Lynn Loring began her career in Hollywood as an actress, but by the time she retired, she was a top television executive. As an actress, she was best known for her roles in TV series including “Search for Tomorrow” and “The F.B.I” as well as films including “Pressure Point” and “Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.”
Loring’s family has chosen to share the sad news of her death at 80 years old. She died on December 23, 2023, but her family waited until now to make the news public. Her death followed a several chronic illnesses, but her family did not specify what those illnesses were. Her son, Chris Thinnes, told The Hollywood Reporter that Loring was at the Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center at the time of her death.
Loring’s acting career began when she was just 7 years old. At that young age, she joined the cast of “Search for Tomorrow,” a soap opera on CBS. She portrayed Patti Baron on the show for 10 years from 1951 to 1961. According to IMDB, she acted on 240 episodes of the show.
RIP Lynn Loring (1944-2024), 80. Veteran film & TV actress. Seen here in The Big Valley Christmas episode "Judgement in Heaven" (1965) and The Invaders episode "Panic" (1967) with Robert Walker Jr and series star Roy Thinnes, her soon-to-be husband in real life. #LynnLoring pic.twitter.com/t5UpC1Af7f
— James A. Conrad (@James_A_Conrad) April 3, 2024
From 1962 to 1963, Loring acted on the TV show “Fair Exchange” where she portrayed Patty Walker. Then in 1965, she portrayed Barbara Erskine on the show “The F.B.I.” Throughout her career she also had guest star roles on dozens of different TV shows such as “Mod Squad,” “My Three Sons,” and “Return to Peyton Place.”
At the end of the 1970s, Loring transitioned from a role in front of the camera to a role behind the camera. In 1975, she decided to stop acting and focus on her family, but she eventually returned to a career in Hollywood, first as a casting director, and then as a producer at Aaron Spelling Productions. Some of her credits as a producer include “Mr. Mom,” “Glitter” and “Me and the Kid.”
In 1985, she left Aaron Spelling Productions for a job as a development executive at MGM-UA Television. Yahoo! reports that it was her idea to turn the Oscar best picture winner “In the Heat of the Night” into a TV show. Loring was promoted to president, which made her second in command at MGM-UA Television.
#RIP Lynn Loring. At MGM/UA, the former actress was among the highest-ranking female execs in Hollywood: “I have an obligation to stand up and be counted. I’m not looking to be a spokesperson for women, but I find what I say matters, and that excites me.” https://t.co/CUqfKVRhRR
— Mike Barnes (@MikeBarnes4) April 2, 2024
Loring was married two times. She married Roy Thinnes in 1967. They had two children during their marriage, but the marriage ultimately ended in divorce in 1984. She married Michael Bergman in 1988, and they remained married until his death.
Loring is survived by her children Christopher Thinnes and Casey-Leigh Thinnes.