A wide-eyed, dark-haired performer, Jami Gertz won a nationwide talent search sponsored by producer Norman Lear and was cast at age 16 in the breakout role of preppy Muffy Tepperman in the short-lived CBS sitcom "Square Pegs" (1982-83) featuring Sarah Jessica Parker. With her parents' permission, the young actress left her home in Illinois and settled in L.A. to play the snobbish Muffy. Following the demise of "Square Pegs", Gertz went on to a recurring role on NBC's "The Facts of Life" in 1983 and a co-starring berth on the equally short-lived John Stamos vehicle "Dreams" (CBS, 1984).