Kirstie Alley (‘Cheers’, ‘Look Who’s Talking’) dies at 71

‘Cheers’ brought her fame and many will remember her for her role in the legendary sitcom which earned her an Emmy in the category of Best Actress in a Comedy Series, but for so many others born in the ’80s, she is probably the social worker who brought twins Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen together in ‘Two for the Price of One.’ Kirstie Alley, an actress with an extensive career who, following her rise to television fame, has worked with artists such as John Travolta or Kirsten Dunst; He died at the age of 71 from cancer..

* Ted Danson and Kirstie Alley in ‘Cheers’.

The double Emmy winner not only took it for ‘Cheers’ but also for her dramatic role in ‘A Very Special Sweetie’; He passed away after being diagnosed with cancer very recently, as confirmed by the family without giving further details. The Hollywood Reporter picks up the statement in which his children, True and Lillie Parker, share the hard news assuring that he is gone “surrounded by her closest family” after “fight very hard, leaving us with the certainty of his infinite joie de vivre and the adventures that await him”. “As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more incredible mother and grandmother”.

Of ‘Cheers’ fame, Alley spent the 1990s making comedy films that will be dear to many, not just ‘Two for the price of one’, but also ‘Look who’s talking’ or ‘Forget it, beautiful’. But her acting range went further as she was recognized by the aforementioned television award for her portrayal of a mother who insists on caring for her autistic son on her own in the telefilm ‘A Very Special Love’. These two awards were the icing on the cake, but Alley has been nominated eight times, most for ‘Cheers’ and most recently for the comic series ‘Veronica’s secret’ and the Italian mafia miniseries, ‘The last Don’.

Your home, your TV

‘Cheers’ was the turning point, but Alley, born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951; He started his career by winning a television contest: He took about $6,000 in “Match Game”. It was only a few years later that she began her acting career with “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” (1982), a film in which she played a Vulcan Starfleet officer. Later she moved on to the ABC series “Masquerade” and we could see her in ‘Club Girl’, ‘North and South’ or ‘Tropical Revelry’, works that put her on the map.

So the producers of “Cheers” tried to go back to the original concept of the series in which Sam Malone (Ted Danson) works for a woman, according to the co-creator of said TV drama, James Burrows. “We told Jeff Greenberg, our casting director, that we wanted a tough looking, beautiful woman. And I swear to God the first words that came out of his mouth were “Kirstie Alley””. This is how Alley became part of the legendary sitcom in which she gave life to Rebecca, a character who undoubtedly made her immortal.