Ben Matlock is a widower who had two daughters, Charlene and Leanne, who both became lawyers in their own right and who both worked alongside their father at one point or another.
After divorcing her husband, of whom her father did not much approve, she moves back to Atlanta to help him with his legal practice. She assists her father for three years before leaving for her own practice.
In the pilot, Lori Lethin played Matlock's daughter Charlene. During the first season, Linda Purl played Charlene and then she moved to Philadelphia. Then Michelle, Matlock's associate, appeared played by Nancy Stanford, and then later Brynn Thayer appeared as daughter #2 Leanne.
In season one, Linda Purl played Charlene Matlock, who left to go to work in Philadelphia, PA. She was only rarely mentioned during the intervening seasons. Here, Leanne McIntyre (her married name), was living in Philadelphia, coincidentally, before deciding to return.
Charlene and Leanne were his daughters who both were attorneys. Michelle is an attorney he met in England in one episode, and she came back to work with him.
Was fired from Matlock (1986), due to his serious drug and alcohol abuse in 1989. Had missed 7 episodes or had limited appearances during the third season of Matlock (1986), because he was sent to a rehabilitation clinic for his drug and alcohol abuse, where he stayed on an outpatient basis.
Actor Lori Lethin plays Ben's daughter, Charlene, in the first two episodes (originally filmed as a single television movie). After that, Lethin was replaced in the role of Charlene by Linda Purl, who lasted just one season.
In 1987 Charlene left to start her own practice in Philadelphia and Ben (Andy Griffith) replaced her with Michelle Thomas (Nancy Stafford), who was no relation.
In 1992, she joined the cast of the ABC legal series Matlock portraying Matlock's daughter, Leanne MacIntyre, and was a regular cast member; she was previously a guest star in the 1991 episode "The Suspect".
In the first season of Matlock (1986–1987) starring Andy Griffith, Purl played Charlene, Ben Matlock's lawyer daughter. She was cast in the series First Monday (2002) as Sarah Novelli, a real estate agent and Justice Joseph Novelli's wife.
Holliday was fired after the third season for drug and alcohol abuse, but had a recurring role in season four ("The Best Seller", episode 4 and "The Witness", episode 14). Matlock hired Conrad McMasters (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), a young, former North Carolina deputy sheriff, to be his new detective.
After divorcing her husband, of whom her father did not much approve, she moves back to Atlanta to help him with his legal practice. She assists her father for three years before leaving for her own practice.
Though several actors played more than one character throughout the series' run, only a handful appeared in more than 30 episodes of the series, most of them as Ben Matlock's legal associates. Of the main cast, Andy Griffith, Clarence Gilyard Jr., David Froman, and Richard Newton have all since passed away.
“Matlock” is really Mrs. Kingston, and she's chosen Jacobson Moore for a reason. Her daughter really did die, leaving her and her husband to raise their grandson. And all three of them are in on an elaborate plan to avenge her death, caused by an opioid overdose.
How many actresses have played Matlock's daughter?
— Steve B. Televisionary: There were two daughters, by my count, Steve, but three different actresses did indeed carry the role. When Diary of a Perfect Murder, the Matlock pilot, first aired in early 1986, lawyer daughter Charlene Matlock was played by Lori Lethin.
From 1987-1994 Julie joined Andy Griffith in "Matlock," playing his love interest Assistant District Attorney, Julie March. In 1990 she received her second Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for the role.
Final appearance of Linda Purl as Charlene Matlock. Purl left the show due to creative differences over her character. Despite her departure, she is still featured in the opening credits for the rest of the season.
But all is not what it seems as the wily Matty Matlock, “like the old TV show,” has hidden her real identity as Madeline Kingston to infiltrate Jacobson Moore, the law firm that represented the pharmaceutical firm she blames for her daughter's fatal opioid overdose.
Flashbacks feature the character of Matty's deceased daughter (played by Marnee Carpenter, in her second appearance in the series), and paint Matty in a bad light for dramatic purposes.
Audiences learned that Kathy's character is actually a rich, retired lawyer named Madeline Kingston who is going undercover at Jacobson Moore in hopes of discovering who was responsible for hiding papers that could have covered up evidence in the opioid crisis.
