Meredith Ann Baxter, born June 21, 1947, in South Pasadena, California, is an American actress and producer best known for her iconic television roles across several decades.

The daughter of actress and voice coach Natalie Nedell and writer Tom Baxter, she began her career with guest appearances on shows like The Partridge Family, The Doris Day Show, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her first starring role came in 1972 as Bridget Fitzgerald in the CBS sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie opposite David Birney, whom she married in 1974 and with whom she was professionally billed as Meredith Baxter Birney until their 1989 divorce.​

Meredith Baxter achieved critical acclaim as Nancy Lawrence Maitland, the eldest daughter in a family navigating modern challenges, on the ABC drama series Family from 1976 to 1980, earning two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

She also appeared in the film All the President's Men in 1976 as the wife of a White House staffer. Her role as Elyse Keaton, the nurturing architect and former hippie mother, on the NBC sitcom Family Ties from 1982 to 1989 brought her widespread fame alongside Michael J. Fox, solidifying her as a television staple during the Reagan era.​

Following Family Ties, she starred in and produced numerous television movies, including the Emmy-nominated A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story (1992), where she portrayed the convicted murderer Betty Broderick, and Kate's Secret (1986), in which she played a woman battling bulimia.

Other notable TV films include The Kissing Place (1990), One More Mountain (1994), and My Breast (1994), often tackling dramatic themes like family trauma and personal struggles. She received additional Emmy nominations for a CBS Schoolbreak Special in 1994 and as a guest on The Young and the Restless in 2015.​

Meredith Baxter has continued working in television with guest roles on series like Spin City, Cold Case, and Half & Half, and appeared in films such as Devil's Pond (2003) and recent Hallmark projects.

Openly lesbian since coming out in 2009, she has been married five times, including to actor Michael Blodgett and construction worker Nancy Locker, with whom she wed in 2013, and is the mother of five children from previous marriages.

In 2011, she published her memoir Untied, detailing her experiences with abuse, addiction, and self-discovery, further establishing her as a candid voice in entertainment.​