The daughter and sister respectively of actors James Daly and Tim Daly, American actress Tyne Daly was destined early on to enter the family business. After graduation from the American Academy of Dramatic Art, Tyne worked on stage and appeared in TV guest spots starting in the early '70s. While applauded for her talent, Tyne found full stardom eluding her for several years during a long string of busted TV pilots like In Search of America (1971), Doctor Granger (1972), Fitzgerald and Pride (1972) and Hotshot Harry and the Rocking Chair Renegades (1979) did little to make her bankable. Then in 1981, Tyne Daly and Loretta Swit were cast in the pilot of Cagney and Lacey, a story of two policewomen who could handle their jobs with courage and assuredness. The success of the pilot led to a series in 1982. As Detective Mary Beth Lacey, Tyne Daly fought to be accepted on equal terms with her male counterparts, and also struggled to maintain a normal home life as wife and mother. Her realistic portrayal earned her considerable praise from real-life law enforcement officials. Cagney and Lacey was cancelled in 1983, but brought back to the air a year later thanks to a viewers' letter-writing campaign. By the time the series ended in 1988, Daly had won four Emmy awards for her portrayal of Lacey. In 1994 she starred opposite Kellie Martin in the short-lived TV drama Christy, and in 1995 appeared in a trio of Cagney and Lacey reunions. Since that time Tyne Daly has devoted her energies to the Broadway stage, scoring a personal triumph as Mama Rose in a revival of the 1959 musical Gypsy, and in 1995 she appeared in a supporting role in the TV-movie remake of Bye Bye Birdie.