Disability?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Gail Strickland
WHORNER — 22 years ago(May 15, 2003 04:40 AM)
I have adored Gail Strickland for years. In a "Providence" episode she played an alcoholic whose health had obviously deteriorated. I saw another TV show in the last year or so where she appeared to be an individual who was recovering from, or had recovered from a stroke. Has she suffered physical setbacks in real life? She's still a stunner, a fine actress, and I learn - - not surprisingly - - she's a Southern girl!
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peyton-8 — 20 years ago(March 09, 2006 10:52 AM)
This is going to sound bizarre, but I was doing a college project on her and got to speak to her via phone in 1995. She never mentioned having had cancer. She did tell me why she wasn't working as much. She said she cut way back on her acting due to her desire to spend time with her child (judging by the age of the child when I spoke to Gail, I think she left Dr. Quinn due to pregnancy or perhaps an adoption).
I also suspect her lack of much work in recent years is due to her dysphonia. I just recently found some information about how they had to loop her voice in First Monday for it to even sound the way it did. Since about 1994, her voice has gone steadily down hill. Some mid 90s stage reviews raked her over the coals for her voice.
Does this sound familiar?
"Abductor spasmodic dysphonia A form of spasmodic dysphonia in which sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms cause the vocal folds to open (abduct). The vocal1908 folds can not vibrate when they are open. The open position of the vocal folds also allows air to escape from the lungs during speech. As a result, the voices of these individuals often sound weak, quiet and breathy or whispery. As with adductor spasmodic dysphonia, the spasms are often absent during activities such as laughing or singing."