Linda Lavin
(Photo: c/o Polk & Co.)

Linda Lavin, the warm and funny actress, known for her starring role in the 1970s sitcom Alice and for her Tony Award-winning performance Broadway boundHe died on December 29 in Los Angeles. She was 87 years old. The cause of death was complications from recently discovered lung cancer.

Lavin was born on October 15, 1937 in Portland, Maine. His career spanned more than six decades and left a lasting impression on television, film and especially the stage. She made her Broadway debut in the 1962 musical A family affair and developed into an outstanding personality in the theater world. Her breakout role as Kate Jerome in Neil Simons Broadway bound earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1987. Lavin received five additional Tony nominations for her work in Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1970), Anne Frank’s diary (1998), The story of the allergist’s wife (2001), Collected Stories (2010) and The Lyonnais (2012).

Her other Broadway appearances include: It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Superman, Gypsy, The Rosenschweig Sisters And Hollywood guns. Lavin also starred in pre-Broadway productions Other desert cities and a revival of Follies. Her final New York stage appearance was in Roundabout Theater Company’s Off-Broadway production of Noah Diaz in 2022 You will get sick.

Although she was an acclaimed stage performer, Lavin is perhaps best known for her role as Alice Hyatt, a single mother and waitress, on the hit sitcom Alice (1976-1985). The role made her a household name and earned her an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe Awards. The show, which ran for nine seasons, became a television classic and introduced Lavin to a new generation of fans.

Lavin’s television career continued thereafter Alicewith unforgettable guest appearances on shows like The good woman, 2 broke girls And Law & Order: SVU. Her numerous film appearances included roles in The Muppets take over Manhattan, the backup plan And The internalthough it was the stage that remained her true artistic home. In addition to her Tony Award, Lavin’s career has been marked by three Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards and a Theater World Award. In 2010 she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Lavin remained active until her death, promoting her new Netflix series Not a good deed and filming the Hulu comedy Mid-Century Modern alongside Matt Bomer and Nathan Lane.

She is survived by her third husband, Steve Bakunas, as well as her stepchildren from Bakunas and her second husband, Kip Niven.