Tracey Gold

Actress and author Tracey Gold has been acting since the late 1970s. Her first television appearance was on the mini series Captains and the Kings in 1976. She went on to appear in many made for television movies. In 1985, Gold auditioned for the role of Carol Seaver in the series Growing Pains but she didn't land the role at first. The part was given to another actress, but that actress had to be replaced, so Gold was chosen for the role. The series was a major success, running from 1985-1992. Gold soon rose to success. When the series ended, she appeared in many made for television movies produced by Lifetime.

Tracey Gold publicly battled the eating disorder anorexia nervosa which nearly killed her. Since she was seven years old, she had been very self conscious of her weight. At the age of 11, she was diagnosed with the early stages of the disease. She soon received counseling which helped her to gain weight. During Growing Pains the script called for her to be the target of fat jokes which made her obsessed with her weight. Gold eventually recovered from the disease and now she is at a healthy weight.

1. "Bulemics don't make good mothers."
2. "After the crash happened, I was so humiliated and embarrassed. I thought of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, that they must hate me."
3. "Anorexia, you starve yourself. Bulimia, you binge and purge. You eat huge amounts of food until you're sick and then you throw up. And anorexia, you just deny yourself. It's about control."
4. "I didn't think I was fat. I just thought I didn't need to gain any weight. But I would drop weight and then I would be comfortable with that number. Then I would lose more weight and that would become my new number."

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• May 16th. 1969: Born

• 1976: Captains and the Kings

• 1979: CHiPs (2 episodes)

• 1982: Beyond Witch Mountain

• 1979-1983: Fantasy Island (2 episodes)

• 1983-1990: ABC Afterschool Specials (2 episodes)

• 1985-1992: Growing Pains

• 1996: Face of Evil

• 1998: The Girl Next Door

• 2000: The Growing Pains Movie

• 2004: Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers

• 2008: Final Approach