Linda Lavin, the beloved veteran stage and TV actress recognized for her Emmy-nominated function within the 1976 sitcom Alice and for her Tony-winning efficiency within the 1986 play Broadway Bound, died in the present day, Dec. 29. She was 87.
The information comes as a shock as Lavin has been working as not too long ago as this month. She died unexpectedly because of problems from not too long ago found lung most cancers, her PR consultant confirmed to Deadline.
A former baby stage actor, Lavin began her Broadway profession within the Sixties, showing within the musical It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman and the play Last of the Red Hot Lovers, which earned her the primary of six Tony Award nominations in 1970.
For the following 5 many years, Lavin juggled theater and Hollywood careers. Following a memorable recurring function on the ABC sitcom Barney Miller from 1975-1976, she landed the the title function of a roadside diner waitress and widowed younger mom within the 1976 comedy sequence Alice, primarily based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which ran on CBS for 9 seasons and 202 episodes.
Lavin has labored steadily in tv since. Loved by sequence creators and producers, she discovered a brand new gear over the previous decade with a slew of main roles, together with sequence common activates comedy sequence Sean Saves the World on NBC in addition to 9JKL and B Positive on CBS. This yr alone, she visitor starred on CBS’ Elsbeth, recurs on Netflix’s No Good Deed, which is at present streaming on Netflix, and has a recurring function on the upcoming Hulu comedy sequence Mid-Century Modern, filming her most up-to-date episode simply a few weeks in the past.
In her closing public look, Lavin walked the pink carpet for the premiere of No Good Deed on Dec. 4.
“Alice was one of the many sitcoms that made me fall in love with television; I was eight years old and watched every episode,” stated 9JKL govt producer Aaron Kaplan. “Over three decades later, I had the great privilege to work with Linda on JKL 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.”
On Broadway, Lavin adopted her 1970 Tony nomination with a Tony win for Broadway Bound in 1987. He most up-to-date Tony nomination was in 2012 for The Lyons.
Lavin’s movie credit embody Damn Yankees!, which marked her function debut, The Ring, The Intern, and Being the Ricardos.
She is survived by her husband of 19 years — and love of her life — Steve Bakunas.
Linda and Steve collectively on the ‘No Good Deed’ premiere on Dec. 4.