Meredith Ann Baxter (known as Meredith Baxter and formerly as Meredith Baxter-Birney) was born on June 21, 1947 in South Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California. She has been in many movies and television shows, but mostly known for her role as Elise Keaton on Family Ties.

She is the daughter of the late actress Whitney Blake. After 3 failed marriages, Meredith outed herself as lesbian in 2009. In an interview with Matt Lauer, Today, 2 December 2009: "I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition. Some people would say, well, you're living a lie and, you know, the truth is -- not at all. This has only been for the past seven years... I've always lived a very private life. To come out and disclose stuff is very antithetical to who I am... I did not want some tabloid to take the story and make it up -- I wanted it to be in my own words."