Linda Lavin, the award-winning actress best known for her role on the popular sitcom “Alice,” has died. He 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.
He had been active in the weeks leading up to his death, appearing earlier this month at a Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series “No Good Deed,” in which he appeared.
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Linda Lavin is dead. The actor was 87 years old. (CBS via Getty Images)
Lavin seemed to know from an early age that she was destined for life as an actress, moving to New York City after graduating from college. His first big break came when he performed in the Broadway musical “It’s a Bird … It’s a Fly … It’s Superman.”
In 1969, he was nominated for his first Tony for his work in Last of the Red Hot Lovers.
Linda Lavin and husband, Steve Bakunas, at the “No Good Deed” Los Angeles Premiere at the Tudum Theater on December 4, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
In the 70s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began to find work as a TV actor. He appeared in an episode of “Rhoda,” then had a small recurring role on “Barney Miller.”
It was in 1976 that she was cast in a new CBS sitcom based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning comedy-drama, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
The title was shortened to “Alice,” and Lavin became a role model for working mothers as Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son who works at a roadside diner outside of Phoenix. The show, with Lavin singing the theme song “There’s a New Girl in Town,” ran from 1976 to 1985.
“Alice” cast left to right: Polly Holliday as “Flo” Florence Jean Castleberry; Vic Tayback as diner 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 show turned “Kiss my grits” into a catchphrase and also starred Polly Holliday as waitress Flo and Vic Tayback as the ruthless owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.
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The series flopped on the CBS schedule during its first two seasons but became the lead-in to “All in the Family” on Sunday nights in October 1977. It was among the top 10 prime-time series for four of the next five seasons. Variety magazine listed it among the best comedies of all time.
“Alice” was 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 he returned to Broadway for a while. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for best actress after appearing in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound.”
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She took on several stage roles in the years following her success in “Alice,” including a turn in the musical “Gypsy” in 1990. His most recent role was in 2016 in “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 his death. In addition to her work on “No Good Deed,” she appeared in the episode “Elsbeth” this year. Last year, he did voice work for an episode of “Bob’s Burgers.”
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She is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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