Abby Juarez December 30th, 2024 - 11:55 PM
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the main star of Alice, Linda Lavin (How to Be a Latin Lover, No Good Deed), has passed away at 87. Her representative informed THR that the cause of death was complications of lung cancer, which was recently discovered.
Lavin was born on Oct. 15, 1937, to radio personality and coloratura soprano Lucille and furniture businessman David. At 22, she graduated with a theater arts degree from the College of William & Mary. A few months after, she moved to New York and starred in Oh, Kay!, an off-Broadway revival.
Hal Prince (A Little Night Music, Something for Everyone) was responsible for giving Lavin her first role on Broadway in 1962 as she was on the chorus of A Family Affair when Prince saw her potential. In a 2018 Broadway World interview, Lavin stated, “I’d never met him before, dynamo of a man … [he] pointed at me and said, ‘You’re terrific, I’ll see you later,’ and the next day he was introduced as our new director and I got three speaking parts. At that time, you got $5 apiece for each speaking part. So, I was now an actor.” From then, her career as a Broadway actress took off, and she starred in various plays, including Hotel Passionato, The Ride Act and Wet Paint. She was hired again by Prince in 1966.
The Hollywood Reporter stated Lavin had six Tony nominations in 1998, 2001, 2010 and 2012 for The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tale of the Allegist’s Wife, Collected Stories, The Lyons and many more.
In 1976, the actress was hired to star in the Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore–based series Alice, created by Robert Getchell (Stella, Sweet Dreams). The TV series landed her many opportunities, including joining the National Commission on Working Women, one Emmy nomination and two Golden Globes. She has worked with Neil Simon (The Sunshine Boys, Barefoot in the Park) on two separate occasions and honored him in her Tony acceptance speech.
Via Variety, creator of No Good Dead Liz Feldman (No Good Deed, One Big Happy) tributed to Lavin on Instagram by writing: “Getting to work with you once was an honor and a joy. I loved writing for you on ‘9JKL’ all those years ago. I just loved YOU. Being around you. In your magnetic orbit. That we got to collaborate again on ‘No Good Deed’ was simply a gift. You were, as always, incredibly gracious, totally hilarious and pitch perfect. Ready to play and full of life. Your warmth and kindness was unparalleled. I just loved you. We all did.”
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Sarah Paulson (Ocean’s Eight, Bird Box) also commented on Lavin via Instagram by recalling a memory of a play that goes wrong and Lavin suggesting they go anyway.
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Allison Janney (10 Things I Hate About You, Juno) worked with Lavin on Moms and tributed to her on Instagram as well. She wrote under the caption, “She was TV royalty, she was kind, generous, and I was honored to act with her … Linda Lavin, you will be missed. I send love to her family and friends.”
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