Regrettably, Actress Linda Lavin, Famed for Her Role in 'Alice', Passes Away at 87
Linda Lavin, the multiple award-winning actress who gained prominence in the extended run of the CBS sitcom Alice, passed away suddenly in Los Angeles on December 29, 2022, at the age of 87. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer not long ago.
Born on October 15, 1937, in Portland, Maine, Linda Lavin commenced her Broadway career in the 1960s, featuring in musical comedies such as Oh, Kay!, A Family Affair, It’s a Bird...It’s a Plane...It’s Superman, and the play Last of the Red Hot Lovers, which procured her her initial of six Tony Award nominations. Her solitary Tony Award triumph arrived in 1987 for Best Actress in a Play for Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound.
Lavin made her way to Hollywood in 1973, gaining fame in guest roles on TV series including Rhoda, Harry O, Family, Phyllis, and as Detective Janice Wentworth in five episodes of comedy Barney Miller.
In 1975, Lavin embarked on a nine-season journey as waitress/singer Alice Hyatt on Alice, which was motivated by the 1974 Martin Scorcese-directed theatrical Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (which saw Ellyn Burstyn as Alice earn an Academy Award).
In 1979, Lavin bagged the Golden Globe for Best TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Alice.
Post-Alice, Lavin held lead roles in seven additional sitcoms. The first was Room For Two alongside Patricia Heaton (pre-Everybody Loves Raymond) from 1992-93. This was followed by Conrad Bloom (1998), then Sean Saves the World (2013-14), 9JKL (2017-18), Yvette Slosch, Agent (2020), B Positive (2020-22), and the forthcoming Hulu comedy Mid-Century Modern. Lavin recorded her latest episode of Mid-Century Modern merely a couple of weeks prior to her demise.
Lavin also featured in recurring roles in The O.C., The Good Wife, Santa Clarita Diet, and No Good Deed, which aired on Netflix recently.
“Working with you once was an honor and a pleasure. I adored writing for you on 9JKL all those years ago,” penned Liz Feldman, creator of 9JKL, on Instagram. “I merely adored YOU. Spending time with you. In your mesmeric sphere. That we got to collaborate again on No Good Deed was merely a blessing. You were, as always, incredibly generous, hysterically funny, and flawlessly apt. Ready to play and full of life. Your warmth and kindness was unrivaled.”
“She was such a legend. The primary role I had in television was playing her daughter,” mentioned Patricia Heaton in a video message on X. “She was my mentor, my guardian angel. She truly looked out for me, taught me a lot, not just about acting but about life. And we had dinner a couple of months ago when I was in L.A., and she was just as sharp and funny and energetic as she always had been.”
“I’m going to miss her. She was a great friend,” Heaton concluded.
In the sitcom world, Linda Lavin famously portrayed Alice Hyatt in the long-running series "Alice," inspired by the 1974 movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Following her success in Alice, Lavin also starred in numerous other sitcoms, including "Room For Two" alongside Patricia Heaton. After her role in "Room For Two," Lavin appeared in the comedy series "Barney Miller," where she played Detective Janice Wentworth for five episodes.
