Lenehan made her screen debut appearing in the 1979 made-for-television movie
When She Was Bad... starring
Cheryl Ladd and later guest-starred on
Alice. She made her big screen debut in the 1980 action comedy film
Smokey and the Bandit II playing the supporting role. The following years, Lenehan appeared in films
The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981),
Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982),
Stoogemania (1986),
Like Father Like Son (1987), ''
She's Having a Baby (1988) and The Great Outdoors (1988). On television, Lenehan guest-starred on both comedy and dramas including Hill Street Blues, Family Ties, The Facts of Life, Fame, The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, The Tracey Ullman Show, Murphy Brown, Roseanne, The Golden Girls and Seinfeld. She provided the speaking and singing voice of Helen Henny from Chuck E Cheese's Pizza Time Theater'' restaurants from 1977 to 1980, then again from 1983-1986. In 1992, Lenehan starred in the Fox short-lived sitcom
Great Scott!. From 1993 to 1998 she had a recurring role in the ABC sitcom
Grace Under Fire playing Audrey Sheffield. In 1996 she was regular cast member on the
Meredith Baxter' sitcom
The Faculty. She also had a recurring role on the ABC sitcom
Ellen during its fourth season, playing the title character's realtor, Margaret Reed. She starred as Sandy Kelly, the matriarch in the ABC sitcom
Married to the Kellys (2003–2004), and had a recurring role on
My Name Is Earl (2005–2008) as
Earl and
Randy's mother, Kay Hickey. ==Filmography==