Linda Lavin, Tony Award-Winning Broadway Star and ‘Alice’ Sitcom Icon, Passes Away at 87
NEW YORK—Linda Lavin, an acclaimed stage actress and Tony Award winner, known for her role as a waitress in paper hat on the beloved TV sitcom “Alice,” has passed away at the age of 87.
She died in Los Angeles on Sunday due to complications from lung cancer, which had been recently diagnosed, her representative, Bill Veloric, confirmed to The Associated Press via email.
After gaining success on Broadway, Lavin ventured into Hollywood in the mid-1970s. She was cast as the lead in a new CBS sitcom inspired by the Martin Scorsese film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” which earned Ellen Burstyn an Oscar for her portrayal of the lead waitress.
The show was titled simply “Alice,” and Lavin portrayed Alice Hyatt, a widowed mother juggling work in a roadside diner outside Phoenix while raising her 12-year-old son. The series, in which Lavin performed the theme song “There’s a New Girl in Town,” aired from 1976 to 1985.
Initially, the series experienced erratic scheduling during its first two seasons but gained popularity when paired with “All in the Family” on Sunday nights starting in October 1977. It ranked among the top 10 primetime shows for four of the next five seasons, with Variety magazine recognizing it as one of the best workplace comedies of all time.
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Lavin went on to win a Tony Award for best actress in a play for her role in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound” in 1987.
In recent weeks, Lavin was actively promoting a new Netflix series titled “No Good Deed” and was also filming a Hulu series, “Mid-Century Modern,” as reported by Deadline, which first announced her passing.
Originally from Portland, Maine, Lavin moved to New York City after graduating from the College of William and Mary, where she began performing in nightclubs and ensemble shows.
Her major breakthrough came from iconic producer and director Hal Prince, who cast her in the Broadway musical “It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman.” She received a Tony nomination for her performance in Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” in 1969, clinching her Tony win with “Broadway Bound” 18 years later.
Linda Lavin speaks at the 33rd annual Producers Guild Awards, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles March 19, 2022. Chris Pizzello/AP Photo
In the mid-1970s, Lavin relocated to Los Angeles, where she appeared in a recurring role on “Barney Miller.” In 1976, she landed the lead role in CBS’s new sitcom based on the acclaimed film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” which starred Ellen Burstyn.
She later returned to Broadway for Paul Rudnick’s comedy “The New Century,” created a concert show titled “Songs & Confessions of a One-Time Waitress,” and garnered another Tony nomination for her performance in Donald Margulies’ “Collected Stories.”
AP critic Michael Kuchwara commended Lavin’s performance in “Collected Stories,” acknowledging her complete and nuanced portrayal, capturing the character’s intellectual vigor, humor, and physical frailty with remarkable precision. He praised her sense of timing, whether delivering a joke or sharply analyzing the work of her protégé.
In her 70s, Lavin received renewed appreciation, earning a Tony nomination for Nicky Silver’s “The Lyons.” She also showcased her talents in “Other Desert Cities” and a revival of “Follies” before both transitioned to Broadway.
Once again, the AP praised Lavin in “The Lyons,” referring to her as “an absolute wonder” for her role as Rita Lyons, a complex matriarch juggling firm beliefs and ambitious familial dynamics.
Her film credits include “Wanderlust” alongside Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, and she released her debut CD, “Possibilities.” She also played Jennifer Lopez’s grandmother in “The Back-Up Plan.”
When giving advice to aspiring actors, Lavin emphasized one principle: “I say that what happened for me was that work brings work. As long as it wasn’t morally objectionable to me, I took it,” she shared with the AP in 2011.
With her husband, Steve Bakunas—an artist and musician—she transformed an old garage into the 50-seat Red Barn Studio Theatre in Wilmington, North Carolina, which opened in 2007. Their productions included “Doubt” by John Patrick Shanley, “Glengarry Glen Ross” by David Mamet, “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire, and “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” by Charles Busch, another show where Lavin earned a Tony nomination on Broadway.
She made her return to television in 2013 with “Sean Saves the World,” featuring “Will & Grace’s” Sean Hayes; the show aired for a single season. Lavin also had guest roles on shows like “Mom” and “9JKL.”
By Mark Kennedy
