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Linda Lavín, an award-winning actress known for starring in the beloved comedy “Alice”, has died. She was 87 years old.
Lavín had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and died Sunday from complications of the disease, a representative told the Associated Press.
She had been active in the weeks before her death, appearing earlier this month at the Los Angeles premiere of the Netflix series “No Good Deed,” in which she appears.
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Linda Lavín has died. The actress was 87 years old. (CBS via Getty Images)
Lavín seemed to know from an early age that she was destined to be an actress for life, moving to new york city after graduating from college. Her first big break came when she was cast in a Broadway musical called “It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman.”
In 1969, she was nominated for her first Tony for her work in “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.”
Linda Lavin and her 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, she moved to Los Angeles, where she began getting work as a television actress. He appeared in an episode of “Rhoda” and then landed a small recurring role on “Barney Miller.”
It was in 1976 that she was cast to star in a new CBS comedy based on Ellen Burstyn’s Oscar-winning waitress dramedy, “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
The title was shortened to “Alice” and Lavin became a role model for working mothers like Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother with a 12-year-old son who works at a roadside diner outside Phoenix. The show, with Lavín singing the song “There is a new girl in the city”, ran between 1976 and 1985.
“Alice” cast from left to right: Polly Holliday as “Flo” Florence Jean Castleberry; Vic Tayback as restaurant owner Mel Sharples; Philip McKeon as Tommy, Alice’s son; Linda Lavín as Alice Hyatt; and Beth Howland as Vera Louise Gorman. (Getty Images)
The show turned “Kiss my grits” into a catchphrase and co-starred Polly Holliday as waitress Flo and Vic Tayback as the gruff owner and head chef of Mel’s Diner.
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The series bounced around on CBS’ schedule for its first two seasons, but became a hit before “All in the Family” on Sunday nights in October 1977. It was a top 10 primetime series on four of the next five seasons. Variety magazine included it among the best workplace 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, Lavín continued working in Hollywood, although he did direct back to broadway for a while. In 1987, she won a 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 role in the musical “Gypsy” in 1990. Her 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)
Lavín continued working until his death. In addition to her work on “No Good Deed,” she appeared in an episode of “Elsbeth” this year. Last year, he worked as a voice 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.
