Kirstie Alley
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person
Kirstie Louise Alley<ref name=Biography.com>Template:Cite web</ref> (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress. Her breakthrough role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 to 2000, Alley starred as the lead in the sitcom Veronica's Closet, earning additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On film, she played Mollie Jensen in Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993).
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Alley appeared in various films, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Summer School (1987), Shoot to Kill (1988), Madhouse (1990), Sibling Rivalry (1990), Village of the Damned (1995), It Takes Two (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997), and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).
Alley won her second Emmy Award in 1994 for the television film David's Mother. In 1997, Alley received another Emmy nomination for her work in the crime drama series The Last Don. In 2005, Alley played a fictionalized version of herself on Showtime's Fat Actress, something she would also do on episodes of King of Queens and Hot in Cleveland, as well as in Syrup (2013). In 2013, Alley returned to acting with the title role on the sitcom Kirstie. In 2016, she appeared on the Fox comedy horror series Scream Queens.
Alley also appeared in reality television including Kirstie Alley's Big Life (2010) and served as a contestant on the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars (2011–2012), where she finished in second place, behind Hines Ward, and the 22nd series of the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother (2018), in which Alley finished as runner-up. In early 2022, she appeared on The Masked Singer.
Early life and education
Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, on January 12, 1951,<ref name=Biography.com /> to Robert Deal Alley, who owned a lumber company,<ref name="CNN Transcripts" /> and Lillian Alley.<ref name=Emmy>Template:Cite web</ref> She had two siblings, Colette and Craig.Template:Cn
Alley attended Wichita Southeast High School, where she graduated in 1969. Alley attended college at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, where she dropped out after completing her sophomore year.<ref name="CNN Transcripts">Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
After leaving Kansas State, Alley moved to Los Angeles to pursue Scientology and work as an interior designer. In 1979, she appeared as a contestant on the game show Match Game,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> winning both her games and went on to win $500 in her first Super Match and $5,500 in her second.<ref>Game Show Network rebroadcast.Template:Better source needed</ref> In 1980, Alley appeared on the game show Password Plus. On both game shows, she described her profession as interior designer. In 1981, an automobile crash involving a drunk driver<ref name=Emmy /> killed Alley's mother and left her father seriously injured.<ref name="CNN Transcripts"/>
In 1982, Alley made her film debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in the role of the Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Saavik character became very popular with Star Trek fans, but Alley chose not to reprise the role in the next two film sequels so the role was recast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From 1983 to 1984, Alley was a regular on the ABC television series Masquerade.<ref name=earlycareer /> In the years following, Alley starred in a number of smaller films, including One More Chance, Blind Date and Runaway.
In 1985, Alley starred in the ABC miniseries North and South,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and also portrayed feminist icon Gloria Steinem in the television movie A Bunny's Tale.<ref name=earlycareer>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1987, Alley starred alongside Mark Harmon in the comedy film Summer School. The film was a box office success, grossing over $35 million in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She followed up with roles in films such as Shoot to Kill (1988), Madhouse (1990), and Sibling Rivalry (1990).
In 1987, Alley joined the cast of the NBC sitcom Cheers, where she played Rebecca Howe. She replaced Shelley Long. Alley remained with the show for six years until its eleventh and final season,<ref name="hstern">Interview with Kirstie Alley. The Howard Stern Show, December 4, 2013.</ref> and earned an Emmy Award and Golden Globe.
In 1989, Alley starred with John Travolta in Look Who's Talking. The film grossed over $295 million worldwide. They then went on to make two other films centered on the same theme, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After two Emmy Award nominations for her work on Cheers, in 1988 and 1990, Alley won the Emmy on her third nomination, in 1991.<ref name=Emmys /> In her acceptance speech, Alley memorably thanked "my husband Parker, the man who has given me the big one for the last eight years."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Alley earned her second Emmy for the 1994 television film David's Mother.<ref name=Emmys>Template:Cite web</ref> For her contributions to the film industry, Alley received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in 1995.<ref name="HWOF">Template:Cite web</ref> Her later films included Village of the Damned (1995), It Takes Two (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997), and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).
From 1997 to 2000, Alley played the title character and was executive producer in the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet, where she earned another Emmy and Golden Globe nomination. From 2000 to 2004, she served as a commercial spokesperson for Pier 1 Imports, and for Jenny Craig from 2004 to 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005, Alley played a fictionalized version of herself on the show Fat Actress. In 2010, she was in the reality show Kirstie Alley's Big Life. From 2011 to 2012, Alley appeared as a contestant on seasons 12 and 15 of Dancing with the Stars, partnering with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.<ref name="Newsmakers">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Beginning in December 2013, TV Land aired a sitcom that centered on Alley as Broadway star Madison "Maddie" Banks, who reconnects with her adult son who she gave up for adoption shortly after he was born. The series was titled Kirstie, and reunited her with former Cheers co-star Rhea Perlman and Seinfeld star Michael Richards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The series ran for five months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2018, Alley appeared on season 22 of the British series Celebrity Big Brother; she finished in second place.<ref name="Newsmakers" />
In 2019, Alley returned to the game show Match Game, where she was a contestant in 1979, this time as a celebrity panel. Host Alec Baldwin surprised Alley with a clip from the original series. This made her only the second former contestant to return as a panelist. (The first was actress Brianne Leary, who was a contestant in 1976 and a panelist in 1979.)
In 2022, Alley competed in season seven of The Masked Singer as "Baby Mammoth" of Team Cuddly.<ref name=elephant>Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
Alley was married from 1971 to 1977 to her high school sweetheart Robert "Bob" Alley, who coincidentally had the same name as her father.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=THR-2012>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Alley married actor Parker Stevenson on December 22, 1983. After a miscarriage, the couple adopted their first child, a son, in October 1992, and in 1995, they adopted their second child, a daughter.<ref name=bjorklund>Template:Cite book</ref> The marriage ended in 1997.<ref name=THR-2012 /> In 2016, Alley became a grandmother through her son.<ref name="Rayne, Naja; Kirstie Alley is a Grandma!">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1988 and 2000 respectively, Alley purchased estates in Jacksonville, Oregon, and Clearwater, Florida, retaining ownership of both properties until her death in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From 1991 to 2020, Alley also resided on Islesboro Island, Maine. She once owned the Mitchell Cottage, formerly the Islesboro Inn, with her then-husband Stevenson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Body image
On The Dr. Oz Show on September 17, 2012, Alley said that she started gaining weight in late 2003, and that she had been a compulsive eater all her life without gaining weight, only noticing the change after reaching early menopause in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
While working as a Jenny Craig spokesperson from 2004 to 2007, Alley lost Template:Convert, bringing her weight down to Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2009, Alley told People magazine that, after parting ways with Craig, she gained Template:Cvt and weighed as much as Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In March 2010, after gossip blogger Roger Friedman alleged a link between her Organic Liaison weight-loss system and the Church of Scientology, Alley denied it on the Today show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2011, Alley announced that she had lost Template:Cvt using weight loss products from Organic Liaison.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2012, Alley faced a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising; the suit claimed that her weight loss was the result of exercise, including training for the TV show Dancing with the Stars, not Organic Liaison products. Alley settled the suit in 2013, agreeing to remove the term "Proven Products" from packaging, issue a disclaimer on the brand's website that it is a "calorie-based weight-loss product", and pay a $130,000 settlement.<ref name=adage>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In April 2014, Alley resumed a role as a spokesperson with Jenny Craig; the Organic Liaison product line was acquired by Jenny Craig's parent company, and subsequently integrated into Jenny Craig's product line.<ref name=adage /> In January 2015, Alley said that, since starting the Jenny Craig weight-loss program again, she had lost Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
Scientology
Alley was raised as a Methodist;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> she became a member of the Church of Scientology in 1979. Alley said that until she became a Scientologist, she was addicted to cocaine but then went through Narconon, a Scientology-affiliated drug treatment program<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to end her addiction.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 2007, Alley attained the level of OT VII (Operating Thetan Level 7),<ref name="OT7">Template:Cite episode</ref> and by 2018, she was New OT VIII.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2008, Alley said, "Scientology made me a lot stronger and tougherTemplate:Nbs[...] It's made me more honest and more willing to take responsibility for other people."<ref name="Newsmakers"/> Alley gave $5 million to the church in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Due to her commitment to the Church of Scientology, Alley decided not to reprise her role as Rebecca Howe on any episode of the Cheers spinoff Frasier, because the series was centered on the field of medical psychiatry, with different ideas from those of the Church; Alley was the only former Cheers regular not to do so.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Politics
Alley said she supported both Democratic and Republican presidential nominees and independent Ross Perot in 1992, but decided not to vote in 1988 and 2004.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2015, Alley tweeted that she would not support Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, during the 2016 presidential election, and on April 8, 2016, Alley tweeted her support for Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On October 8, 2016, Alley retracted her endorsement of Trump, tweeting, "I hate this election and I'm officially no longer endorsing either candidate."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2020, after saying that she voted for Trump four years ago, Alley intended to vote for him again in 2020 because "he's NOT a politician."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also endorsed Republican John James in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Michigan.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
Death
In May 2022, Alley was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, following a doctor’s visit for a sore back. She subsequently underwent chemotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where she died on December 5 at age 71.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Several celebrities posted tributes to Alley on social media or released memorial statements, including Alley's ex-husband Parker Stevenson, her two children, her Look Who's Talking co-star John Travolta,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and her Cheers co-stars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Rhea Perlman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | One More Chance | Sheila | Template:Cn |
| 1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Saavik | <ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1984 | Champions | Barbara | <ref name="auto1"/> |
| Blind Date | Claire Simpson | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| Runaway | Jackie Rogers | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 1987 | Summer School | Ms. Robin Elizabeth Bishop | <ref name="auto1"/> |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Herself | Uncredited<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Shoot to Kill | Sarah Rennell | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 1989 | Loverboy | Dr. Joyce Palmer | <ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/> |
| Look Who's Talking | Mollie Jensen | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 1990 | Madhouse | Jessie Bannister | <ref name="auto"/> |
| Sibling Rivalry | Marjorie Turner | <ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto"/> | |
| Look Who's Talking Too | Mollie Jensen Ubriacco | <ref name="auto"/> | |
| 1993 | Look Who's Talking Now | <ref name="auto"/> | |
| 1995 | Village of the Damned | Dr. Susan Verner | <ref name="auto"/> |
| It Takes Two | Diane Barrows | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 1996 | Sticks & Stones | Joey's mother | <ref name="auto"/> |
| 1997 | Nevada | McGill | Also co-producer<ref name="auto1"/> |
| Deconstructing Harry | Joan | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| For Richer or Poorer | Caroline Sexton | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 1999 | The Mao Game | Diane Highland | <ref name="auto1"/> |
| Drop Dead Gorgeous | Gladys Leeman | <ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 2004 | Back by Midnight | Gloria Beaumont | <ref name="auto"/> |
| 2013 | Syrup | Kirstie Alley | <ref name="auto"/> |
| 2015 | Accidental Love | Aunt Rita | <ref name="auto1"/> |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Quark | Handmaiden (uncredited) | Episode: "The Old and the Beautiful"<ref name="auto2">Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 1979 | Match Game | Herself, contestant | 3 episodes<ref name="auto2"/> |
| 1980 | Password Plus | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Highway Honeys | Draggin' Lady | Television film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| The Love Boat | Marion Stevens | Episode: "The World's Greatest Kisser/Don't Take My Wife, Please/The Reluctant Father"<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 1983–84 | Masquerade | Casey Collins | Main cast<ref name="auto1"/> |
| 1984 | Sins of the Past | Patrice Cantwell | Television film<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1985 | A Bunny's Tale | Gloria Steinem | Television film<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1985–86 | North and South | Virgilia Hazard | Miniseries; main cast<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1985–87 | The Hitchhiker | Jane L. Angelica | 2 episodes<ref name="auto4">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1986 | Prince of Bel Air | Jamie Harrison | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| Stark: Mirror Image | Maggie Carter | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> | |
| 1987–93 | Cheers | Rebecca Howe | Series regular – 148 episodes<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto4"/> |
| 1987 | Infidelity | Ellie Denato | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday | Rebecca Howe | Television film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1990 | Masquerade: The Movie | Casey Collins | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 1991–93 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / host | 2 episodes<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 1991 | Flesh 'n' Blood | Starr Baxter | Episode: "Arlo and Starr"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1992 | My Name Is Prince | Vanessa Bartholomew | Music video<ref>Matthew Wilkening. (December 6, 2022). "How Kirstie Alley and Prince became friends". My Kiss. Retrieved August 6, 2024.</ref> |
| 1993 | Wings | Rebecca Howe | Episode: "I Love Brian"<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1994 | David's Mother | Sally Goodson | Television film<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1995 | Peter and the Wolf | Annie/Bird/Duck (voice) | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 1996 | Radiant City | Gloria Goodman | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| Suddenly | Marty Doyle | Television film; also writer<ref name="auto4"/> | |
| 1997–2000 | Veronica's Closet | Veronica Chase | Series regular; also producer<ref name="auto"/> |
| 1997 | Ink | Dahlia | Episode: "Breaking the Rules"<ref name="auto"/> |
| Toothless | Dr. Katherine Lewis | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> | |
| The Last Don | Rose Marie Clericuzio | Miniseries; main cast<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 1998 | The Last Don II | Miniseries; main cast<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2001 | Blonde | Elsie | Miniseries; main cast<ref name="auto"/> |
| Dharma & Greg | Dr. Tish (uncredited) | Episode: "The End of the Innocence: Part 1"<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2002 | Glory Days | Mike's Agent | Unaired pilot<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2003 | Salem Witch Trials | Ann Putnam | Television film<ref name="auto1"/> |
| Profoundly Normal | Donna Lee Shelby Thornton | Television film; also executive producer<ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Noreen Raab | Episode: "Risen"<ref name="auto"/> |
| Family Sins | Brenda Geck | Television film<ref name="auto"/> | |
| While I Was Gone | Jo Beckett | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> | |
| 2005 | Fat Actress | Kirstie Alley | Series regular; also writer / executive producer<ref name="auto"/> |
| 2006 | The King of Queens | Episode: "Apartment Complex"<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2007 | Write & Wrong | Byrdie Langdon | Television film; also executive producer<ref name="auto4"/> |
| The Minister of Divine | Sydney Hudson | Pilot Episode<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2008 | The Hills | Herself | Episode: "Girls Night Out"<ref name="auto"/> |
| 2010 | Kirstie Alley's Big Life | Series regular; also executive producer<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2011–12 | Dancing with the Stars | 34 episodes; contestant<ref name="auto4"/> | |
| 2012 | The Manzanis | Angela | Television film<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2013 | Baby Sellers | Carla Huxley | Television film<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 2013–14 | Kirstie | Maddie Banks | Series regular; also executive producer |
| Hot in Cleveland | Maddie Banks / Kirstie Alley | 2 episodes<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2015 | The Middle | Pam Staggs | Episode: "Pam Freakin' Staggs"<ref name="auto"/> |
| Time Crashers | Herself | Main cast (season 1)<ref name="auto1"/> | |
| 2016 | Flaked | Jackie | Episode: "Palms"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Scream Queens | Nurse Ingrid M. Hoffel (née Bean) / The Green Meanie #4 | Main cast (season 2)<ref name="auto"/> | |
| 2018 | Celebrity Big Brother 22 | Herself | Runner-up; housemate<ref name="auto4"/> |
| 2019 | The Goldbergs | Janice Bartlett | Episode: "Food in a Geoffy"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| 2019 | Match Game | Herself, panelist | 1 episode |
| 2020 | You Can't Take My Daughter | Suzanne | Television film<ref name="auto"/> |
| 2022 | The Masked Singer | Herself/Baby Mammoth | Season 7 contestant; Eliminated in eighth episode of season 7<ref name=elephant/> |
Awards and nominations
Alley's work was honored by multiple associations throughout her career. For her role in the sitcom Cheers, she earned four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1991;<ref name="GoldenGlobes">Template:Cite web</ref> and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991. She won an additional Emmy for her role in the television film, David's Mother (1994).<ref name=Emmys/>
On November 10, 1995, Alley was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
External links
Template:Navboxes Template:Portal bar Template:Authority control
- 1951 births
- 2022 deaths
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Wichita, Kansas
- American film actresses
- American former Protestants
- American Scientologists
- American television actresses
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- California Republicans
- Contestants on American game shows
- Former Methodists
- Kansas State University alumni
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
- People from Islesboro, Maine
- Wichita Southeast High School alumni
- Deaths from colorectal cancer in Florida