The actress Tanya Roberts (The Beastmaster, That 70s Show), best known for her turn as a Bond Girl in A View to Kill and Midge Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom That 70s Show has died. She was 65, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
Her cause of death has not been released by officials, though her publicist Mike Pingel confirmed it was not COVID-19 related. He told CNN, “I’m devastated, I’ve been friends with Tanya for over 20 years. She was full of energy and we always had a wild time together. She was truly an Angel and I will miss her so much.”
Pingel also told CNN that Roberts collapsed in her California home after walking her dogs on December 24 and was then transported to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where she was put on ventilators. Unable to recover, she died on Sunday, January 3.
Born Victoria Leigh Blum on October 15, 1955, Roberts started out as a model before transitioning into film and television. Her best known film role was playing geologist Stacey Sutton in the 1985 James Bond Film A View to Kill. Starring opposite Roger Moore (The Saint), it was his last Bond film. Roberts also had leading roles in the cult classics The Beastmaster and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle. She then also starred in several comedies, slashers, and action/erotica B movies, including Tourist Trap, Inner Sanctum, Sins of Desire, and Legal Tender.
In television, Roberts had a starring role in one season of the hit ABC series Charlie’s Angels. Portraying one of the three main characters, Julie Rogers, she starred in the role from 1980-81. She then went on to have various roles in Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Hot Line, The Blues Brothers Animated Series, and Eve.
Though having a career that spanned over thirty years in film and television, Roberts is still perhaps best known for playing Midge in That 70s Show, the ditzy mother of Donna Pinciotti who was portrayed by Laura Prepon (Orange is the New Black). The series ran from 1998-2006, and Roberts was a series regular for the first three seasons and guest starred in seasons six and seven. She became a fan favorite with her giddy one liners and feminist ideals.
Fellow cast-mate and star of the series, Topher Grace (BlacKkKlansman), paid tribute to her memory on Instagram Monday by writing, “I was so sad to hear that Tanya Roberts has passed away. She was a Bond girl, one of Charlie’s Angels, and truly a delightful person to work with. I had never acted before and, to be honest, a little nervous around her. She couldn’t have been more kind or humble. We’ll miss you Midge.”
See Grace’s full post below:
The last appearance Roberts made on screen was portraying Elle in the Showtime series Barbershop in 2005. She is survived by her husband and her sister.