But then my mother, who's a very selfless, stoic person from a family of Marines, would tell us that what was good for our father was good for us - he would make more money; therefore, we'd be able to get better educations.

She is a 1973 graduate of Southern Methodist University where Patricia Richardson was friends with classmates Beth Henley and Stephen Tobolowsky who was slated to be a cast member of Home Improvement but had other contractual commitments when the series began filming. Richardson also appeared in the first season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. U.