Kate's Secret
| Kate's Secret | |
|---|---|
Opening title
|
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| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Denise DeGarmo Susan Seeger |
| Directed by | Arthur Allan Seidelman |
| Starring | Meredith Baxter Birney Ben Masters Georgann Johnson Tracy Nelson Shari Belafonte Leslie Bevis Edward Asner Mackenzie Phillips |
| Theme music composer | J. Peter Robinson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Stephanie Austin |
| Cinematography | Dennis Dalzell |
| Editor(s) | Millie Moore |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Production company(s) | Andrea Baynes Productions Columbia Pictures Television |
| Distributor | NBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | USA: November 17, 1986 Finland: March 12, 1987 |
Kate's Secret is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film starring Meredith Baxter Birney, Ben Masters, Tracy Nelson, and Edward Asner. The film's plot, about a seemingly "perfect" suburban housewife and mother who is secretly suffering from bulimia nervosa, was an attempt to realistically portray the eating disorder.
Contents
Synopsis
To those on the outside, Kate Stark (Meredith Baxter Birney) leads an idyllic life; a successful husband (Ben Masters), an adoring young daughter (Summer Phoenix), and a beautiful home. But beneath the surface, her life is less than ideal; her husband is preoccupied with his career, a domineering mother (Georgann Johnson), and a dark secret that not even her closest friends know: Kate is bulimic. As the pressures in her life begin to mount, Kate obsessively diets and exercises, and habitually binges and purges while adroitly hiding her eating disorder from those closest to her. When Kate's bulimia finally leads to a frightening accident that makes it clear to everyone that her illness is dangerous not only to herself, but also to those around her, she is committed to rehabilitation, where she will have to learn to face the inner turmoil at the root of her disorder before it is too late.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Meredith Baxter Birney | Kate Stark |
| Ben Masters | Jack Stark |
| Georgann Johnson | Faith |
| Tracy Nelson | Patch Reed |
| Shari Belafonte | Gail |
| Leslie Bevis | Monica Fields |
| Edward Asner | Dr. Resnick |
| Mackenzie Phillips | Deyna |
| Summer Phoenix | Becky Stark |
| Sharon Spelman | Liz Reed |
| Mindy Seeger | Markie |
| Isabel Grandin | Dot |
| Liz Torres | Laura |
| Gwynne Gilford | Lorna |
| Rosanna Huffman | Megan |
| Ron Asher | Teen at Pizza Parlor |
| Liberty Phoenix | Brownie Scout |
