Annie Potts returns to Stephens College campus

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Annie Potts has moments of doubt.

You'd never know it by sitting across from the 51-year-old actress and listening to her talk. She is the picture of confidence -- bright, animated and not the least bit apologetic about her success.

Potts knows she has earned her place among Hollywood's most versatile actors. She's a star. But there are times when the Stephens College alumna hesitates in the face of her talent.

Success can be a weighty responsibility.

But then Potts has a good night on stage or opens a piece of fan mail, and she is reminded that what she has is a gift, which she has preserved through working hard and taking risks.

"I don't think you can ever stop learning," Potts said. "You have to keep tearing down and rebuilding."

For the second time since she graduated from Stephens in 1973, Potts recently returned to her alma mater in Columbia to share her knowledge with theater students. In 1995, Potts delivered the keynote address at the May commencement and starred in "Love Letters." This winter, she returned to the Stephens stage, playing the part of Desiree in "A Little Night Music" at the Macklanburg Playhouse. She has interacted with students, attended theater classes and read to local schoolchildren.

"I learned everything here," she said. "I learned my craft here, and I was able to hone it here quite a bit."

Potts' film credits include the voice of Bo Peep in "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" and a role opposite Jeff Bridges in "Texasville." The list also includes "Ghostbusters," "Ghostbusters II," "Pretty in Pink" and "Crimes of Passion."

However, she might be known best for her seven-year stint as Mary Jo Shively on the television sitcom "Designing Women."

Ashley Hochhalter, a sophomore at Stephens, was so excited when she was cast as Potts' daughter in "A Little Night Music" that she called her parents in Phoenix.

"Working with Annie has been an amazing experience. She is so nice and so down-to-earth. She'll sit and talk with us and give us tips," Hochhalter said.

Another cast member from Stephens, senior Andrea Rutherford, said she has been inspired by her time with Potts.

"She has taught me that going into the business isn't as foreboding as we've been brought up to believe," Rutherford said. "If you're willing to work hard, it can be done."

Potts grew up in Franklin, Ky., the youngest of three daughters. Her mother and oldest sister attended Stephens. Potts was 12 when a teacher at summer camp noticed her talent on stage and questioned her future plans.

"She pulled me aside and said, 'Darling, I think you have a little light, and I think this work suits you.

I think you should keep on with it,'" Potts said. "I was struck because no one had ever told me I was good at anything before. I thought, 'I'm going to throw all my energy into this.'"

And that's just what Potts did for the next 40 years. Over the years, her camp instructor, Sylvia Barnard, now 76 and living in St. Charles, followed her former student's career.

"We have been devoted to each other all of these years," Potts said.

Another longtime supporter is Peter Byger, a Stephens theater instructor who has stayed in close touch with Potts.

"I kind of feel like her surrogate father," Byger said. "I'm so proud of her career and how she has reached success with so much integrity. Her movies and TV shows are so classy and fun." Byger said he recognized Potts' talent immediately when she was a student at Stephens and isn't surprised by her success.

"She's the total package," he said. "She has a lot of personal commitment to her work, to her life and to her children."

For the past year, Potts has been at home in Los Angeles, being a mom to her 11- and 7-year-old sons. She also has a 21-year-old son who is a senior at Brown University.

But Potts has not been idle. She expects to return to acting and is hoping to start a production company with longtime friend Joanna Kerns, who starred in the late 1980s sitcom "Growing Pains." Though roles for women over 50 are tough to find, Potts said she isn't letting her age stand in the way.

"I've always been a character actor," she said. "My success hasn't been based on my beauty or lack of it."