Biography

Broadway: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Getting and Spending.

Off-Broadway: Mr. Toole, The Baby Dance, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!.

Regional Theatre: (partial listing): Mame, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Glass Menagerie, The Little Foxes, The Children, Hedda Gabler, The Real Thing, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tempest, The Road to Mecca (with Miss Julie Harris), A Doll’s House, Dinner with Friends (original production), The Year of Magical Thinking (13 venues), Hippolytus, Camille, Copenhagen, Love Letters, Beyond Therapy, Love Loss and What I Wore, Tenderly, The Children, Nora, Oliver, Grease, On a Clear Day, Three Penny Opera, The King and I (at such theatres as Long Wharf, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Old Globe, Mark Taper, Santa Fe Opera, Cleveland Playhouse, Laguna Playhouse, Santa Barbara Ensemble Theatre Company, The Lensic Santa Fe, Berkeley Rep, Williamstown Theatre Festival – six seasons; The Other Palace London; Theatre Princesse Grace Monaco; Imperial Theatre Tokyo Japan) , 2022 UK tour of Catch Me If You Can; Teatro Niccolini Florence Italy. She has also performed at such theatres as the Rubicon Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse, and Olney Theatre.

Partial Films: Hollywood Grit, Mighty Joe Young, Bender, The Walking Major, Leo and Loree, Sundays, Paul’s Promise.


Purl has starred in over 45 US made-for-TV movies. TV recurring roles include: Hacks (Kathy Vance), Matlock (Charlene Matlock), Happy Days (Ashley Pfister / Fonzie’s fiancée), The Office (US version, Helene Beesly), The Oath (Gwenn). Homeland (Elizabeth Gaines), The Bold and the Beautiful (Lucy). Current recurring in After Forever as Dr. Evelyn Meyer on Amazon Prime Video.

Born in Connecticut, Purl grew up in Japan, becoming the only foreigner to have trained at the Toho Geino Academy. Her studies continued at the Neighborhood Playhouse and Lee Strasberg Institute. She was Co-Founder of the Colorado Festival of World Theatre and Executive Director from 2004-2008. She was Founder of the California International Theatre Festival and served as Artistic Director from 2008- 2014. In 2022 along with her partner Patrick Duffy, she founded Duffy’s Dough. All net proceeds are given to food scarcity programs. Purl and Music Director Tedd Firth currently tour in concert. Their fourth and latest album is This Could Be the Start. Past concert venue appearances include 54 Below, Dizzy’s and Rose Hall at Lincoln Center Jazz, Birdland, Naples Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Symphony, Crazy Coqs (London), Club Raye (Paris) and Satin Doll (Tokyo). Upcoming tours in 2025 include the Delray Beach Playhouse (Florida), Catalina Bar and Grill (Los Angeles) and the Crooners Supper Club (Minneapolis).