Hardin was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of acting manager/coach and retired actress Diane (née Hill) and actor Jerry Hardin. She is the sister of Flock CEO Shawn Hardin. She was raised in San Francisco, California, after her family moved there when she was 4 years old. She went to middle school in the San Fernando Valley at Patrick Henry Junior High. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College.\n', '

Hardin started her acting career as the young star of the television series Thunder (1977–1978), and has appeared in over 70 movies and television programs since, including two 1981 Little House on the Prairie episodes (as Belinda Stevens in "The Reincarnation of Nellie", Parts 1 and 2) as well as playing Michele Pierson in the 1983 television movie Little House: Look Back to Yesterday. She starred as Baby in the short-lived 1988 television series Dirty Dancing (based on the 1987 film of the same name) and two 1992 episodes of Quantum Leap (as Abigail in "Trilogy," Parts 2 and 3). She co-starred in the 1990 dance movie Lambada as Sandy. She appeared in Absolute Power (1997) as Christy Sullivan and played Ross\'s dirty-talking love interest in the season 1 Friends episode "The One with the Stoned Guy". She was also originally cast in Back to the Future as Jennifer Parker, but was re-cast after Eric Stoltz (the original Marty McFly) was let go. Upon Michael J. Fox being cast, Hardin was deemed too tall to star alongside him. She was later replaced by Claudia Wells.\n', '

Hardin starred in the 2000–2001 series Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family, and 2004-2009 she played the recurring role of Trudy Monk, the title character\'s deceased wife, on the USA Network series Monk. She appeared on the series NCIS as former Petty Officer Erin Toner in the episode "The Curse". In 2005, Hardin portrayed Linda Evans in Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure, a fictionalized television movie based on the creation and behind the scenes production of the 1980s prime time soap opera Dynasty. Hardin played former corporate manager Jan Levinson in The Office from 2005 to 2013. She currently[when?] stars as editor-in-chief Jacqueline Carlyle on The Bold Type.\n', '

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