(L to R) Polly Holliday, Linda Lavin and Beth Howland in ‘Alice’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television.
Preview:
- Actor Linda Lavin has died aged 87.
- Lavin was best known for her role in TV’s ‘Alice.’
- Her movie roles included ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan’ and ‘The Intern.’
Linda Lavin, the sitcom star and stage actor who was best known for her long-running role as the title character in ‘Alice,’ died Sunday from complications of lung cancer. She was 87.
Lavin, who scored Tony and Emmy awards for her career, enjoyed a long and successful career both in theatre and on TV, while also finding time to appear in movies.
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Linda Lavin: Early Life and Career
(L to R) Buddy Rich and Linda Lavin in 1980’s ‘Linda in Wonderland’. Photo: CBS.
Born in 1937, Linda Lavin grew up in Portland, Maine, and moved to New York City after graduating from the College of William and Mary. She sang in nightclubs and in ensembles of shows.
Producer and director Hal Prince gave Lavin her first big break while directing the Broadway musical ‘It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman,’ which became a notorious flop but still helped to launch Lavin’s stage career.
She went on to earn a Tony nomination in Neil Simon’s ‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers’ in 1969 before winning 18 years later for another Simon play, ‘Broadway Bound.’
While her Hollywood career would impact her availability for theatre work, she still continued to show up on stages including in ‘Gypsy,’ ‘The Diary of Anne Frank,’ and branched out into directing plays.
Linda Lavin: TV and Movie Appearances
(L to R) Jeniffer Lopez and Linda Lavin in ‘The Back-Up Plan’. Photo: CBS Films.
Lavin’s early TV work included episodes of ‘The Nurses,’ ‘Rhoda,’ ‘Harry O’ and ‘Kaz.’ She landed a recurring spot as Detective Janice Wentworth on ‘Barney Miller’ and appeared in the show’s first two seasons.
That part saw her cast her on ‘Alice,’ a sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning role in Martin Scorsese’s 1974 drama ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.’
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9 SeasonsAugust 31st, 1976
Lavin played a widow and single mom who becomes a waitress in Phoenix in the series, which ran from 1976 to 1985. She received one Emmy nomination and won two Golden Globes.
The show spawned “Kiss my grits” as a catchphrase and co-starred Polly Holliday as waitress Flo and Vic Tayback as the gruff owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.
(L to R) Polly Holliday, Vic Tayback, Linda Lavin and Beth Howland in ‘Alice’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television
Outside of those roles, Lavin became a regular in guest star and recurring spots, showing up on series including ‘The Muppet Show,’ ‘Touched by an Angel,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘The O.C.,’ ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘Bones,’ ‘Mom,’ ‘9JKL,’ ‘Brockmire,’ ‘B Positive’ and ‘Elspeth.’
Most recently, she had a supporting role on Netflix comedy drama ‘No Good Deed’ and had been at work filming new Hulu sitcom ‘Mid-Century Modern’ co-starring Matt Bomer and Nathan Lane. The show had been on a hiatus for the holidays and had completed filming seven of its 10 initial episodes.
On the big screen, Lavin appeared in the likes of ‘The Muppets Take Manhattan,’ ‘I Want to Go Home,’ ‘The Back-Up Plan,’ ‘Wanderlust,’ ‘The Intern,’ ‘How to Be a Latin Lover’ and ‘Being the Ricardos.’
“Fall in love, get married, have a baby. Not necessarily in that order.”
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1 hr 46 minApr 23rd, 2010
Linda Lavin: Tributes
(L to R) Jeniffer Lopez, Linda Lavin and Tom Bosley in ‘The Back-Up Plan’. Photo: CBS Films.
Liz Feldman, who worked as a supervising producer on ‘9JKL’ and created ‘No Good Deed,’ paid particular tribute to her:
“Getting to work with you once was an honor and a joy. I loved writing for you on ‘9JKL’ all those years ago. I just loved YOU. Being around you. In your magnetic orbit. That we got to collaborate again on ‘No Good Deed’ was simply a gift. You were, as always, incredibly gracious, totally hilarious and pitch perfect. Ready to play and full of life. Your warmth and kindness was unparalleled. I just loved you. We all did. Thank you for letting me into your stunning orbit. And for allowing me to spin with you for a while.”
Aaron Kaplan, who similarly worked on ‘9JKL’ and hired Lavin as a recurring actor on another show, ‘Santa Clarita Diet,’ also recalled her talent:
“ ‘Alice’ was one of the many sitcoms that made me fall in love with television; I was eight years old and watched every episode. Over three decades later, I had the great privilege to work with Linda on ‘9JKL’ and she was the just the most amazing partner — funny and talented and kind and generous. Linda Lavin was — and will always be — Hollywood royalty.”
Finally, ‘Mid-Century Modern’ producers Max Mutchnick and David Kohan and director and executive producer James Burrows released a joint statement:
“Working with Linda was one of the highlights of our careers. She was a magnificent actress, singer, musician, and a heat seeking missile with a joke. But more significantly, she was a beautiful soul. Deep, joyful, generous and loving. She made our days better. The entire staff and crew will miss her beyond measure. We are better for having known her.”
Lavin is survived by her third husband, Steve Bakunas.
(L to R) Beth Howland, Linda Lavin, and Polly Holliday in ‘Alice’. Photo: Warner Bros. Television.
List of Linda Lavin Movies and TV Shows:
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