Kirstie Alley.Photo: Jim Smeal/WireImage
The actress — best known for her work onStar Trek, CheersandVeronica’s Closet —died on Dec. 5, 2022, at 71 years old.
Here, one year later, look back on her life in photos.
01of 15Kirstie Alley’s Early YearsBrad Elterman/BuzzFoto/FilmMagicKirstie Alley was born on Jan. 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. After starting school at Kansas State University, she decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
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Kirstie Alley’s Early Years
Brad Elterman/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic
Kirstie Alley was born on Jan. 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. After starting school at Kansas State University, she decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
02of 15Kirstie Alley in ‘Star Trek’EverettOne of Alley’s first roles came as Saavik in the 1982 filmStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,in which she played opposite Leonard Nimoy (pictured).Her big break happened at a heartbreaking time, however: not long before her final audition, she learned her mother had been killed and her father badly injured in a car crash in Kansas. According to PEOPLE, Paramount postponed her final audition while she returned home to join her siblings at the funeral. “It was the greatest tragedy of my life,” she shared, “and getting the role inStar Trekwas my happiest day.”
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Kirstie Alley in ‘Star Trek’
Everett
One of Alley’s first roles came as Saavik in the 1982 filmStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,in which she played opposite Leonard Nimoy (pictured).
Her big break happened at a heartbreaking time, however: not long before her final audition, she learned her mother had been killed and her father badly injured in a car crash in Kansas. According to PEOPLE, Paramount postponed her final audition while she returned home to join her siblings at the funeral. “It was the greatest tragedy of my life,” she shared, “and getting the role inStar Trekwas my happiest day.”
03of 15Kirstie Alley and Patrick SwayzeABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty.During her 2018 stint onCelebrity Big Brother U.K.,Alley spoke abouther former costarPatrick Swayze, whom she developed romantic feelings for while filming the 1985 miniseriesNorth and South.“I would’ve loved to have an affair with Patrick Swayze but we were both married so I wouldn’t have gone off [with him],” she said.“I kissed him and I wish I could’ve had an affair but I’m a strong believer in fidelity and he was married,” Alley continued. “When you get on the road and you do a movie, it’s very easy to fall in love with your leading man. Very, very easy.”
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Kirstie Alley and Patrick Swayze
ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty.
During her 2018 stint onCelebrity Big Brother U.K.,Alley spoke abouther former costarPatrick Swayze, whom she developed romantic feelings for while filming the 1985 miniseriesNorth and South.
“I would’ve loved to have an affair with Patrick Swayze but we were both married so I wouldn’t have gone off [with him],” she said.
“I kissed him and I wish I could’ve had an affair but I’m a strong believer in fidelity and he was married,” Alley continued. “When you get on the road and you do a movie, it’s very easy to fall in love with your leading man. Very, very easy.”
04of 15Kirstie Alley on ‘Cheers’NBC/GettyAfter a handful of other television and film roles throughout the 1980s, the part that really put her on the map was as Rebecca Howe onCheers.Alley entered the beloved sitcom afterShelley’s Long departure, and once told PEOPLE her first weeks on the set were “nerve-racking.They had allcreated a great series and I didn’t particularly want to be the cause of its demise.” She wasn’t: in the span of six years, she was nominated for five Emmys, winning one.
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Kirstie Alley on ‘Cheers’
NBC/Getty
After a handful of other television and film roles throughout the 1980s, the part that really put her on the map was as Rebecca Howe onCheers.Alley entered the beloved sitcom afterShelley’s Long departure, and once told PEOPLE her first weeks on the set were “nerve-racking.They had allcreated a great series and I didn’t particularly want to be the cause of its demise.” She wasn’t: in the span of six years, she was nominated for five Emmys, winning one.
05of 15Kirstie Alley and John TravoltaKirstie Alley and John Travolta inLook Who’s Talking(1989).SNAP/REX/ShutterstockThe 1989 filmLook Who’s Talkingbrought together Alley and one of herlifelong friends:John Travolta.In a 2018 podcast interview,she shared that she fell in love with the actor in the late ’80s, but decided not to start a sexual relationshipwith himbecause she was married to Parker Stevenson at the time.“I will say it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, the hardest decision I’ve ever made because I was madly in love with him — we were fun and funny together,” Alley said. “It wasn’t a sexual relationship because I’m not going to cheat on my husband. But, you know, I think there are things that are way worse than sexual relationships, than cheating on someone that way. I consider what I did even worse because I actually let myself fall in love with him and stay in love with him for a long time.”
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Kirstie Alley and John Travolta
Kirstie Alley and John Travolta inLook Who’s Talking(1989).SNAP/REX/Shutterstock
The 1989 filmLook Who’s Talkingbrought together Alley and one of herlifelong friends:John Travolta.
In a 2018 podcast interview,she shared that she fell in love with the actor in the late ’80s, but decided not to start a sexual relationshipwith himbecause she was married to Parker Stevenson at the time.
“I will say it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, the hardest decision I’ve ever made because I was madly in love with him — we were fun and funny together,” Alley said. “It wasn’t a sexual relationship because I’m not going to cheat on my husband. But, you know, I think there are things that are way worse than sexual relationships, than cheating on someone that way. I consider what I did even worse because I actually let myself fall in love with him and stay in love with him for a long time.”
06of 15Kirstie Alley’s Emmy WinsKirstie Alley.Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyAlley won her second Emmy just one year afterCheersfor playing devoted mom Sally Goodson in the 1994 television movieDavid’s Mother.
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Kirstie Alley’s Emmy Wins
Kirstie Alley.Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Alley won her second Emmy just one year afterCheersfor playing devoted mom Sally Goodson in the 1994 television movieDavid’s Mother.
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Kirstie Alley and Parker Stevenson
Ron Galella/WireImage
On Dec. 22, 1983, Alley married actorParker Stevenson. It was her second marriage, following her first to Bob Alley from 1970 to 1977.
According to a PEOPLE profile, Alley and Stevenson met at a bar. While she didn’t recognize him, she recalled the evening vividly. “I saw him and said to my roommate, ‘For him, I would die,’ " she remembered.
08of 15Kirstie Alley and James WilderDavid Keeler/GettyShortly after her divorce, Alley began datingMelrose Placeactor James Wilder, however, the pair parted ways after a few years together.
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Kirstie Alley and James Wilder
David Keeler/Getty
Shortly after her divorce, Alley began datingMelrose Placeactor James Wilder, however, the pair parted ways after a few years together.
09of 15Kirstie Alley on ‘Veronica’s Closet’Cindy Ord/GettyAlley’s next big television moment was with a leading role on the 1997 sitcomVeronica’s Closet,playing unlucky-in-love lingerie exec Veronica Chase. At the time,Entertainment Weeklysaid it “gives us the Kirstie Alley we’ve been wanting — trash-talking and in charge, a strong, mature woman who’s both vulnerable to men’s charms and sick of their lives.“The show lasted four seasons, earning Alley one more Emmy nomination (plus her sixth Golden Globe nom).
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Kirstie Alley on ‘Veronica’s Closet’
Cindy Ord/Getty
Alley’s next big television moment was with a leading role on the 1997 sitcomVeronica’s Closet,playing unlucky-in-love lingerie exec Veronica Chase. At the time,Entertainment Weeklysaid it “gives us the Kirstie Alley we’ve been wanting — trash-talking and in charge, a strong, mature woman who’s both vulnerable to men’s charms and sick of their lives.”
The show lasted four seasons, earning Alley one more Emmy nomination (plus her sixth Golden Globe nom).
10of 15Kirstie Alley and WeightPaul Drinkwater/NBC via APDuring the height of her fame,much was made about Alley’s weight, and she spoke frequently with PEOPLE about her relationship with food — and with herself.“The weird thing is, I don’t like the way I look — and I like who I am,” she said in 2004. “I like who I am better than I’ve ever liked myself.“Her weight was the inspiration behind her 2005 unscripted Showtime seriesFat Actress,which ran for one season. In 2006,she appeared onTheOprah WinfreyShowin a bikini to show off her weight loss.In 2004, she became a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, stepping away from the brand in 2008 only to come back and lose 50 lbs. on the program in 2015.
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Kirstie Alley and Weight
Paul Drinkwater/NBC via AP
During the height of her fame,much was made about Alley’s weight, and she spoke frequently with PEOPLE about her relationship with food — and with herself.
“The weird thing is, I don’t like the way I look — and I like who I am,” she said in 2004. “I like who I am better than I’ve ever liked myself.”
Her weight was the inspiration behind her 2005 unscripted Showtime seriesFat Actress,which ran for one season. In 2006,she appeared onTheOprah WinfreyShowin a bikini to show off her weight loss.
In 2004, she became a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, stepping away from the brand in 2008 only to come back and lose 50 lbs. on the program in 2015.
11of 15Kirstie Alley as a MomBen Dome/Matt Smith/Pacific Coast NewsIn 2004,Alley told PEOPLEshe’d been focused on being “the best mother I can be” to kidsLillie and William.And in 2016,she became a grandmother, after William welcomed son Waylon. She called the news “bliss” while sharing first photos with Twitter followers.
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Kirstie Alley as a Mom
Ben Dome/Matt Smith/Pacific Coast News
In 2004,Alley told PEOPLEshe’d been focused on being “the best mother I can be” to kidsLillie and William.
And in 2016,she became a grandmother, after William welcomed son Waylon. She called the news “bliss” while sharing first photos with Twitter followers.
12of 15Kirstie Alley on ‘Dancing with the Stars’Adam Taylor/ABCAs she continued to pop up in movies and television shows throughout the 2000s, Alley made a solid debut on the 2011 season ofDancing with the Stars.“I seriously want to do a great job,” she said following the season premiere, which paired her with proMaksim Chmerkovskiy.The pairmade it to the finals, coming in second behind Hines Ward and Kym Johnson.“When I look at what evolved from the first day to now, it’s extraordinary,” said Alley, who also opened up about her weight loss during the season. “It sort of gave me a new view of what I wanted to do in my life.”
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Kirstie Alley on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Adam Taylor/ABC
As she continued to pop up in movies and television shows throughout the 2000s, Alley made a solid debut on the 2011 season ofDancing with the Stars.
“I seriously want to do a great job,” she said following the season premiere, which paired her with proMaksim Chmerkovskiy.The pairmade it to the finals, coming in second behind Hines Ward and Kym Johnson.
“When I look at what evolved from the first day to now, it’s extraordinary,” said Alley, who also opened up about her weight loss during the season. “It sort of gave me a new view of what I wanted to do in my life.”
13of 15Kirstie Alley’s ControversiesKevin Mazur/WireImageAlley stirred up several controversies on social media, with tweets questioning the #MeToo movement and supporting Donald Trump, and more recently, a tweet wondering “what’s real or what is fake"about the war in Ukraine.A long-time Scientologist, she also spoke out afterLeah Remini left and dropped her own bombshellsabout the church,telling Howard Stern, “When you decide to blanket statement, ‘Scientology is evil,’ you are my enemy.”
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Kirstie Alley’s Controversies
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Alley stirred up several controversies on social media, with tweets questioning the #MeToo movement and supporting Donald Trump, and more recently, a tweet wondering “what’s real or what is fake"about the war in Ukraine.
A long-time Scientologist, she also spoke out afterLeah Remini left and dropped her own bombshellsabout the church,telling Howard Stern, “When you decide to blanket statement, ‘Scientology is evil,’ you are my enemy.”
14of 15Kirstie Alley’s Final RolesABCAlley continued to stay busy in the years afterDWTS,trying another self-referential sitcom, 2013’sKirstie,plus stints onHot in ClevelandandScream Queens.In 2022, she took a turn onThe Masked Singer,making it to the semi-finals.Alley’s second-to-last film credit wasa sentimental one: a 2019 cameo onThe GoldbergsalongsideCheerscostarsRhea Perlman,John Ratzenbergerand George Wendt.
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Kirstie Alley’s Final Roles
ABC
Alley continued to stay busy in the years afterDWTS,trying another self-referential sitcom, 2013’sKirstie,plus stints onHot in ClevelandandScream Queens.In 2022, she took a turn onThe Masked Singer,making it to the semi-finals.
Alley’s second-to-last film credit wasa sentimental one: a 2019 cameo onThe GoldbergsalongsideCheerscostarsRhea Perlman,John Ratzenbergerand George Wendt.
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Kirstie Alley Dies
D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra
On Dec. 5, 2022, Alley’s children announced thatthe actress had died at the age of 71.Her replater confirmed she’d recently been diagnosedwith colon cancer.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer,only recently discovered,” they said in a statement.
The siblings remembered their mother’s “zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.”
They also thanked the “incredible team of doctors and nurses” at the Moffitt Cancer Center.
The statement concludes with True and Lillie thanking Alley’s fans, sharing, “We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.”
source: people.com
