Linda Lavin, the Tony-winning actress best known for her role as Alice Hyatt in the beloved CBS sitcom Alice, passed away on Sunday at the age of 87 after being recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She breathed her last in Los Angeles due to complications from the disease, her representative confirmed.
Born on October 15, 1937, in Portland, Maine, Linda Lavin’s career spanned a whopping six decades. Her journey started with theater after she finished her graduation with a degree in theater arts from the College of William & Mary in 1959. Her big break came in 1962 when Broadway director Hal Prince cast her in a speaking role in the musical A Family Affair. That role propelled her out of the chorus and brought the spotlight upon her.
Linda Lavin collaborated with Neil Simon in Last of the Red Hot Lovers for which she received a Tony nomination in 1970. The pair would go on to collaborate in Broadway Bound, which earned her the Tony Award in 1987 for her role as Kate. In her speech during Tony’s acceptance, Lavin said, “Thank you, Neil Simon, for allowing me to connect with all the women I come from, all the women in me.”
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Linda Lavin’s breakthrough on television came when she was cast in the lead role in Alice in 1976. Based on the Martin Scorsese directorial Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the television series focused on Alice Hyatt (Lavin), a recently widowed single mother working at Mel’s Diner. Lavin’s portrayal brought global attention as it resonated with millions regarding the struggles of working women.
“Alice represented 80 percent of all the women who work in this country,” Lavin said. She also recollected an excerpt from one of her fan mails, which read, “Thank you for giving me hope, thank you for showing me that if Alice can do it, I can do it.”
The show’s cultural relevance mirrored the women’s rights movements at the time, with Lavin becoming an outspoken advocate. She marched for the Equal Rights Amendment, joined the National Commission on Working Women, and used her character’s voice to bring to attention more real-world struggles.
Lavin’s off-screen advocacy was as impactful as her on-screen presence. “I knew it behooved me to learn about single mothers and working women,” she once said. She had collaborated with activists like Gloria Steinem and her motto behind it was to bring to attention the wage inequality and workplace challenges through public speeches. She would deliver most of those speeches in her Alice waitress uniform.
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Her work on Alice earned two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy nomination. The series remained a ratings powerhouse for much of its nine-season run. After Alice ended in 1985, Lavin returned to Broadway. Her portrayal of Kate in Broadway Bound drew widespread acclaim, with The New York Times’s Frank Rich praising her as “a Jewish mother who redefines the genre.”
Linda Lavin’s passion for acting was rooted in her upbringing. Her mother, Lucille, was a soprano and radio personality, while her father, David, owned a furniture business. Lavin credited her family’s love for the arts with inspiring her career. The beloved ‘Alice Hyatt’ will always be remembered for her commitment to social justice and her wholesome ability to connect with audiences on-screen.