Kirstie Alley dies: Cheers Emmy winner, Look Who’s Talking and Veronica’s Closet star turns 71

Kirstie Alley, for which she won an Emmy cheersstarred in numerous films including the Look who’s talking Trilogy and directed Veronica’s closet and appeared in countless unscripted shows, died of cancer today, according to a post on her official Instagram account (read it below). She turned 71.

Alley received five consecutive Emmy nominations for her role as Rebecca Howe from 1988 to 1993 cheers, having joined the NBC comedy in season six following the departure of original star Shelley Long. She won the Emmy in 1991. Alley also won an Emmy for her lead role in the 1994 TV movie David’s mother and was nominated for her lead role on NBC’s 1998 Veronica closet. She also had an Emmy nomination for a supporting role in the 1997 miniseries The Last Don

Born on January 12, 1951 in Wichita, Kansas, Alley began her film career in the late 1970s, making her debut as Saavik in the 1982 hit film. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. She landed her first TV lead role in the short-lived ABC drama series masquerade, opposite Rod Taylor and Greg Evigan. It aired from December 1983 to April 1984.

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She also continued to play big screen roles, including 1984’s Run away and blind datebefore starring in the hit 1985 miniseries north and south. She reprized her role of Virgilia Hazard for the 1986 sequel Mini north and south: Book II

Alley played along Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1986), with Tom Harmon. But then cheers come call

When she joined the series, cheers was a Top 10 hit. Her popularity would continue to grow when her Rebecca Howe joined the sitcom as the bar’s new manager – after Sam Malone (Ted Danson) sold her and returned to look for work. Famed womanizer Malone was immediately attracted to Howe, but she was a corporate executive who had no interest in the aging ex-ball player. At least in the beginning.

cheers started his first season as the no. 3 series in prime time – during the three network era – and remained a Top 10 program until the end of its 12 seasons in May 1993. The anchor series “Must-See TV” became the first overall winner in the Finished 1989/90 season with a score of 21.3.

She appeared in several other films in the mid-80s, including 1988 shoot to kill opposite Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger, but her most famous role would be that of star Look who’s talking the 1988 comedy directed by Amy Heckerling, which also starred John Travolta, George Segal and Olympia Dukakis. It spawned a few sequels Look who is Talk too (1990) and Look who’s talking now (1993), and Alley starred in both.

She went on to perform film scores and guest roles on television before being cast in NBC’s comedy At Work veronica’s closet, opposite Kathy Nijimy and Wallace Langham. Alley played Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, a successful businesswoman who ran a Victoria’s Secret-style lingerie mail-order company and was also an author The guide to a fairytale wedding. But when her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Ronnie takes out her frustration on her stuffed staff.

The series, which debuted in September 1997, was an initial hit and finished as the #3 primetime series that season. In the 1998/99 season – in which Danson guest-starred as a lusty old crush who arrives with a plumber’s call – it finished fifth, but then fell out of favor and ended in June 2000 when reality TV started knocking. American diner.

As the Internet became mainstream, Alley faced negative publicity about her weight. In 2005, she led the semi-scripted Showtime series fat actress, She plays a version of herself as a once popular TV star trying to regain the limelight. The series lasted one season and Alley began filming commercials for Jenny Craig.

She was on top in 2013 Kristie, A TV-Land sitcom about a Broadway actress who reconnects with the son she gave up at birth (Eric Peterson). Michael Richards and Alley’s alumni cheers Actress Rhea Perlman starred in the sitcom, which aired in 2013-14.

By then, Alley had a second career in reality TV. She signed up for her weight loss journey The great life of Kirstie Alley, which aired on A&E for one season, but saw the star hit her target weight. In 2011, Alley was a contestant on Season 12 of Dancing with the stars, with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. They finished second behind Hines Ward and Kym Johnson.

Alley then crossed the Atlantic and was cast in the British reality series in 2015 time cracker, which followed a group of celebrities as they were transported to experience the “lower class” life. In 2018 she returned to the UK as a flatmate Celebrity Big Brother 22where she took second place. Her last reality show appearance was as Baby Mammoth on Fox The masked singer this year.

Her final series roles were guest appearances The Goldbergs, minus and the middle, and as a regular on the final season of Fox’s horror comedy screamed queen in 2016.

Meanwhile, Alley was a popular guest on talk shows including Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, The Talk, Rachael Ray, The Wendy Williams Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She also appeared on numerous award shows and game shows and made her first television appearances as a contestant match play (1979) and password (1980).

Alley was married twice – first to her childhood sweetheart Bob Alley from 1907 to 1977 and later to her Baywatch and The Hardy Boys Starred Parker Stevenson from 1983-97.

Here’s the full Instagram post announcing her death:

To all our friends around the world…

We are sorry to announce that our incredible, wild and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer that was only recently discovered.

Surrounded by her immediate family, she fought with great strength and assured us of her never-ending lust for life and all the adventures ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.

We are grateful to the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Moffitt Cancer Center for their care.

The joy and passion of our mother, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her infinite joy in creating, was unmatched and inspired us to live life to the fullest just like her.

We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.

True and Lillie Parker