After losing her baby, she quit Hollywood and took up work as a cheese steward
Lauren Tewes, who became famous playing cruise director Julie McCoy on “The Love Boat,” saw her career derailed by a public struggle with cocaine addiction. After seven years on the hit series, she was fired in 1984.
Executive producer Douglas Cramer cited “severe problems” that had been “terribly disrupting” for the show’s entire run. Tewes herself later admitted her money “went into my nose,” and that the drug initially gave her a feeling of incredible euphoria and false courage.
She described feeling immense shame and secretly begging for help, noting that substance abuse was treated as a punishable offense rather than a health issue in the 1980s. Her co-star, Fred Grandy, later reflected that she was a “victim of circumstance” who didn’t receive the proper care.
After getting sober, Tewes rebuilt her life in Seattle’s theater community. She married Robert Nadir in 1996, but he died from ALS just six years later. This compounded earlier tragedies, including the loss of her one-month-old daughter in 1987.
Her acting career never fully recovered, though she did make minor TV appearances and reunited with the “Love Boat” cast for a special episode. She was absent from a recent themed cruise reunion, but former co-stars like Jill Whelan speak of her fondly as a “sister” and a “spectacular actress.”
Today, the 70-year-old Tewes works as a cheese specialist for a Seattle catering company. She also continues to act, recently appearing in a comedy-mystery radio series.
Reflecting on her journey, Tewes believes she made the right choices by following her heart and persisting in the business despite the challenges she faced.
