Lauren Tewes

About

Cynthia Lauren Tewes (; born October 26, 1953) is an American actress. She played Julie McCoy on the
television
anthology series The Love Boat, which originally aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986.

Tewes was born in Trafford, Pennsylvania, of German extraction, and one of four children born to Joanne (née Woods) and Joseph Tewes, a wood pattern maker. Regarding the proper pronunciation of her last name, Tewes later explained, “[It] was originally pronounced ‘Tavis.’ But when my grandfather arrived in Ellis Island from Germany, the immigration official carelessly said his name was “Tweeze,” and it hung on ever since.'”
The family moved to Whittier, California when Tewes was eight. She attended Ada S. Nelson Elementary School and Pioneer High School, where she studied drama, winning Best Actress award for three years. Tewes enrolled on an Associate of Arts degree at Rio Hondo College, deciding to major in theatre arts. At college, she won “The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Theatre”, a one-year scholarship which enabled her to transfer to the University of California, Riverside, as a sophomore.
In 1973, when her scholarship expired, Tewes withdrew from college and…