We regret to confirm that Emmy-winning actress Kirstie Alley has died, succumbing to a recently diagnosed cancer at the age of 71. Her first film role was as Spock’s protegee, the half-Vulcan Lt. j.g. Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) She later appeared in Shoot to Kill (1988), Look Who’s Talking (1989), Sibling Rivalry (1990), Deconstructing Harry (1997), It Takes Two (1995) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).
Kirstie Louise Alley was born January 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. She passed away December 5, 2022. According to her children, Alley was being treated at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. “We are grateful for the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care,” they said.
She was married and divorced twice, first to Robert Alley from 1971 to 1977 (the shared name was pure coincidence; it was not a cousin-marriage), then to Parker Stevenson (Frank Hardy in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Austin James in Probe). She and Stevenson had two children: William True Stevenson and Lillie Price Stevenson.
TV Work
Although Kirstie Alley first achieved fame on the silver screen, it was on television she had her greatest successes. She was the star and producer of Veronica’s Closet. She played Agent Casey Collins in Masquerade. In Cheers, she played Rebecca Howe. she was the creator and star of Fat Actress, a fictionalized version of her life and her weight problems in an industry that is not kind to plus-size women. She starred as Maddie Banks in Kirstie .She also did reality TV: Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer, Kirstie’s Big Life,and Celebrity Big Brother.
Awards & Honors
Kirstie Alley received eight Emmy nominations and won twice, Alley was nominated 5 times for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Rebecca Howe in Cheers . She won in 1991. The same year she received a Golden Globe for the same role.
In 1994 she won a second Emmy, this time for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for playing Sally Goodson in David’s Mother.
She was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1983 and 1985, for Wrath of Khan and Runaway.
Kirtie Alley got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995. She was a five-time nominee for American Comedy Awards in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1998, for Cheers (3 times), Look Who’s Talking, and Veronica’s Closet. She had six more nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, but only won once, for Cheers in 1991.
SciFi & Horror Roles
Kirstie Alley created the role of Lt. Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The role was taken over by Robin Curtis in later Trek movies. She took on the role of Dr. Susan Verner in Village of the Damned (1995), and played Ingrid Hoffel in
Alley played Ingrid Hoffel in Scream Queens, a TV series that ran between 2015-2016.
She earned her a Saturn nomination as Jackie Rogers in Runaway (1984).
Kirstie Alley was an actress, a producer, a writer, a mother, and a grandmother. Her fans will remember her a comedienne, an actress, and a singer. Her family will miss a mother and grandmother.
It is our custom to view actor’s lives from the perspective and in the light of the roles they played best known to us. While Kirstie Alley’s contribution to the theatrical arts are undisputable, we choose to remember her as our own Lt. Saavik, even though that role is perhaps the least of what she was.
None the less, as it suits us, in the world of geekdom, she made her biggest impact on us as Saavik, so in keeping with this remembrance, we repeat in earnest the Vulcan condolence “we grieve with thee.”
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
Oh goodness.
She’s one of those actresses that I think if as being different people. Some performers largely play versions of the same character, and yes, some do that very well. But Kirstie could be so different I had to stop to remind myself she’s only one person!