Frances Sternhagen attends “The Columnist” Broadway Opening Night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on April 25, 2012.Photo:John Lamparski/WireImage
John Lamparski/WireImage
Frances Sternhagen, the award-winning actress best known for her roles onCheersandSex and the City, has died. She was 93.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear mother, actress Frances Sternhagen, died peacefully of natural causes in New Rochelle, NY, on November 27th, 2023 at the age of 93,” the family shared.
Her son John Carlin also paid tribute to his mother two days after her death onInstagram.
“Frannie. Mom. Frances Sternhagen. On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday,” he wrote alongside several throwback photos of his mother. “I will post more soon, but for now I just want to give thanks for the remarkable gift of an artist and human being that was Frances Sternhagen.”
He concluded his message, “Fly on, Frannie. The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived. 🙏🏻❤️”
Frances Sternhagen on ‘Cheers’.Kim Gottlieb-Walker/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Kim Gottlieb-Walker/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
On television, Sternhagen was known for her memorable roles as overbearing matriarchs. She starred as the grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) onERand Cliff (John Ratzenberger)’s mother Esther Clavin onCheers, which earned her two Emmy nominations.
She later played Bunny MacDougal, the shrewd mother of Trey (Kyle MacLachlan), onSex and the City, for which she received a third Emmy nomination. She also took on the role of Brenda Leigh Johnson’s (Kyra Sedgwick) mother onThe Closer.
For her work on Broadway, Sternhagen received two Tony Awards for her performances in Neil Simon’sThe Good Doctor(1974) and Augustus Goetz’sThe Heiress(1995). She also received Tony nominations for her work in the 1972 production ofThe Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window(1972),Equus(1975),Angel(1978),On Golden Pond(1979), andMorning’s at Seven(2002).
In 2005, she returned to Broadway inSteel Magnoliasas Clairee as well as Edward Albee’sSeascape.
On the big screen, she appeared inOutland,Misery,Julie and Julia,Starting Over,Independence Day,Doc HollywoodandAnd So It Goes.
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source: people.com
