Cindy Morgan

American actress (1954–2023)

4 min read

Cynthia Ann Cichorski (September 29, 1951 – c. December 30, 2023), known professionally as Cindy Morgan, was an American actress best known for playing Lora Baines/Yori in Tron and Lacey Underall in Caddyshack.

Early and personal life

Morgan was born as Cynthia Ann Cichorski on September 29, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents of Polish and German descent. She stated in a 2015 interview that she was considered legally blind without her contact lenses.

Career

After graduation, Morgan worked at a television station in Rockford, Illinois, where she was a "weather girl". She kept her hand in radio by working the graveyard shift at a local rock station. She returned to Chicago and deejayed on WSDM until quitting on air during a labor dispute at the station.

Morgan then worked for Fiat Automobiles. She moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and became an actor for Irish Spring soap TV advertisements while attending acting schools and workshops.

Morgan landed her first screen role in the 1980 comedy Caddyshack, playing the role of sexy bombshell Lacey Underall. In a 2012 interview, Morgan said of the role: "Caddyshack was my first film and I'll say that the end product was so completely different, it was originally about the caddies. So at first, I had nothing to lose to audition. It was fun. All I did was focus on making the person sweat. Look 'em in the eye, do that thing many women know how to ..."

Morgan appeared in the 1982 hit Tron, the first film to feature large scale computer-generated imagery. She played two characters: Lora Baines, a computer programmer in the "real" world, and Yori, her alter-ego in the film's computer world.

Morgan had multiple television and film credits, including portraying two roles on the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest, Lori Chapman in season one and Gabrielle Short in seasons six and seven. Morgan also played two characters, in two episodes, on the television series Matlock. Her other credits include guest and minor appearances on The Larry Sanders Show, Amazing Stories, CHiPs, and a co-starring role on Bring 'Em Back Alive.

Morgan was an associate producer on five films produced by Larry Estes.

According to the documentary Caddyshack: The Inside Story, as of 2009, Morgan was a resident of Florida and working on a book about her experiences during the making of Caddyshack, to be called From Catholic School to Caddyshack.

Morgan did not participate in the making of Tron: Legacy, the 2010 sequel to the 1982 film, nor does she appear in any of the retrospective materials produced in conjunction with the sequel for use in a DVD/Blu-ray reissue of the film in 2011. She did reunite with her costar Bruce Boxleitner in character as Lora Baines, in a mock news conference on April 2, 2010, promoting the release of Tron: Legacy.

Voice acting

In 2003, Morgan voiced Ma3a in Buena Vista Interactive's PC game Tron 2.0.

Charitable works

Morgan, whose father fought in World War II, was passionate about supporting the United States military and helping to alleviate the financial hardship felt by those who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. She was director of the Caddyshack Reunion Golf Tournament in 2006, which reunited some of the cast of Caddyshack (Morgan included), along with other celebrities. Subtitled "Playing for the Home Team" and hosted at Willow Crest Golf Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, the tournament raised funds (and awareness) to benefit the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, an organization that helps the families of National Guard members and reservists on active duty.