Linda Lavin, star of sitcom 'Alice,' dies at 87
Linda Lavin, the Tony Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning actress famous for her starring role in the 1970s and '80s sitcom "Alice," has died. She was 87 years old.
Lavin died unexpectedly on Dec. 29 from complications from lung cancer, which had been recently discovered, according to her representative.
Lavin most recently appeared at the Dec. 4 premiere of Netflix's dark comedy "No Good Deed," in which she played Phyllis Adelman, one of the main characters' neighbors.
On top of her high profile roles in "Alice" and Broadway shows including "Broadway Bound," Lavin's career spanned seven decades, with appearances in film, television and on- and off-Broadway shows.
Born in Portland, Maine, Lavin attended The College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she starred in several campus plays.
Lavin landed a role in "A Family Affair" on Broadway in 1962 and starred in "It's a Bird ... It's a Plane ... It's Superman" and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" early in her stage career. She later won a Tony Award for best actress in a play in 1987 for her role as Kate in "Broadway Bound."
Lavin landed her most well-known role as the titular character in the sitcom "Alice," which told the story of a widowed waitress at a cafeteria in Phoenix, Arizona. "Alice" ran for nine seasons on CBS from 1976 to 1985. Lavin took home two Golden Globe Awards for her work on the show in 1978 and 1979.
Lavin played significant roles in a variety of television shows later in her career, including "Conrad Bloom," "Sean Saves the World," "B Positive," "No Good Deed" and many more.
Lavin's stage success also continued with several starring roles on Broadway, including Mama Rose Hovick in "Gypsy" and Mrs. Van Daan in "The Diary of Anne Frank."
She appeared in dozens of films throughout her career including 1967's "Damn Yankees!", 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan," 2012's "Wanderlust," and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" in 2022.
Lavin leaves behind her husband, actor Steve Bakunas, with whom she started the Red Barn Studio Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware.
