New Woman, December 1990

Profile BY LORI BERGER

MOD-ERN Peggy

Peggy Lipton rolls her eyes at the mention of the word comeback. "I feel like I´m just starting to live, to know who I am," she says, flashing the ethereal smile that continues to captivate America.

As suddenly as she appeared 22 years ago as Julie Barnes in the hit series The Mod Squad - for which she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy four times - she was gone. In 1974 she turned in her badge and celebrity status for domestic bliss as Mrs. Quincy Jones. "I quit because I met my husband and I was totally burned out from the stress and I didn´t want to act any longer," Lipton confesses, adding that for the next 14 years she had little faith in her acting ability and "was very content with my insulated life."

However, the insulation turned into isolation, and in 1988, just divorced and with her children in her teens, the former Ford model was read to step back in front of the camera.

"Going back to acting was the most frightening thing in the world," concedes Lipton, who underwent what she calls a life transformation before turning up as Norma Jennings on the acclaimed series Twin Peaks.

Today, the willowy Lipton has returned with a vengeance. Besides putting in the long hours required for any weekly TV show, she recently filmed an episode for the USA Network anthology series The Hitchhiker.

"Every bit of it is a challenge for me," says Lipton. "But, you know, you just have to jump in there and go for it. Things can be good even if you fail."

Lori Berger is New Woman´s West Coast editor.