Former Emmy nominee Kellie Martin (Life Goes On) takes a break from her real-life role as a senior majoring in art history at Yale University to join the cast of ER as third-year medical student Lucy Knight.

A native of Riverside, California, Martin started acting at age seven, thanks mainly to her Aunt Rhonda, who was nanny to the late Michael Landon's children. "I was a real ham, and being the center of attention made me happy," says the actress, who wangled an audition for Landon's Father Murphy series. A small role on that show touched off a career.

Steady work continued throughout her childhood, which, she says, remained normal. "I don't think the child actor syndrome will hurt me because my family is so grounded," maintains the older of two daughters of a department store buyer father and a kindergarten teacher-turned-producer mother. Yet, her life changed when she landed the role of Becca Thatcher at 13, on the series Life Goes On, and began on-set schooling. "It was hard; I was treated a little differently when I went back to school to visit old friends," she admits.

Happily, college is an equalizer. "What I do is no big deal," says Martin, who deferred her studies twice before, as a freshman, when she starred in the title role on the series Christy as a young schoolteacher, and as a sophomore, when she starred as psychology student/intern Kathy Goodman on NBC's Crisis Center. While she must do so again, she affirms, "I'm in school for the love of it, and I feel no pressure to get straight A's. Show business is such a roller-coaster life. I'd like to have my degree and a lot of options."

Martin's television movie credits include Her Hidden Truth, A Daughter's Courage, If Someone Had Known, Breaking Free, The Face on the Milk Carton, Her Last Chance, Secret Witness, A Friend to Die For, Hidden in Silence, NBC's Blue Heaven and the upcoming About Sarah. She guest-starred on such series as ThirtySomething and The Tracy Ullman Show and had a recurring role on The Hogan Family. Her feature-film credits include Jumpin' Jack Flash, Troop Beverly Hills, Matinee and the animated The Goofy Movie (as the voice of Goofy's girlfriend).

In her off-hours, Martin, who someday hopes to open a photo gallery in New York, hones her photographic skills. She also enjoys frequenting museums, watching Saturday morning cartoons, dancing and traveling. Her birthday is October 16.