Courtney Thorne-Smith (born November 8, 1967) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.
She appeared on a few mid-1980s television shows such as Growing Pains and the short-lived Fast Times, as well as made-for-TV movies including The Thanksgiving Promise and Infidelity before landing a regular role in the short-lived sitcom Day by Day with Douglas Sheehan, Linda Kelsey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In 1990, she was featured in six episodes of the popular TV series LA Law as Kimberly Dugan.
Her first notable starring television role was as Alison Parker on Melrose Place from 1992–1997. During this time, in 1995, she starred in a made-for-television movie "Beauty's Revenge" which was also marketed in CD and DVD form as "Midwest Obsession." Following this, she went on to play Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal from 1997–2000. Thorne-Smith had originally auditioned for the title role in the show, which ultimately went to Calista Flockhart. In 1999, she became a spokeswoman for Almay cosmetics, being the face of their new "Skin Stays Clean" line of make-up. Her character was written out of Ally McBeal at the beginning of the fourth season in 2000, though she returned for occasional guest appearances afterwards.
From 2001 to 2009, Thorne-Smith starred as Cheryl on the sitcom According to Jim. In 2007, her real-life pregnancy was hidden on the show at first, but was then written into the plot.
On February 18, 2010, Courtney signed on to play Alan Harper's girlfriend, Lyndsey McElroy, in the seventh season of Two and a Half Men. She appeared in two episodes of season 7 and several more in season 8.
