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Susan Saint James, Star of 'Kate & Allie,' Dies at 80
Confirmed
In Short: Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress known for her roles in 'McMillan & Wife' and 'Kate & Allie,' has died at the age of 80.
Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress known for her roles in 'McMillan & Wife' and 'Kate & Allie,' has died at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Her career began in modeling before she transitioned to television, landing her breakthrough role as research assistant Peggy Maxwell on NBC's 'The Name of the Game' in 1968. This role earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969.
Saint James found her biggest fame as Sally McMillan, the wife of Rock Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, in the hit series 'McMillan & Wife' from 1971 to 1976.
She later starred alongside Jane Curtin in the popular CBS sitcom 'Kate & Allie,' which ran from 1984 to 1989.
Saint James was married to Dick Ebersol, a longtime NBC executive and former 'Saturday Night Live' producer, whom she met while hosting the comedy show in 1981.
She is survived by her husband, four children—Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol, and Willie Ebersol—seven grandchildren, and her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey.
The family released a statement saying, 'She never met a stranger,' highlighting her kindness and generosity. They also noted her ability to make everyone she met feel important, from fellow board members to store clerks.
Saint James's career debut was at age 20 in 1966, and she had a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.
In 2004, the family suffered a devastating loss when their 14-year-old son, Teddy, died in a private plane crash in Colorado.
Saint James's defining act came weeks after losing her son, when she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, helping them find words to heal.
Her career spanned several notable roles, including 'Love at First Bite,' 'How to Beat the High Cost of Living,' 'M*A*S*H,' 'Law & Order: SVU,' and 'Suits.'
What this adds
Saint James began her career in modeling before transitioning to television.
Saint James's family highlighted her kindness and generosity, noting her ability to make everyone she met feel important.
Saint James's career debut was at age 20 in 1966, and she had a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.
Saint James's defining act came weeks after losing her son, when she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, helping them find words to heal.
Background
Kate & Allie is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984, to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced mothers who decided to live together and raise their children in the same home. The series was created by Sherry Coben.
What's confirmed
- Susan Saint James, the actress known for "McMillan & Wife" and "Kate & Allie," has died.
- Her breakthrough came in 1968 when she landed the role of research assistant Peggy Maxwell on NBC's "The Name of the Game." Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969 and established her as one of television's rising stars.
- Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first.
- “Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story.” Born Susan Jane Miller on Aug.
What's still developing
- People magazine, citing a representative for the actor, said Saint James died Monday.
- She made her television debut in the 1966 movie “Fame is the Name of the Game” with Tony Franciosa.
- Her other early TV credits included “Ironside,” “McCloud” and “Alias Smith and Jones.” In 1980, she guest-starred in an episode of “M*A*S*H.” Saint James, known for her unique, throaty voice, had a supporting role in the 1968 movie “Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows” starring Rosalind Russell and Stella Stevens.
- Before “The Name of the Game,” Saint James had a recurring role in the crime-caper series “It Takes a Thief” starring Robert Wagner.
- She got another break when it became a series called “The Name of the Game” in 1968, with rotating lead characters played by Franciosa, Gene Barry and Robert Stack.
- The statement said she instilled in her children, James, a habit of being kind to others and helping those in need.
- But after Kate & Allie ended in 1988, she largely stepped away from Hollywood.
- 14, 1946, in Los Angeles, she was raised in the northern Illinois city of Rockford, where her father had transferred for work.
- “generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up. She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people."