NEW YORK — Linda Lavin, the Tony-winning Broadway star and beloved TV actress best known for her role as Alice Hyatt in the sitcom Alice, passed away on Sunday in Los Angeles due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer. She was 87.
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Lavin’s representative, Bill Veloric, confirmed her death in an email to media.
From Stage to Screen: A Career That Spanned Decades
Lavin’s career began on the Broadway stage, where she garnered acclaim in musicals and plays. After relocating to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Lavin was cast as the lead in CBS’s Alice, a sitcom adaptation of Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
The show, which aired from 1976 to 1985, cemented Lavin’s place in pop culture as a working-class icon. Her portrayal of Alice, a widowed mother juggling life and work in Mel’s Diner, resonated with audiences. The show became a primetime hit, even popularizing the catchphrase “Kiss my grits,” delivered by co-star Polly Holliday’s character Flo.
Lavin sang the series’ memorable theme song, There’s a New Girl in Town. The sitcom achieved top-10 status in primetime ratings for several seasons and earned recognition as one of the greatest workplace comedies by Variety.
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Broadway Triumphs
Returning to the stage, Lavin won a Tony Award for Best Actress in Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound in 1987. Over the years, she earned multiple Tony nominations for standout performances in Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), Collected Stories (2010), and The Lyons (2012), among others.
Critics consistently praised Lavin’s nuanced and powerful acting. Michael Kuchwara of the AP lauded her performance in Collected Stories, describing her as delivering “complete, nuanced performances” with “astonishing fidelity.”
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A Legacy of Versatility
Beyond the stage and Alice, Lavin showcased her talents in films such as Wanderlust and The Back-Up Plan. On television, she appeared in Sean Saves the World, Mom, and 9JKL. Recently, she had been promoting her role in Netflix’s No Good Deed and filming Hulu’s Mid-Century Modern.
Lavin also made her mark as a recording artist with her debut CD, Possibilities, and as a theater producer. In Wilmington, North Carolina, she and her husband Steve Bakunas transformed an old garage into the Red Barn Studio Theatre, producing plays and starring in several.
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Advice to Aspiring Actors
Lavin often emphasized perseverance to young actors. “Work brings work,” she said in a 2011 interview. “As long as it wasn’t morally reprehensible to me, I did it.”
A Life Well-Lived
Born in Portland, Maine, Lavin graduated from the College of William and Mary before moving to New York City to pursue her dreams. From nightclub performances to Tony-winning roles, she built a legacy of dedication, talent, and passion for the arts.
Linda Lavin is survived by her husband, Steve Bakunas, and the countless fans and colleagues inspired by her groundbreaking career.
