Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Louise Alley (Wichita, Kansas, January 12, 1951-Tampa, Florida, December 5, 2022) was an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. Her career began in the cinema during the eighties, and since then she has appeared in films and television series where she has played comedic and dramatic roles.

She was known for playing the role of Rebecca Howe on the sitcom Cheers, which garnered positive reviews from various sources and was followed by millions of viewers around the world. In addition, she has appeared in more than twenty films, including blockbusters such as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Look Who's Talking and Look who's talking too . For her performances, she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

Biography

Daughter of Lillian Mickie (née Heaton), a homemaker, and Robert Deal Alley, owner of a lumber company. She had two brothers: Colette and Craig. In 1981 her mother died in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver, resulting in her father being seriously injured.

She attended Wichita Southeast High School, where she was a cheerleader. In 1974 she entered Kansas State University, but she dropped out the following year to try her hand at drama. She spent five years studying and doing interior design work before migrating to Hollywood. Her first television appearances were as a contestant on the shows Match Game (1979), in which she won $5,000, and the contest Password Plus (1980).

Career

First works

Alley made her acting debut in 1982 in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, where she played Officer Saavik. The film, like the performance of the interpreter, received positive reviews from various sources. She was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Supporting Actress." This presentation was followed by Onene More Chance, Champions, Blind Date and Runaway; the latter earned her a new nomination for the Saturn Award for "Best Supporting Actress".

In the mid-80s, she played Virgilia Hazard in the series Norte y Sur, which was very well received by critics.

The Comedy Cheers

After acting on television with Lee Horsley, she was hired in 1987 to star in one of his most outstanding shows: Cheers, considered one of the most successful comedies in American television history, which he co-starred with Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson and Bebe Neuwirth, until 1993. The series revolves around a group of patrons at a bar called Cheers who get together to drink and have fun. In it, Alley played Rebecca Howe, a desperate and neurotic waitress. For her performance, she won an Emmy Award for "Best Actress-Comedy Series"; and a Golden Globe for "Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.

After Cheers

After the end of Cheers in 1993, he starred in the telefilm David's Mother. For her work in this production she won an Emmy Award for "Best Actress-Miniseries or TV Movie"; she was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for TV.

He has acted in various supporting roles on television and film. The first relatively important role of her was in one of the films of the saga Star Trek , The Wrath of Khan , as the officer Saavik. Although the role that brought her fame in the United States was playing the neurotic Rebecca in the television series Cheers , she rose to international fame with the film Look who's talking (1990).

Personal life

Alley was married from 1970 to 1977 to her high school sweetheart, Bob Alley, who coincidentally had the same name as her father. Alley married actor Parker Stevenson on December 22, 1983. After a miscarriage, the couple adopted son William "True" a week after his birth on October 5, 1992, and in 1995 adopted daughter Lillie. The marriage ended in 1997. In 2016, Alley became grandmother after her son William had a child of his own.

For twenty-two years, until his death, he was a resident of Clearweater, Florida, where interestingly enough his Look Who's Talking co-star John Travolta also lived. From 1991 to 2020 he also lived in Islesboro, Maine with her ex-husband. Later, he bought another house in Islesboro.

Death

The actress died surrounded by her family at dawn on Monday, December 5, 2022, at the age of 71, after suffering from recently diagnosed colon cancer, according to what the interpreter's family published in a statement on his Twitter account. He was under treatment at the Moffitt Research Center in Tampa, Florida.

Filmography

Cinema

Television

Awards and nominations

Golden Globes

Awards of the Union of Actors

Emmy Awards

Saturn Awards

• 1991: Best TV Series Actress - Comedy or MusicFor Cheers
• 1991: Best actress - Comedy SeriesFor Cheers
• 1994: Best actress - Miniserie or TelefilmeFor David's Mother