Belinda Montgomery (born July 23, 1950) is a Canadian-American actress, writer, and painter. She initially attracted notice for her starring role in the 1970s science-fiction series Man from Atlantis as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and also for her recurring role as Caroline Crockett/Ballard in the 1980s cop series Miami Vice. However, she is perhaps best known for her role as Katherine Howser, Doogie's mother, in the ABC medical comedy-drama Doogie Howser, M.D..