Gray started her career in modeling. She entered her first contest and won a modeling assignment in
St. Louis when she was 14 years old. Commercials followed in
Los Angeles. She also appeared on television in 1967 as a dancer in
Malibu U. However, she decided to move to
New York City to further her modeling career. "By 1975, Gray was one of the nation's top TV models, earning $100,000 a year." In 1978, she landed her first starring role, on the miniseries
Evening in Byzantium. Following good notices, Gray was put on a seven-year contract at
Universal Studios, which led directly to her taking the role of Colonel
Wilma Deering in
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, at first for a theatrically released movie, then for a weekly TV series. Gray, wearing a Spandex jumpsuit, was popular with the show's predominantly young male audience. Gray was aware of the sexiness of her tight uniform. Her character, the female lead, also had a high profile in the show, second only to
Gil Gerard in the starring role. Gray was seen as an important role model for female viewers, as she explained to an interviewer: Shortly after
Buck Rogers, Gray appeared in the first season
Magnum, P.I. episode, "J. 'Digger' Doyle", in which she played security expert Joy 'Digger' Doyle. The role was intended to become recurring, and even possibly
spun off into a separate series, but neither happened, and it remained the character's only appearance in the series. In 1982, Gray played the role of Lilah in the summer
feature film Six Pack as
Kenny Rogers' love interest. Gray's role as Kate Summers in the TV sitcom
Silver Spoons lasted for several years in the 1980s. Among her work in commercials was a 2010
spot for Pup-Peroni dog treats. Gray is now a
casting agent whose agency, Heroes for Hire, specializes in booking sci-fi and fantasy stars for personal appearances, speaking engagements, and charity events. Gray also teaches
tai chi. In 1998, Gray wrote a book,
Act Right, with Mara Purl which contains advice for novice television and movie actors. A revised edition was published in 2002. Gray starred in the 2011 film
Dreams Awake (with
Alien Nation co-star
Gary Graham). She also played the role of Madeline Twain on the
web series The Guild. Gray
guest-starred in the 2014 webisode "
Lolani" from the web series
Star Trek Continues as Commodore Gray, an episode that also starred
Lou Ferrigno. Commodore Gray reappears in 2016, with the seventh episode "
Embracing the Winds." ==Personal life==