Justine Bateman's Life after Playing Mallory Keaton on 'Family Ties'

Publish date: 2024-03-22

Justine Bateman shot to fame after starring in the 80's hit comedy series "Family Ties" as Mallory Keaton. Although her career reached new heights while she was a part of the series, she never became as famous as she was after it ended.

The reason why Bateman took interest in acting was her brother Jason, who had joined the cast of "Little House on the Prairie" towards the end of the show.

Justine Bateman during an interview with Megyn Kelly on TODAY. | Source: YouTube/TODAY

Bateman is best known for her role as the tad bit ditzy Mallory Keaton in NBC's hit series "Family Ties."

However, the actress had originally read for a small part in the pilot but she lucked out and landed the role of Mallory.

Justine Bateman participates in Nanci Ryder's "Team Nanci" In The 16th Annual LA County Walk. | Source: Getty Images

HOW SHE LANDED THE ROLE IN "FAMILY TIES"

In an interview with HuffPost, Bateman revealed that she wasn't eligible to be sent to a TV show audition when she decided to try and land a role in "Family Ties."

"The rule was ― the kids in this agency ― had to do 15 commercials or something before they sent them out on a theatrical audition, for a television show. And I had only done two commercials."

According to the actress, her agent bent the "rules" to send her to the audition for a role in the series. “Within four months I had two commercials and the pilot of ‘Family Ties’ ― and that was it,” Bateman shared.

In 1986, Bateman was nominated for an Emmy in the "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" category for her role in "Family Ties." The following year, she was nominated again for the same title.

HER IMPRESSIVE RESUME

Bateman's name is forever tied with her role in "Family Ties," but there is more to her than meets the eye. In 2002, she decided to take a break from acting and started her own fashion label "Justine Bateman Design."

Bateman is also an avid writer. In 2008, she sold a script to Disney Channel's popular sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place."

Besides being an actress and a writer, the star is also a certified scuba instructor and licensed pilot. She is also a doting mother to her two children, Gianetta and Duke Fluent, and a loving wife to her husband, Mark Fluent.

After "Family Ties" was over Bateman appeared in several TV series including “Desperate Housewives," "Californication," and "Arrested Development," but none of that could revive her fame as an actress.

FAME WENT AS FAST AS IT CAME

During her "Family Ties" days, Bateman could hardly go anywhere without the fear of being mobbed by her fans. Her success overwhelmed her at time.

In her book called "Fame: The Hijacking of Reality," the star explored the highs and lows of stardom, especially after an actor experiences a shift from being famous to not famous.

Bateman shared with HuffPost about how the whole experience of when fame starts to fade is like.

“When it [fame] starts leaving, it tethers into lots of things, especially how you feel about yourself or how you feel about where you fit in society. ... And that’s what I call ‘post-fame’ — when the fame goes away, which isn’t really talked about that much.”

SHE WOULD NOT WANT A "FAMILY TIES" REBOOT

When asked whether she would like it if the show did not end when it did, the actress revealed that it isn't something that she would want.

Bateman is also against reboots. She shared with HuffPost that the pop culture of this generation is "getting a lot of retreads."

"And I think that’s a shame. There’s a lot of new stuff, too, of course. But I think the reboots and sequels has just gone really overboard now. They’re not even reimaginings."

Today, Bateman works behind the camera, producing TV shows and movies. Her post-fame world is not half as bad.

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