There’s something about a pretty woman with a Brooklyn accent that catches the attention. Or at least my attention. Candice Azzara fits this bill perfectly. Her sweet face and sweet voice makes for a perfect combo, especially when she’s a tough cookie.

Of her 89 credits listed on IMDB dating back to 1969, many of them are TV roles, but not too many regular or recurring roles, which is a shame. Her only regular role was as Shirley Balukis on the short-lived 1973 series Calucci’s Department. Her few recurring roles were short-lived as well. She played Millie in six episodes of Soap, Fran Thomopolous in 5 episodes of the final season of Who’s the Boss?, and Angie Spadaro in fourteen episodes of Caroline in the City.

I probably know Ms. Azzara best from Barney Miller. She popped up as different characters three times: a manicurist who stabbed an unruly client in “The Layoff”; the victim of a bus robbery and crash who also happened to be the mistress of one of the other passengers in “Bus Stop”; and the recent wife of a recent lotto winner who wasn’t too thrilled he was giving it all away in “Dietrich’s Arrest: Part 1”.

She also played a money-focused woman in an episode of Murder, She Wrote as well. In the episode “Mr. Penroy’s Vacation”, which also happened to be Ron Masak’s first episode as Sheriff Metzger, Ms. Azzara plays the “wife” of dead man Mr. Penroy. Yes, wife is in quotes for a reason. As it turns out, she’s actually the wife of a train robber who ran out on her. He was in Cabot Cove to get his split of the money, and she was there to make sure she got her cut, too. Fun fact: despite her three appearances on Barney Miller and her onscreen husband Don Calfa’s seven appearances, they never crossed paths on that show. (She did appear with the other Barney Miller frequent flyer Oliver Clark in an episode, though.)

Another favorite guest appearance that found her on the wrong side of the law was in an episode of CHiPs called “Satan’s Angels”, in which Bonnie is taken captive by members of a motorcycle gang, which include William Smith and Mickey Jones. Ms. Azzara is one of their old ladies who forms something of a bond with Bonnie.

She also tangled with the law on Baretta, Kojak, Ohara, Rizzoli & Isles, and N.Y.P.D. (her first listed credit on IMDB); checked in on Strong Medicine, The Practice (a ’70s Danny Thomas series), Trapper John MD, House Calls (reprising her character from the movie version), ER, and E/R (yes, there were two of them and both starred George Clooney); privately investigated on Remington Steele and Tenspeed and Brownshoe; got family friendly on Shake It Up, One Day at a Time, Diff’rent Strokes, The Wonder Years, and Doogie Howser MD; was short-lived on Downtown, Mama Malone, The Two of Us, Roomies, and The Montefuscos; went to court on LA Law and Night Court; showed up on Married…with Children and it’s short-lived spin-off Top of the Heap; named names on Maggie, Pearl, Rhoda, and Alex, Inc.; got a little strange on Medium, Joan of Arcadia, and the ’80s version of The Twilight Zone; and of course, she once set sail on The Love Boat.

I know that actors don’t like to be typecast, and I certainly don’t like to typecast them, but sometimes an actor plays a role so well that you can’t help but associate them with it. Candice Azzara’s gift for playing women with a certain kind of attitude -spicy sweet- is memorable and that’s a fabulous thing. And so is she.