Linda Lavin, TV’s ‘Alice’ & a Tony Winner, Dies at 87

Linda Lavin, the television icon known for starring in “Alice” and whose most recent films include the new series “No Good Deed” and the upcoming “Mid-Century Modern,” died on Sunday at the age of 87. .

Although she was very active, her representative confirmed her death “unexpectedly due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer.” deadline.

Hulu and 20th Television, which produced “Mid-Century Modern,” said in a joint statement: “We extend our deepest condolences to Linda Lavin’s family and loved ones. She is a legend in our industry and a wonderful woman. He brought his unique talent to the viewers.” For over 70 years, her “Mid-Century Modern” work will be forever missed. We mourn this incredible loss together. ”

Emmy winner Dan Bucatinsky tweeted: “Heartbroken. Devastated. Rest in peace, my dear Linda Lavin. You made everyone and everything better. You matter. You were a dear friend. Your memory will be a blessing. I will always love you.”

Debra Messing responded to her post, writing, “Oh no!! What a heartbreaking loss. So sad. 💔.”

Lavin’s sudden departure seemed destined to garner further tributes from her colleagues and fans in the coming days.

Lavin was born on October 15, 1937 in Portland, Maine. Acting on stage from the age of five, she studied acting in New York and displayed her talent in many stage productions.

Personally discovered by Hal Prince, she made her Broadway debut in 1962’s “Family Affair.” This performance preceded the great John Kander’s legendary work with Fred Ebb. She also appeared in It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman (1966), where she sang a love song about Superman, including the incredibly long “The Boy from…” He became famous for singing. — A parody of “The Girl from Ipanema” from “The Mad Show” (1966).

The song was written by future theater icon Stephen Sondheim.

She was nominated for six Tony Awards in 1970 for Neil Simon’s The Last of Red Hot Lovers, winning her first of six nominations, and in 1987 she starred in Simon’s The Last of Red Hot Lovers.・Won the award for “Bound”. The other nominee was The Diary of Anne Frank (1998). ), “The Allergist’s Wife” (2001), “Collected Stories” (2010), “Lions” (2012).

But before she became a Broadway staple, she made her most indelible impact on television. She made her debut in an episode of The Doctor and the Nurse in 1963 and appeared in the television version of the musical Damn Yankees in 1967. With Phil Silvers and Lee Remick.

She guest starred in “Rhoda” (1974) and “Phyllis” (1976), and made her first big impression with a series of appearances as a detective in “Barney Miller” (1975-1976). Janice Wentworth.

Shortly after, she landed the lead role of Alice Hyatt in Alice, an adaptation of the 1974 Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, for which Ellen Burstyn won an Oscar.

Reimagined as a working-class sitcom, “Alice” stars Lavin as a greasy spoon waitress who is surrounded by a surly cook (Vic Tyback), “a dirty chick” (her Broadway co-star) (Beth Howland), and a spitfire named Flo (Polly Holliday). ). Single mother Alice struggles to survive the economic downturn while raising her young son (Philip McKeon) and trying to find work as a singer.

The show was nominated for an Emmy in 1979, but never won. She won back-to-back Golden Globe Awards for the series in 1978 and 1979, and sang its theme song, “There’s a New Girl in Town.”

“Alice” had over 200 episodes between 1976 and 1985, proving to be highly rated. This also allowed her to use her character as a springboard to speak out on behalf of the controversial Equal Rights Amendment. She gave a speech wearing Alice’s instantly recognizable pink uniform.

Other television work includes Room for Two (1992-1993), Conrad Bloom (1998), Courage (voice cast, 2002), Sean Hayes His works include “Shaun Saves the World” (2013-2014), in which he starred. “The Good Wife” (2014-2015), “9JKL” (2017-2018), “Santa Clarita Diet” (2019), “Yvette Slosh, Agent” (2020), “B Positive” (2020-2022) year).

After stealing scenes with a small but glamorous role in the current Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano hit No Good Deed, Lavin is set to be one of the anchors of Mid-Century Modern, a gay They were often depicted as the “Golden Girls.” ‘ also stars Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham. According to Deadline, 7 of the 10 episodes have been filmed, with the most recent being filmed just a few weeks ago.

“Working with Linda has been one of the highlights of our careers,” the show’s creative directors Max Mutchnick, David Cohan and James Murrows said in a statement. “Linda is a wonderful actress. She was a great singer, singer, and musician, but more importantly, she was a deep, fun, generous and loving person who will be greatly missed by all of us on staff and crew. was better knowing her.”

Although he was rarely utilized on the big screen, he did appear in the 1984 hit “The Muppets Take Manhattan.” the wide-ranging comedy “How to Become a Latin Enthusiast” (2017); In 2021, the Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem biopic “Being the Ricardos” will be produced, with Aaron Sorkin portraying the tumultuous relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Lavin was married to actor Ron Liebman from 1969 to 1981 and to actor Kip Niven from 1982 to 1992, both of whom died in 2019. She is survived by her husband of nearly 20 years, Steve Bakunas, with whom she ultimately divorced. Hit the carpet in support of “No Good Deed” on December 4th.