Margaret Ann Lipton was born into an upper middle classJewish family in New York City on August 30, 1946, the daughter of artist Rita Benson and corporate lawyer Harold Lipton. Her paternal grandparents were from Russia, and her mother was born in Dublin, to parents from Latvia. Lipton was raised on Long Island with her brothers, Robert, who became an actor, and Kenneth. She attended Lawrence Junior High School and the Professional Children's School. Sexually abused by an uncle, Lipton was a nervous and withdrawn child with a stutter so bad that she was sometimes unable to say her own name. In 1964, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Lipton became what she called a "Topanga Canyon hippie" who explored meditation and yoga.
Career
Modeling and acting
Lipton's father arranged her first modeling jobs in New York while her mother encouraged her to take acting lessons. At 15, Lipton became a Ford Agency model and enjoyed a successful early career. After she and her family moved to Los Angeles in 1964, Lipton signed a contract with Universal Pictures. She made her television debut at age 19 in the NBC sitcom The John Forsythe Show. Between 1965 and 1968, she appeared in episodes of Bewitched, The Virginian, The Invaders, The Road West, The F.B.I., The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Mr. Novak. Lipton starred in The Mod Squad as one of a trio of Los Angeles undercover "hippie cops". Appearing waiflike and vulnerable, as David Hutchings wrote, her performance as "canary with a broken wing" Julie Barnes earned her four Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations during her tenure. In 1971, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best TV Actress in a Drama. Thin with long, straight, ash blonde hair, clad in mini-skirts, bell bottoms, and love beads, Lipton's Julie Barnes became a fashion icon and the hip "it girl" of her time. After The Mod Squad, Lipton did no full-time acting for 15 years. In March 1988, she returned to television as the star of an ABC movie, Addicted to His Love. She eventually regained major attention for her performance as Norma Jennings in David Lynch's TV series Twin Peaks and subsequently appeared in many TV shows, including recurring roles in Crash and Popular. In 2017 she reprised her character of Norma Jennings in the Twin Peaks revival. Also in 2017, she appeared in an episode of Angie Tribeca as the mother of the title character played by her daughter Rashida Jones.
Singing
As a singer, three of Lipton's singles landed on the Billboard charts: "Stoney End" and "Lu", both written by Laura Nyro. Her "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" was written by Donovan. "Stoney End" is included in her 1968 album Peggy Lipton, which was released on CD on July 29, 2014 by RealGone Music, along with other singles and previously unreleased material. Lipton and her husband Quincy Jones, along with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, co-wrote the 1984 Frank Sinatra hit, "L.A. Is My Lady".
Personal life
Lipton was briefly linked with Paul McCartney. At age eighteen she began using drugs in an attempt to alleviate her depression. After Lipton married musician and producer Quincy Jones in 1974, she took a hiatus from acting to concentrate on her family. The couple had two daughters, Kidada and Rashida, who both became actors. Lipton separated from Jones in 1986, and they divorced in 1990.
Death
Lipton died of colon cancer in Los Angeles on May 11, 2019 after being diagnosed in 2004.
Discography
1968 Peggy Lipton
2013 Peggy Lipton: The Complete Ode Recordings
Singles
1968 "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" b/w "Honey Won't Let Me"
1968 "Stoney End" b/w "San Francisco Glide"
1969 "Red Clay County Line" b/w "Just A Little Lovin' "
