Modeling Cody appeared in her first television commercial when she was six months old and continued to work steadily as a child fashion model. She appeared in television commercials, including one with
Louis Armstrong. She also appeared in commercial advertisements and on magazine covers, modeling for New York photographers, including
Richard Avedon and
Francesco Scavullo.
Theatre When Cody was seven years old, she was cast in the theatre production of
Uncle Willie, with
Menasha Skulnik at the
Coconut Grove Playhouse in
Miami, Florida. In 1963, at the age of nine, Cody was named one of the original cast members of the
Broadway show ''
Here's Love, appearing in the role of Hendrika. The musical production was written by Meredith Willson, who earlier wrote The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Here's Love
was an adaptation of the film Miracle on 34th Street'' and was introduced at the
Sam S. Shubert Theatre on Broadway in
New York City. Cody's costars included
Janis Paige,
Craig Stevens,
Laurence Naismith,
Fred Gwynne, and
Dom DeLuise. During the play, Cody had a duet on the song, "The Bugle", with Naismith, who played the role of
Kris Kringle. Cody remained with the production for the entire run, last appearing on July 25, 1964, when the play eventually closed after 334 shows and two previews.
Television In 1965, Cody started her daytime television career with regular long running parts on the
CBS daytime
soap operas
The Edge of Night as Laurie Ann Karr,
As the World Turns as Sally Graham, and
The Secret Storm as Cecilia, before becoming a regular cast member of the
ABC gothic soap opera
Dark Shadows. She also appeared in the first episode of the
Peter Falk series, ''
The Trials of O'Brien, titled "Over Defense Is Out". She made special appearances on the Jackie Gleason Show, Perry Como Show, Jan Murray Show, and The Bell Telephone Hour Christmas Special'' with
Florence Henderson. In 1967, Cody was cast as
Betty Parris, in
David Susskind's television production of
Arthur Miller's
The Crucible, which starred
George C. Scott,
Melvyn Douglas,
Colleen Dewhurst, and
Tuesday Weld. In 1967, the show was nominated for, and won three
Emmy Awards, including the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama for Scott,
Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama for Dewhurst, and
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama for
Alex Segal at the
20th Primetime Emmy Awards. Upon completion of
The Crucible, Cody was cast in an episode of the
PBS anthology series
NET Playhouse. The episode was an adaptation of novelist and playwright,
Colette's 1922 play, ''My Mother's House
(originally entitled La Maison de Claudine''), starring Dewhurst. The play was written as an homage to Colette's mother, Adèle Eugénie Sidonie "Sido" Colette. The story follows Colette as she reminisces about her childhood and her relationship with her mother. Cody portrayed the playwright, Colette, from adolescence up through the author's teenage years. Cody has guest-starred in numerous prime time television shows, including 3 episodes of
Gunsmoke with actors
James Arness,
James Whitmore,
Richard Jaeckel,
Buck Taylor,
Nicholas Hammond and
Louise Latham;
The Partridge Family with
David Cassidy;
Doc Elliot with
James Farentino; the
Love, American Style segment "Love and the Model Apartment" with
Davy Jones as her character Ruth's newlywed husband Ray;
Barbary Coast with
William Shatner and
Doug McClure;
The Waltons with
Richard Thomas,
Ralph Waite, and
Will Geer;
Cannon, guest-starring in a dual role with
William Conrad,
Mitchell Ryan, and
Ralph Meeker;
Three for the Road with
Vincent Van Patten;
Barnaby Jones with
Buddy Ebsen and
Kristoffer Tabori; and
Dirty Sally with
Jeanette Nolan. In 1976, Cody was cast in the starring role of Snowy in a television pilot, entitled
The Cheerleaders, which was directed by
Richard Crenna. The show was a
situation comedy about the "misadventures of Snowy, B.J., and Beverly, three fun-loving high school girls. The pilot episode focuses on the girls, members of the cheerleading team, as they perform embarrassing pledge week antics for a sorority house they hope to join." The story takes place in a small California town during the 1950s. Starring alongside Cody were Debbie Zipp, Theresa Medaris,
Mary Kay Place and Darel Glaser. The show was broadcast on August 2, 1976.
Film In 1973, Cody left New York to appear in her first Hollywood film,
Hot Summer Week (later entitled
Girls on the Road), along with Ralph Waite and
Michael Ontkean, who was also making his American film debut. Cody's appearance in
Hot Summer Week prompted
Walt Disney Studios to invite her to screen-test for work with their studios. The successful audition resulted in Disney Studios signing her to a three-picture contract. She was the last actress signed to a contract by Disney Studios, since
Annette Funicello.
Snowball Express, directed by
Norman Tokar, was the first film Cody completed for Disney Studios and was followed by
Charley and the Angel, directed by
Vincent McEveety and starring
Fred MacMurray and
Cloris Leachman as her character Leonora Appleby's parents Charley and Nettie, as well as
Harry Morgan. Her love interest Ray Ferris was portrayed by
Kurt Russell. In 1974, Leachman was nominated for a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance at the
31st Golden Globe Awards. The film was released on March 23, 1973. However, the film was a major flop for Walt Disney Productions, with negative reviews and a huge financial loss. Cody completed her three-picture deal with Disney, appearing in the film
Superdad, again directed by Vincent McEveety. She starred in the film along with
Bob Crane and
Barbara Rush, as her character Wendy McCready's parents Charlie and Sue. The film also starred Kurt Russell as Bart, portraying Cody's love interest for the second time, and
Bruno Kirby and
Ed Begley, Jr. The film was released on December 14, 1973. In 1972, Cody relocated to Los Angeles. She co-starred in three television
Movies of the Week. She first appeared in a remake of the 1945 film
Double Indemnity, which originally starred Fred MacMurray and
Barbara Stanwyck. Cody portrayed the character Lola Dietrickson, played in the original film by
Jean Heather. The 1972 adaptation starred
Richard Crenna,
Lee J. Cobb, and
Samantha Eggar. In 1975, Cody appeared in her second telemovie,
Babe, a biographical film about
Babe Didrikson, who was named the 10th greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by
ESPN, and the ninth greatest athlete of the 20th Century by the
Associated Press. Written by
Joanna Lee, the film was an adaptation of Didrikson's autobiography, entitled, ''This Life I've Led''. Directed by
Buzz Kulik, the film starred
Susan Clark in the title role, for which she won an Emmy for her performance at the
28th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Alex Karras appeared in the film as Babe's husband
George Zaharias, while Cody appeared in the supporting role of Sue Ellen. In 1975, Cody appeared in the Vincent McEveety-directed film
The Last Day, starring
Richard Widmark,
Barbara Rush,
Tim Matheson and
Robert Conrad. Cody appeared in the supporting role of Julia Johnson as Emmet Dalton (Matheson)'s love interest. The western-genre film was released on February 15, 1975. While she had previously retired from acting, relocating from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida, Cody responded to a 1987 call for local actors to appear in the
Peter Bogdanovich directed film
Illegally Yours. She was cast in a minor supporting role in the film, which starred
Rob Lowe,
Colleen Camp, and
Kenneth Mars. The film was released on May 13, 1988. == Personal life ==