Golden Globe and Tony-winning actor Linda Lavin dead at 87
The Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actor Linda Lavin, who also starred in the TV series Alice, has died at the age of 87.
A representative confirmed Lavin died on December 29th. They told Deadline that the celebrated actor had passed away following complications with a recently discovered lung cancer and her death has been described as happening “unexpectedly”.
Her most recent appearance was a prominent role in the Netflix series, No Good Deed, which starred Friends star Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano. Lavin appeared at the premiere of No Good Deed earlier this month on December 4th.
The show’s creator, Liz Feldman, who also previously worked with the actor on the sitcom 9JKL, said in a tribute to Lavin: “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.”
Feldman continued: “Your warmth and kindness was unparalleled. I just loved you. We all did. I’m so glad I got to see you a few weeks ago at the premiere and introduce you to my parents. They were thrilled to meet you. And my father made it very clear to me that you were his favorite part of No Good Deed. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Thank you for letting me into your stunning orbit. And for allowing me to spin with you for a while.”
Lavin had also been recently filming the new Hulu series Mid-Century Modern. It is set to have ten episodes, seven of which are already filmed, but due to Lavin’s passing, it remains unclear how they plan to go forward. Hulu has described Lavin as “a legend in our industry” in a statement.
The late actor’s most notable television role was the CBS sitcom Alice, which aired for nine seasons between 1976 and 1985. Lavin won two Golden Globes for her performance in the show.
After Alice ended, Lavin returned to her Broadway roots, winning her first Tony Award in 1986 for ‘Best Leading Actress In A Play’ for her performance in Broadway Bound. In total, Lavin was nominated for six Tony Awards, most recently for The Lyons in 2012 in the ‘Best Leading Actress in a Play’ category.
Her final movie, One Big Happy Family, is set to premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival next month. Lavin is survived by her husband Steve Bakunas.
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