[5] At age five,[5] Purl moved with her family to Japan, where her father worked for Nippon Unicar.

[6] While at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, Purl performed in several plays, gaining the role of Louis in The King and I, Bet in Oliver!, and Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.

Subsequent movie appearances have included W.C. Fields and Me (1976), Young Pioneers' Christmas (1976), Leo and Loree (1980), Visiting Hours (1982), The High Country (1984), Viper (1988), Natural Causes (1994), Mighty Joe Young (1998), The Perfect Tenant (2000), and Fear of the Dark (2003).

Linda Purl has played several roles in television series, starting with The Secret Storm – a daytime "soap opera" drama (1973–1974).

In 1978, she appeared as newlywed Molly Beaton in the ABC western drama series The Young Pioneers, set in the Dakota Territory of the 1870s and based on the novels of Rose Wilder Lane.

Purl guest-starred in a 1975 episode of Hawaii Five-O, "The Hostage", as teenage babysitter "Ruth" held captive by a deranged veteran.

In the season five episode, "The Heartbreaker" (1977), she played Mary Ellen's sister-in-law (and Jason's love interest) Vanessa and also sang.

Purl appeared in the role of Pam Beesly's mother on NBC's The Office TV series, starting with the season six episode "Niagara" in 2009–2010.

She released her fourth full-length album, a collaboration with music director Tedd Firth called This Could Be the Start on Reaching Records, August 2023.

[13] On July 23, 1993, Purl married British screenwriter and producer Alexander Cary, Master of Falkland,[14] with whom she has a son, Lucius, born February 6, 1995.