Kirstie Louise Alley (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, She had two siblings, Colette and Craig.
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.
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,<!--not during the Match Game '79 season)--> winning both her games and went on to win $500 in her first Super Match and $5,500 in her second. 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 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.
From 1983 to 1984, Alley was a regular on the ABC television series Masquerade. and also portrayed feminist icon Gloria Steinem in the television movie A Bunny's Tale. 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. 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, 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). After two Emmy Award nominations for her work on Cheers, in 1988 and 1990, Alley won the Emmy on her third nomination, in 1991.
Alley earned her second Emmy for the 1994 television film David's Mother. 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. 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. 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.
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 whom 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. The series ran for five months.
In 2018, Alley appeared on season 22 of the British series Celebrity Big Brother; she finished in second place.
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. Alley married actor Parker Stevenson on December 22, 1983. After a miscarriage, the couple adopted their first child, a son, William True in October 1992, and in 1995, they adopted their second child, a daughter, Lillie. The marriage ended in 1997.
In 1988 and 2000 respectively, Alley purchased estates in Jacksonville, Oregon, and Clearwater, Florida, retaining ownership of both properties until her death in 2022. 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.
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.
While working as a Jenny Craig spokesperson from 2004 to 2007, Alley lost , bringing her weight down to . In May 2009, Alley told People magazine that, after parting ways with Craig, she gained and weighed as much as .
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. In September 2011, Alley announced that she had lost using weight loss products from Organic Liaison. 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.
In April 2014, Alley resumed a role as a spokeswoman 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.
Scientology
Alley was raised as a Methodist; 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 to end her addiction. By 2007, the Church designated Alley as OT VII (Operating Thetan Level 7), and by 2018, as New OT VIII. In January 2008, Alley said, "Scientology made me a lot stronger and tougher[...] It's made me more honest and more willing to take responsibility for other people."
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, the principles of which are at odds with those of the Church. Alley was the only former Cheers regular to do so.
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. 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. On October 8, 2016, Alley retracted her endorsement of Trump, tweeting, "I hate this election and I'm officially no longer endorsing either candidate."
In October 2020, Alley said that she had voted for Trump four years earlier and intended to vote for him again in 2020 because "he's NOT a politician." She also endorsed Republican John James in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Michigan.
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.
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, and her Cheers co-stars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Rhea Perlman.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of performances by Kirstie Alley in film
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1981
|One More Chance
|Sheila
|
|-
|1982
|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
|Saavik
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1984
|Champions
|Barbara
|
|-
|Shoot to Kill
|Sarah Rennell
|
|-
| 1979
| Match Game
| Herself, contestant
| 3 episodes
|-
| data-sort-value="Love Boat, The" | The Love Boat
| Marion Stevens
| Episode: "The World's Greatest Kisser/Don't Take My Wife, Please/The Reluctant Father"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| Prince of Bel Air
| Jamie Harrison
| Television film
|-
| 1990
| Masquerade: The Movie
| Casey Collins
| Television film
|-
| 1992
| My Name Is Prince
| Vanessa Bartholomew
| Music video
|-
| 1993
| Wings
| Rebecca Howe
| Episode: "I Love Brian"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003
| Salem Witch Trials
| Ann Putnam
| Television film
|-
| 2008
| data-sort-value="Hills, The" | The Hills
| rowspan="3" | Herself
| Episode: "Girls Night Out"
|-
| 2013
| Baby Sellers
| Carla Huxley
| Television film
|-
| Scream Queens
| Nurse Ingrid M. Hoffel (née Bean) / The Green Meanie #4
| Main cast (season 2)
|-
| 2019
| Match Game
| Herself, panelist
| 1 episode
|-
| 2020
| You Can't Take My Daughter
| Suzanne
| Television film 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).
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of awards nominated for or won by Kirstie Alley for acting performances
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Association
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" | Ref.
|-
|1989
|rowspan="5"|American Comedy Awards
|rowspan="2"|Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series
|rowspan="2"|Cheers
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|1990
|
|
|-
|Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture
|Look Who's Talking
|
|
|-
|1998
|Veronica's Closet
|
|
|-
|1993
|American Television Awards
|Best Actress in a Situation Comedy
|Cheers
|
|
|-
|1990
|rowspan="2"|Bravo Otto Awards
|rowspan="2"|Best Actress
|Look Who's Talking
|
|
|-
|1991
|Look Who's Talking Too
|
|
|-
|1987
|rowspan="2"|CableACE Awards
|rowspan="2"|Actress in a Dramatic Series
|rowspan="2"|The Hitchhiker
|
|
|-
|1988
|
|
|-
|1990
|rowspan="6"|Golden Globe Awards
|rowspan="4"|Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical
|rowspan="4"|Cheers
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|1991
|Look Who's Talking Too
|
|
|-
|Favorite Television Actress
|Cheers
|
|
|-
|1998
|Favorite Television Actress
|Veronica's Closet
|
|
|-
|1988
|rowspan="6"|People's Choice Awards
|rowspan="5"|Favorite Female Television Performer
|rowspan="5"|Cheers
|
|
|-
|1990
|
|
|-
|1991
|
|
|-
|1992
|
|
|-
|1993
|
|
|-
|1998
|Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series
|Veronica's Closet
|
|
|-
|1988
|rowspan="8"|Primetime Emmy Awards
|rowspan="5"|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
|rowspan="5"|Cheers
|
|
|-
|1983
|rowspan="2"|Saturn Awards
|rowspan="2"|Best Supporting Actress
|Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
|
|
|-
|1985
|Runaway
|
|
|-
|1998
|Screen Actors Guild Awards
|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
|Veronica's Closet
|
|
|-
|1997
|rowspan="2"|The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
|Worst On-Screen Couple (<small>shared with Tim Allen</small>)
|For Richer or Poorer
|
|
|-
|1999
|Worst Supporting Actress
|Drop Dead Gorgeous
|
|
|-
|1990
|rowspan="3"|Viewers for Quality Television Awards
|rowspan="3"|Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series
|rowspan="3"|Cheers
|
|
|-
|1991
|
|
|-
|1992
|
|
|}
See also
- List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame