Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley (born January 12, 1951, Wichita, Kansas, U.S.—died December 5, 2022, Tampa Bay, Florida) was an American actress best known for her portrayal (1987–93) of Rebecca Howe on the hit TV sitcom Cheers. She later starred in Veronica’s Closet (1997–2000).

Family and early career

Alley was raised in a Roman Catholic family in Wichita, Kansas. Her father, Robert Alley, owned a lumber company, and her mother, Lillian Alley, was a homemaker. Kirstie Alley competed as a swimmer in her youth. In 1969 she graduated from high school, and she later attended Kansas State University but dropped out to work as an interior decorator.

While in her 20s, Alley became addicted to cocaine. After moving to Los Angeles, she received treatment at a Church of Scientology–affiliated rehabilitation program in 1979, and she subsequently joined the movement. During this time, Alley began to pursue a career in acting. After making her TV debut (1978) in an uncredited role on Quark, she won $6,000 on the TV show Match Game in 1979. Two years later she appeared in her first feature film, One More Chance, a little-seen drama about a man returning home from prison. In 1982 Alley had a prominent role in the hit movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

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In 1983 Alley won rave reviews for her performance in a Los Angeles production of the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She also received attention for her role in the miniseries North & South (1985) and North & South: Book II (1986), both of which were adapted from John Jakes’s books about the American Civil War. In 1985 she starred in the TV movie A Bunny’s Tale, about Gloria Steinem’s undercover investigation into the treatment of waitresses at Playboy’s clubs.

Cheers and Veronica’s Closet

While these projects raised Alley’s profile, it was her work on Cheers that made her a star. In 1987 she was chosen to fill the vacancy left after Shelley Long departed the show; Long’s character, Diane Chambers, had been the love interest of bartender-owner Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson). Alley assumed the role of a new character, the neurotic Rebecca Howe, who manages the bar. Any concerns about the cast change prove unfounded as TV viewers embraced the husky-voiced Alley. She appeared in nearly 150 episodes, and in 1991 she won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

During this time Alley acted in various movies and TV shows. In 1989 she starred with John Travolta in the popular comedy Look Who’s Talking; she played a single woman who has her married lover’s baby. The two actors became friends, and they appeared in the sequels Look Who’s Talking Too (1990) and Look Who’s Talking Now (1993).

Cheers wrapped in 1993, and Alley won another Emmy the following year for her role in David’s Mother, a miniseries about a woman raising her autistic son by herself. From 1997 to 2000 Alley played the head of a lingerie company in the sitcom Veronica’s Closet. She later reunited with Cheers alum Rhea Perlman on the sitcom Kirstie (2013–14), in which Alley played a Broadway star. She also made guest appearances on various shows, including The King of Queens, Hot in Cleveland, and The Goldbergs. In 2020 she starred in the TV movie You Can’t Take My Daughter. Alley’s notable feature films include Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry (1997) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).

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Known for being candid and outspoken, Alley was open about her efforts to lose weight after Cheers ended. She appeared in a pair of shows about her experiences, Fat Actress (2005) and Kirstie Alley’s Big Life (2010). She also wrote the book How to Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life (2005), and from 2004 to 2007 she was a spokesperson for the weight-loss company Jenny Craig. Alley again worked with Jenny Craig in the 2010s.

Politics

Alley backed Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential runs, but during the 2016 election she came out in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump. She also supported his unsuccessful reelection bid in 2020. Alley claimed that she was blackballed for her political views. In 2021 she told conservative TV host Tucker Carlson, “People go, ‘You’re so brave.’ I go, ‘No, I think I’m stupid.’ Because honestly…it is a real blackballing situation.”

Personal life

From 1970 to 1977 Alley was married to her high-school sweetheart, Bob Alley. In 1983 she wed actor Parker Stevenson, and they later adopted two children. The couple divorced in 1997. Her memoir, The Art of Men (I Prefer Mine al Dente), was published in 2012.

Alley died in December 2022, shortly after being diagnosed with colon cancer.