Lydia Cornell reached the height of Hollywood Stardom becoming one of the world’s most notable stars from her starring role as Sara Rush in ABC’s Too Close for Comfort. Appearing in over 250 movies and television shows, the People Choice Award winning Actress and sex symbol of her time has a rise and fall journey that is eye opening, heartfelt, and inspiring. Lydia graciously spends time with Matthew Mayer talking about her journey from growing up in El Paso, Texas to experiencing the coincidences and god shots that lead her to becoming a worldwide household name, and all of the experiences that come with becoming a star.
You don’t want to miss out on this eye opening journey of Lydia Cornell! Follow Lydia Cornell on Instagram @lydiacornell1 Follow Matthew Mayer on Instagram @mayersolopiano
Per her biography: Lydia Cornell is an AFI Best Actress nominee and People’s Choice Award winner, and international star often best known as the star of ABC’s hit series Too Close For Comfort as TV legend Ted Knight’s daughter, Sara Rush. One of the most popular sex symbols on TV, she is now a mother, author, teen mentor, talk show host, comedienne, producer, director, and award-winning writer. Too Close for Comfort can currently be seen four times a week on Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting. Learn more about Lydia at https://www.lydiacornell.com/
Per Wikipedia: Cornell’s first screen appearance was as Lydia Korniloff in a walk-on as a girl in a car in the film Steel (1979), produced by and starring Lee Majors. Her first professional speaking part was in an episode of The Love Boat, for which she had two lines.[18] In the summer of 1980, Cornell spent nine weeks filming in the Greek Isles for her appearance in the mythological horror film Blood Tide, which was not released until 1982. Cornell’s first major role was as Sara Rush, the daughter to Ted Knight’s character Henry Rush, on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort during 1980–1985. In 1982, at the height of the sitcom’s popularity, Cornell was described by sexologist Robert T. Francoeur as providing a modern example of “classic female stereotypes in the mold of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield”. Cornell appeared in several single episode roles on television series such as The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels, The Drew Carey Show, Quantum Leap (the pilot episode) Full House, Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, T. J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Hunter, Hardball, Black Scorpion, Hotel, Fantasy Island and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also appeared as a guest on episodes of television game shows including Battle of the Network Stars, Super Password, and Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour.
About Matthew Mayer:
From growing up in a town with no stoplights, to performing in front of thousands, and eventually reaching millions of listeners worldwide, #1 Billboard Charting Artist Matthew Mayer, has a story as curious and risk-taking as the music he creates. Growing up in rural Canistota, South Dakota, Matthew’s first foray into the world of music came at age 12, when he discovered the piano – and with it, a lifelong love. Inspired by legendary solo piano godfather, George Winston, Matthew would debut his piano talents to patients at the Ortman Chiropractic Clinic, setting up each Wednesday evening on an old upright, to share an hour of piano and storytelling. With often as little as just two listeners in attendance, this is where Mayer began his live piano-show journey. In 1998, he gathered every dollar to his name, raising just enough to produce his first solo piano CD, Crossing the Bridge. As an Undergrad student at the University of South Dakota at the time, this next step certainly didn’t come without risk. But what is the life of an artist without risk? Matthew’s first CD went on to turn a profit, leading him to create another – and another… and another. As of 2025, Matthew has an extensive catalogue of more than 20 piano albums and his music has streamed close to a half a Billion times across streaming platforms! His solo journey took him to packing up his car in the summer of 2001, and driving out to Hollywood. Spending two years working at NBC’s Television Entertainment Show, Access Hollywood, Mayer’s introductory into the entertainment business was both eye-opening, and motivating. In recent years, Matthew’s music has become synonymous with the explosion of viral online content and music streaming. From his 2022 album ‘Piano Lullabies’ quickly amassing more than 500 million streams on Amazon Music, to his latest hit ‘When Flowers Grew Wild’ being used as the soundtrack to more than 75,000 Instagram Reels from creators across the world. Matthew is the Owner and Founder of the Podcast Going Solo where he speaks with Amazing People from all walks of life! More about Matthew at www.matthewmayer.com
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