Kathleen Beller

Beller started her career by appearing in several commercials. She debuted on television in 1971, taking over the role of Liza Walton Sentell in the daytime soap opera Search for Tomorrow, which was originated by Denise Nickerson. She appeared on the show until 1974 when she quit to move from New York City to Los Angeles. After arriving, Don Most arranged for her to get an agent. Her film debut was a small role in 1974's The Godfather Part II, portraying an actress in a play that the young Vito Corleone and Genco Abbandando attended. Later, she was recognized more for her television work, appearing in TV movies and guest-starring in television series, notably the soap Dynasty. She played Betsy in 1978's The Betsy, a role Beller hoped would end her television career and start her film career:

Despite the optimism, the film was panned and did not advance Beller's career. She blamed the role, which she said could have been played by anyone. Beller returned to television work, appearing in TV movies such as Mary White (1977) and Are You in the House Alone? (1978). She recalled the exhausting casting procedure of Mary White, which lasted daily for three weeks. Beller also continued to appear in films, playing a supporting role in the 1978 musical comedy Movie Movie, and portraying a cancer patient in the film Promises in the Dark (1979). She spent three months researching the Promises in the Dark role, and later recalled it as one of her favorite roles. Although the film was a commercial failure, the role earned Beller a Golden Globe nomination.

In 1981, Beller co-starred in the psychological thriller No Place to Hide, her first adult role. Her character initially was going to be a teenager, but Beller insisted on playing someone more mature. Although she assumed this demand would cause her not to be cast, she won the role, which the film's director changed to a woman in her early 20s. In an interview to promote the film, Beller admitted that, although she was 25 years old at the time, she still had trouble convincing people that she was older than 16. The following year, she played the female lead in the fantasy film The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982). The film was a commercial success, grossing $39 million on a $4 million budget, but Beller later commented that she was dissatisfied with the film.

Beller perhaps is best remembered for her role from 1982 to 1984 as Kirby Anders Colby in the prime time television soap opera Dynasty. She blamed her departure from Dynasty on the new writers who were hired in 1984, explaining that they had "lost interest in her character and that when her contract ended, they decided not to renew it". Beller said that "[she'd] come back if they wanted [her]". She reprised the role for Dynasty: The Reunion in 1991.