Jill Klein | |
| 1982 | Template:Sortname | Casey Seeger | |
| 1983 | 10 to Midnight | Laurie Kessler | |
| 1984 | Beverly Hills Cop | Jeannette 'Jenny' Summers | |
| 1988 | Deadly Intent | Laura Keaton | Video |
| Never Say Die | Melissa Jones | ||
| 1989 | Leviathan | Bridget Bowman | |
| 1990 | The Last Samurai | Susan | |
| 1992 | Live Wire | Terry O'Neill |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | My Three Sons | Bunny | Episode: "Teacher's Pet" |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | Bridget Jordan | Episode: "The Posse That Wouldn't Quit" |
| 1972 | Bonanza | Eloise | Episode: "First Love" |
| 1973 | Template:Sortname | Lois-May | Episode: "The Fire" |
| Template:Sortname | Vicki | Episode: "The Subject Was Noses" | |
| Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Jeannie Holden | Episode: "The Pool House" | |
| Gunsmoke | Melody | Episode: "Kimbro" | |
| 1974 | The Texas Wheelers | Sally | Episode: "Wailin' Wheeler Is Dead" |
| Apple's Way | Gloria | Episode: "The First Love" | |
| Bad Ronald | Ellen Wood | TV film | |
| Shazam! | Cathy Moore | Episode: "The Doom Buggy" | |
| 1975 | Movin' On | Cathy | Episode: "Landslide" |
| Gunsmoke | Lailee | Episode: "The Sharecroppers" | |
| Caribe | Cindee | Episode: "The Patriots" | |
| 1976 | Panache | Lisa | TV film |
| Template:Sortname | Gail Dobbs | Episode: "Dead or Alive" | |
| 1977 | Template:Sortname | Callie Shaw | Recurring role (7 episodes) |
| Template:Sortname | Judy Tyler | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Logan's Run | Lisa | Episode: "The Innocent" | |
| Man from Atlantis | Juliet | Episode: "The Naked Montague" | |
| 1978 | Hawaii Five-O | Elaine Sebastian | Episode: "Tall on the Wave" |
| Wheels | Jody Horton | TV miniseries | |
| 1979 | Template:Sortname | Patty Hearst | TV film |
| Love for Rent | Lynn Martin | ||
| 1980 | To Race the Wind | Kit | |
| 1981 | This House Possessed | Sheila Moore | |
| 1982 | Simon & Simon | Stacey Wheeler / Maggie & Sharon Dameron | Episodes: "Earth to Stacey", "Sometimes Dreams Come True" |
| 1983 | Template:Sortname | Madeline Henry | TV miniseries |
| 55th Academy Awards | Self - Presenter | ||
| Ryan's Four | Dr. Ingrid Sorenson | Episode; "Ryan's Four" | |
| Battle of the Network Stars XIV | Self - ABC Team | ||
| 1985 | Me and Mom | Kate Morgan | Main role (6 episodes) |
| 1986 | Template:Sortname | Andie Fields | Episode: "Nightsong" |
| Monte Carlo | Maggie Egan | TV film | |
| 1987 | Deadly Deception | Anne | |
| 1989 | Manhunt: Search for the Night Stalker | Anne Clark | |
| 1990 | Joshua's Heart | Kit | |
| 1990–1991 | Midnight Caller | Nicky Molloy | Regular role (19 episodes) |
| 1992 | Blind Man's Bluff | Carolyn | TV film |
| Deadly Matrimony | Nina Sloane | ||
| 1995 | Template:Sortname | Sally Vogel | |
| Dazzle | Fernanda Kulkullen | ||
| 919 Fifth Avenue | Janet Van Degen |