Where is Randi Oakes today and what is she doing now? Wiki bio
Randi Oakes was born in Sumner, Iowa USA, on 19 August 1951, so her zodiac sign is Leo and she holds American nationality. Randi is a former actress and model who gained recognition after she portrayed Officer Bonnie Clark in the crime drama series “CHiPS” from 1979 to 1982. The series starred Erik Estrada, Larry Wilcox, and Robert Pine and was about two Highway Patrol Motorcycle Officers working in California. It was a success and won two awards, and was nominated for four others including one Golden Globe.
Randi has retired from acting and modelling and is currently living with her husband and their children in Southern Oregon.
Childhood and education
Randi was raised a single child in Randalia, Iowa as her parents moved there from Sumner when she was seven. Her father owned a farm in Randalia, while her mother was a housewife – they supported Randi’s dream of becoming a famous model. She attended a local high school, as well as a modelling school in Des Moines which she attended twice a week. In 1968 she became Miss Iowa Model of the Year, and with financial support from her parents, she moved to New York City to work full-time as a model.
She didn’t attend college but rather decided to work on her modelling career, and then at the age of 23 decided to focus on acting, and left modelling behind her.
Career as an actress
Randi made her debut TV series appearance in 1976, when she portrayed Margo Dale in the episode “Our Man in the Harem” of the action crime drama series “McCloud” which starred Dennis Weaver, J. D. Cannon and Terry Carter and which is about a Marshal living in Taos in New Mexico – the series was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards. In the same year, she made her debut film appearance when she portrayed Jennie in the crime drama mystery film “Twin Detectives” which starred Jim and Jon Hager, and which is about twin brothers who become involved in a murder.
Randi was then invited to appear as Sally Cantrell in the crime drama thriller film “Acapulco Gold”, and went on to guest star as Andrea Geller in the episode “Good Cop” of the crime drama series “Delvecchio”.
In 1977, she portrayed the supporting character June in the music reality TV special “Telethon”, directed by Francesco Collu and written by Valeria Bandino. She played the recurring character Georgia in seven episodes of the crime drama series “Rosetti and Ryan” in 1977, but the series was cancelled in the same year. In 1978, Randi portrayed two characters in two episodes of the action crime drama series “Switch”, which aired from 1975 to 1978 and was about a former cop and a former convict who open a detective agency together.
Many roles followed – Randi made an uncredited appearance in the romantic drama mystery film “Dead Man’s Curve”, followed by her portrayal of Blonde Taurus in the action adventure science fiction series “Battlestar Galactica”, which starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict, and which was a major success as it was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. She then played Cynthia in the episode “The Skywayman” of the adventure series “Sword of Justice”, but which aired just 10 episodes before being cancelled. Randi then guest starred as Diane Marsh in a single episode of the crime drama series “David Cassidy – Man Undercover”.
The year 1979 saw her portray Lisa in the adventure comedy series “B. J. and the Bear”, before appearing as Ursula Brown in the episode “The Killing Point” of the mystery crime drama series “Barnaby Jones” in 1980.
Showing her versatility, between 1981 and 1983 she portrayed three characters in three episodes of the romantic comedy drama series “The Love Boat”, which was nominated for eight Golden Globe Awards, and three characters in three episodes of the adventure comedy drama series “Fantasy Island”.
Two of Randi’s final roles before retiring from acting were in the adventure thriller series “Masquerade” as Alamo Dolly in the episode “Winnings” in 1984, and in the drama series “Glitter” in which she played Heather in the episode “Suddenly Innocent” in 1985.
Appearances in TV shows
Randi worked with the NBC Team on “Battle of the Network Stars VII” in 1979, and then served as a panelist for both “Match Game PM” and “The Hollywood Squares (Daytime)” in 1980.
After she rose to fame thanks to her acting skills, she was invited to appear in several shows such as “The Mike Douglas Show” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1980, and in 1981 she was in the TV special “Women Who Rate a 10”, while also appearing in “The Alan Thicke Show” and “All-Star Family Feud Special”.
She was a guest in “The Merv Griffin Show” and “The John Davidson Show” and then served as a hostess in “Battle of the Network Stars XII” in 1982. Randi was a panelist in “Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour” in 1984, and her final appearance before retiring was in the TV special “The 3rd Annual American Comedy Awards” in 1989, but a ‘cameo’ in “Entertainment Tonight” in 2014.
Love life and relationships
In 1970, Randi met Joe Namath who is a former star American Football player. They dated until 1977 but spent a lot of time apart during those years, although by 1976 Randi was often referred to as his fiancée. After they split for good, Randi started dating Mike Porcaro, best known for having played the bass guitar for the American rock band Toto founded in 1977. They became engaged in 1978, but split by the end of the year.
In 1979, Randi met Gregory Harrison while they were both competing in the game show “Battle of the Network Stars VII”, and they married a year later on 21 December 1980 in a small ceremony attended by only their closest friends and family.
On 10 December 1985, Randi gave birth to their daughter Emma Lee, while their second daughter Lily Anne followed on 6 February 1989, and in 1991 their third daughter Kate. A year later, Randi and Gregory adopted a boy, Quinn Edgar Harrison.
Hobbies and other interests
Randi is a huge lover of animals, and during the late ‘70s, she had a pet Keeshond dog called Tillie, and a pet Tabby cat called Bonnie, both of which died in the mid-80s. She is a fan of Bruce Springsteen’s music, and in the ‘80s had an opportunity to appear in his video “The River” at its very beginning. She is a huge fan of motorcycles, and in 1981, she rode naked together with Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox on a Kawasaki KZ 1000 police motorcycle during the night.
Randi was physically active during her 20s and 30s, as she had several training sessions at the gym each week, and also played a variety of sports such as tennis and golf, and was following a strict diet; however, this changed after she gave birth to her first daughter.
Randi likes to watch movies in her spare time, and some of her favorite actors and actresses are Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie, while some of her favorite movies are “Taxi Driver”, “The Devil Wears Prada”, and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”.
Appearance and net worth
Randi is 68 years old. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes, is 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall, and weighs around 120lbs (54kgs). As of May 2020, her net worth is estimated at over $4 million.