Following Thorne-Smith’s departure from Melrose Place, she went on to have a recurring role on FOX legal dramedy Ally McBeal and later a starring role for nine seasons as Cheryl on ABC sitcom According to Jim.
On Two and a Half Men, Smith played Lyndsey McElroy in Seasons Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven and Twelve.
Thorne-Smith was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Menlo Park, a suburb south of San Francisco. Her father, Walter Smith, was a computer market researcher, and her mother, Lora Thorne, was a therapist. They divorced when Courtney was seven years old and she lived with both parents at different stages. She has an older sister, Jennifer, who is an advertising executive. She attended Menlo-Atherton High School, in Atherton, California, and graduated from Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California, in 1985. She also performed with the Ensemble Theater Company in Mill Valley while attending high school.
