Who is Kami Cotler?
American actress and educator Kami Cotler was born in Long Beach, California USA, under the zodiac sign of Gemini on 17 June 1965. She’s appeared in only 12 movies and TV series, and is perhaps still best known for her debut film role portrayal of Elizabeth Walton in the 1971 family movie “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story”, directed by Fielder Cook, and which starred Patricia Neal, Richard Thomas and Edgar Bergen. It follows the Waltons as they’re preparing for Christmas in 1933, while they’ve now become worried about John Walton who’s yet to return from work; the movie won one of its nine award nominations.
Education and early life
Kami and her brother Jeff Cotler were raised in Long Beach, by their parents whose names and professions remain undisclosed, as Kami respects their privacy; it’s believed that her father was a college professor, and that her mother taught English language at a local high school.
Kami was only six when she appeared in the movie “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story”, and the following year saw her make her debut TV series appearance, playing Kitty Reynolds in the comedy “Me and the Chimp”, which Thomas L. Miller and Garry Marshall created, and starred Scott C. Kolden, Anita Gillette and Ted Bessel. It follows the lives of dentist Mike Reynolds, his wife Liz and their two children, who’ve begun taking care of a chimpanzee.
Upon matriculating from a local high school in 1983, Kami took a break from acting to focus on pursuing a college degree; she studied at the University of California, Berkeley, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences in 1987.
Roles in movies
In 1972, Kami played Wendy Craddock in the crime thriller drama “The Heist”, directed by Don McDougall, and which starred Christopher George, Elizabeth Ashley and Howard Duff. It follows a security guard who has to convince the police that he was forced to rob his own company.
Kami’s following role came in 1980, when cast to portray Elizabeth Walton in the family drama “The Waltons: A Decade of the Waltons”, while she then portrayed the same character in three movies in 1982, including “A Day for Thanks on Walton’s Mountain” and “A Wedding on Walton’s Mountain”.
After taking a break to focus on her studies, Kami portrayed Elizabeth Walton once again, in the 1993 family drama “A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion”, directed by Harry Harris, and which starred Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite and Michael Learned. It follows the Waltons as they’ve reunited for Thanksgiving in November 1963, only a week before hearing the news about the assassination of President Kennedy – the film was nominated for two awards.
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Kami then appeared in the 1995 drama “A Walton Wedding”, and the 1997 drama “A Walton Easter”, prior to leaving acting behind her and focusing on being a teacher; she returned for a single role in 2018, when cast to play Townsperson in the romantic drama “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane”. It was directed by Maggie Greenwald, starred Alicia Witt, Colin Ferguson and Laura Leighton, and follows Emma and her siblings who’ve reunited for Christmas at their old home on Honeysuckle Lane one last time, prior to selling it because their parents have recently passed away.
Roles in TV series
Kami’s appeared in only one other TV series besides “Me and the Chimp”. Between 1972 and 1981, she starred as Elizabeth Walton in the romantic family drama “The Waltons”, created by Earl Hamner Jr., and which also starred Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough and Eric Scott. It follows a Virginian mountain family living in the ‘30s and ‘40s, surviving the financial depression and the Second World War, and the series won 33 of its 86 award nominations, including 13 Primetime Emmy wins.
Other credits
Kami sang the song “Three Little Fishes” in the 1977 episode “The Hawk”, and the song “By the Beautiful Sea” in the 1978 episode “The Yearning” of the series “The Waltons”.
She’s been featured in many documentaries, including the 2002 series “After They Were Famous”, the 2010 movie “A Walton’s Family Reunion”, and the 2015 film “Earl Hamner Storyteller”.
Kami’s made a guest appearance in talk-shows “Today”, “Home & Family” and “Stars in the House”, amongst others.
Career as a teacher
Kami began working as a teacher at a small school in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia upon graduation, and in 2001 returned to California, when offered to teach at Environmental Charter High School.
In 2004, she became the director of the Ocean Charter School, prior to quitting in 2007 because she had launched her educational consulting business.
Kami then helped launch the Environmental Charter Middle School in Los Angeles County, and is today also a board member at the American Montessori Society.
She was also once a manager of a café in San Francisco, California, and owned a boutique travel company.
Love life and husband
Kami hasn’t shared a lot about her love life with the public, but it’s known that she’s been married to non-celebrity Kim Howard for over 20 years now; neither has spoken about how and when they met, nor when they married.
Kami and Kim have two children together, Callan Freya and Cotton, but are keeping them away from the media’s attention.
She hasn’t mentioned the men whom she dated prior to meeting Kim, but it’s believed that Kami was once in a long-term relationship with an American actor whose name hasn’t been disclosed, and that they split when she chose teaching over acting.
Kami’s married to Kim Howard as of October 2022, and has two children with him.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Kami doesn’t use Instagram, as she dislikes the social media network, but is quite active on Twitter; she launched her account in February 2012 and there are over 1,500 people following it today, while Kami’s tweeted close to 1,000 times.
She’s a philanthropist, a human rights advocate, and a supporter of the LGBT community, often talking about the importance of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Kami’s a huge animal lover, and often works with the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Kami’s passionate about travelling, and has visited over 20 US states, as well as a number of African, Asian and European countries.
Her favorite actresses are Emma Watson and Kate Hudson, while a couple of her favorite movies include “Colonia”, “Little Women” and “Beauty and the Beast”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Kami’s age is 57. She has long brown hair, her eyes are blue, her height is 5ft 6ins (1.68m) and her weight is around 120lbs (54kgs).
Kami’s net worth’s been estimated at over $300,000 as of October 2022.
