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Linda Lavin, an award-winning actress known for acting in the beloved sitcom “Alice”, died. She was 87 years old.
Lavin was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and died Sunday of complications from the disease, a representative told The Associated Press.
She was active in the weeks before her death, appearing earlier this month at the Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series “No Good Deed,” in which she appears.
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Linda Lavin died. The actress was 87 years old. (CBS via Getty Images)
It seems that Lavin knew from an early age that she was destined for a life as an actress, moving to New York City after graduating from college. Her first big break came when she was cast in a Broadway musical called “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman.”
In 1969, she was nominated for her first Tony for her work in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.”
Linda Lavin and husband Steve Bakunas at the “No Good Deed” Los Angeles Premiere held at the Tudum Theater on December 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
In the 70s, she moved to Los Angeles, where she started getting work as a TV actress. She appeared in an episode of “Rhoda” and then had a small recurring role on “Barney Miller.”
In 1976, she was cast in the lead role in a new CBS sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Academy Award-winning waitress comedy-drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
The title was shortened to “Alice,” and Lavin became a role model for working moms as Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son who works at a roadside diner near Phoenix. The show, with Lavin singing the theme song “There’s a New Girl in Town,” ran from 1976 to 1985.
“Alice” cast from left to right: Polly Holliday as “Flo” Florence Jean Castleberry; Vic Tayback as restaurant owner Mel Sharples; Philip McKeon as Alice’s son Tommy; Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt; and Beth Howland as Vera Louise Gorman. (Getty Images)
The series turned “Kiss My Grit” into a catchphrase and starred Polly Holliday as Flo the waitress and Vic Tayback as the gruff owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.
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The series bounced around the CBS schedule during its first two seasons, but became a hit leading “All in the Family” on Sunday nights in October 1977. It was in the top 10 in primetime for four of the next five seasons. Variety magazine named it one of the best workplace comedies of all time.
“Alice” is based on the Oscar-winning film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” (CBS via Getty Images)
When “Alice” ended, Lavin continued to work in Hollywood, although she was the head back to Broadway in a little while. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress after appearing in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound.”
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She played several roles on stage in the years following her “Alice” success, including a turn in the musical “Gypsy” in 1990. Her most recent role was in 2016’s “Our Mother’s Brief Affair.”
Linda Lavin attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon Studios’ “Being The Ricardos” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 6, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Lavin continued to work until her death. In addition to her work in “No Good Deed”, she appeared in the episode “Elsbeth” this year. Last year, she did the voiceover for an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
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He is survived by his husband, Steve Bakunas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
