Kirstie Alley attends the premiere of the HBO series “Girls” in January 2015. Evan Agostini (Invision)
Kirstie Alley died this Monday at the age of 71, the family of the Cheers and Look Who’s Talking actress has confirmed. The interpreter, who did many TV episodes in the 1980s and 1990s, died of complications from a “recently discovered” cancer, according to a statement released on social media by her children, William True and Lillie Parker. The family say Kirstie was surrounded by loved ones in her final hours and fought “with great vigour”. “He leaves us the assurance of his never-ending joy in experiencing the adventures that are yet to come,” the lyrics read.
“The enormous enthusiasm and passion for his life, his children, grandchildren and animals, not to mention his undying joy in creating is unparalleled and inspires us so much to live life to the fullest,” added his children, Alley had during her marriage to fellow actor Parker Stevenson. His family thanked the doctors and health workers at Moffit Cancer Center, a specialty hospital in Florida, on Monday.
Alley rose to fame playing Rebecca Howe, the manager of the most famous bar on American television. Cheers replaced Mash and became a comedy icon for the NBC television network long before Jerry Seinfeld was reinventing TV sitcom standards. Alley became an undisputed star in a seminal series that launched the careers of Ted Danson, George Wendt, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson.
Alley’s character was introduced by the writers to gain oxygen in a series that lasted eleven seasons. Howe appeared in the sixth as a female replacement for Shelley Long, who was the venue’s bartender. In the story, Sam (Danson) sells his bar to a big corporation. The authors decide to reverse the relationship of the protagonist, who went from commanding to obeying the orders of Alley, who is responsible for the transition after the operation. She does it with the rigor one would expect from a business school graduate.
Thanks to her cat eyes and a very attractive voice, Alley received five Emmy nominations for this role. She took it home in 1991 after winning the best actress category. In 1994, she won another statuette for her participation in the miniseries David’s Mother, in which she played the mother of an autistic minor.
Applause meant a before and after for Alley. However, his start in the industry was in cinema. In 1982 he made his screen debut in one of the most prestigious families in American science fiction, Star Trek. Alley brought to life a lieutenant from the planet Vulcan whose creatures have pointy ears. The film in which he appears, The Wrath of Khan, is one of the highest rated among the various adaptations that the saga has. He also acted for the big screen alongside idols of the time such as Tom Selleck in Runaway and John Hurt in Champions of the same year. In 1988 he shared the screen with Sidney Poitier in Shoot to Kill.
Her big screen success was back in 1989 in the comedy Show Who’s Talking, where Alley played a single mother who decides whether or not to raise her baby (voiced by Bruce Willis) with James, starring John Travolta. Amy Heckerling’s film was not well received by critics, who limited themselves to calling it cute and simple. But it was a box office success. It grossed an impressive $140 million in the US alone, enough to launch two sequels that defined commercial cinema in the early 1990s.
Alley was born in 1951 in Wichita, Kansas to a middle-class family. There she worked as an interior designer until she decided to leave her state, attracted by the glamor of Hollywood. He arrived in 1981 without knowing anyone thanks to what he called “an impulse”. Just six months later, she wore the Enterprise uniform aboard the Star Trek saga.
Although she moved to California, the actress did not espouse West Coast ideology. She was a conservative (though she said she voted twice for Obama) and a fervent supporter of Donald Trump, whom she backed to reach the White House in 2016. In recent years, she has claimed to have been blacklisted by Hollywood for her endorsement of the former president. In May 2021, Trump sent a message to the actress. “She is very strong and intelligent…Kirstie Alley needs support,” the former president wrote. She appreciated the gesture and said she missed it to the controversial businessman on Twitter.
She was also an actress known for her sense of humor. She wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself. In 2005, she appeared in Fat Actress for the Showtime network. There she played an actress who, like her, tried to make a career in an image-obsessed industry despite a few pounds too much. This was a battle royale during Alley’s lifetime, who for years was a spokesman for a company that sold weight loss plans.
All the culture that suits you awaits you here.
Subscribe to
Babelia
The literary novelties analyzed by our best critics in our weekly bulletin
GET IT