Academy Award(R) and Emmy(R) Award-Winning Actress Cloris Leachman Stars in LIFETIME Television's Summer Drama Series 'Beach Girls'

Academy Award(R) and Emmy(R) Award-Winning Actress Cloris Leachman Stars in LIFETIME Television's Summer Drama Series 'Beach Girls'

Based on Luanne Rice's Best-Selling Novel, Six-Hour Series Celebrates the Complexities of Love, the Endurance of Family Ties and the Strength of Women's Friendship

LOS ANGELES, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman ("Spanglish," "The Last Picture Show") stars along with Emmy(R) Award and Golden Globe(R) Award nominee Rob Lowe ("The West Wing," "Salem's Lot"), Julia Ormond ("Sabrina," "Legends of the Fall"), Chelsea Hobbs ("More Sex & the Single Mom," "Lords of Dogtown") and Chris Carmack ("The O.C.," "Bring It On Again") in "Beach Girls," a celebration of friendship, loss, love and forgiveness told through the intertwining lives of a grieving widower and two generations of female friends spending an unforgettable summer in a pristine New England coastal town. Based on the best-selling Luanne Rice novel, "Beach Girls" premieres Sunday, July 31 and airs on the following four consecutive Sundays throughout August at 8PM (ET/PT) on LIFETIME Television.

"Cloris Leachman is a wonderfully talented and beloved actress who has conquered the worlds of television, film and the Broadway stage with portrayals of funny and endearing characters," said Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Original Movies. "We are delighted to have an actress with such an illustrious career star in this entertaining summer series."

Reeling from the sudden death of his wife, Emma, Jack Kilvert (Lowe) returns to the idyllic beachside community of Hubbard's Point with his teenage daughter, Nell (Hobbs). Flooded with bittersweet memories of his wife, he is forced to confront his conflicted past.

In the summer of 1985, three teenage girls swear to stay friends forever. Artistic, independent Stevie Moore (Ormond), Jack's serious wallflower sister Maddie and spoiled extrovert Emma Lincoln share everything, until Emma drifts away and marries Jack. Two decades pass and Stevie loses touch with Emma and Maddie.

Longing for a connection to her mother, Nell seeks out Stevie, who is still living in Hubbard's Point and has become a successful, though reclusive, author and artist. Unbeknownst to Nell, there are years of unfinished business between Stevie and her father.

Overshadowing everything is a proposed highway expansion that has divided Hubbard's Point and pitted townspeople against each other. At the center of the controversy is Stevie's Aunt Aida (Leachman), whose old Victorian home is located right in the middle of the proposed highway. However, Aunt Aida does not plan to go down without a fight and enlists Jack's help to declare her home a historical landmark. Yet, there is a hidden motive behind Aida's request for legal advice. She decides to play matchmaker and bring star-crossed lovers Jack and Stevie together for good.

Cloris Leachman is a prolific actress who has won an Academy Award(R) as well as a record eight Emmy(R) Awards since she made her screen debut in 1955 in the film noir "Kiss Me Deadly." Nearly 20 years later, she won an Oscar for her riveting portrayal of a lonely Texas housewife in "The Last Picture Show." Leachman has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including the comedy classics "Young Frankenstein," "High Anxiety" and "The Muppet Movie," as well as the recent hits "Spanglish" and "The Longest Yard." The actress has also delighted television viewers for decades in the popular series "Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Phyllis," "Rhoda," "The Facts of Life," "Touched by an Angel," "The Ellen Show," "Malcolm in the Middle," as well as more than 35 miniseries and television movies. Leachman began her acting career on the New York stage and has appeared on Broadway in the plays "Masquerade," "Touch of the Poet," "King of Hearts" and "South Pacific."

"Beach Girls" is produced by Robert Greenwald Productions in association with Fox Television Studios for LIFETIME Television. Robert Greenwald and Alys Shanti ("Plain Truth," "The Book of Ruth") are the executive producers. Edith Swensen ("Student Seduction," "Too Young to Be a Dad"), Elle Triedman ("Providence," "Cupid") and Eric Tuchman ("Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey Story," "Three Days") wrote the teleplays.

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Launched in 1984, LIFETIME Television serves over 88 million households nationwide. In 1998, LIFETIME launched Lifetime Movie Network, now in more than 43 million homes, and in 2001, Lifetime Real Women. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Radio for Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

Source: LIFETIME Television

CONTACT: Chandler Spaulding, +1-310-556-7582, or spaulding@lifetimetv.com

Web site: http://www.lifetimetv.com/

------- Profile: Ent