Susan Saint James, Iconic 'Kate & Allie' Star, Dies at 80 After Battle with Pancreatic Cancer
Susan Saint James, best known for her roles in the TV series “Kate & Allie” and “McMillan & Wife,” has died. She was 80.
A rep for the actress confirmed her death to People Tuesday, sharing she passed away on Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
In a statement shared with the outlet, her family remembered Saint James as someone who was “generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up. She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people.”
They continued, “She never met a stranger. Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story.”
“She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it. She is survived by her husband, Dick Ebersol, her four children – Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol – her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey, as well as her beloved service dog, Lola,” the statement concluded.
The late sitcom star, born Susan Jane Miller, changed her last name to Saint James and moved to Hollywood at 20 years old to pursue an acting career.
Soon after, she signed a weekly contract with Universal and began appearing in films such as “Where Angels Go” and “Trouble Follows.”
In 1968, she landed a role on the TV series “The Name of the Game.” Saint James received three Emmy nominations for the series, winning once.
Three years later, she signed on to “McMillan & Wife.” Rock Hudson played the former role, and she the latter. Saint James received three more Emmy nominations for the part.
Saint James stayed with the show for five seasons until her character’s death.
“We did a pilot one year and then worked together almost five and a half years, except that they went on a year without me,” she told Yahoo in 2015.
“My character died. It was very sad, but [Hudson’s] character didn’t waste any time having any other girlfriends either!” she quipped.
As for her personal life, Saint James was married to scriptwriter Richard Neubert from 1967 to 1968.
In 1971, she married makeup artist Tom Lucas. They welcomed two children, daughter Sunshine and son Harmony. Lucas was also her manager until they divorced in 1977.
In the years that followed, she starred in a slew of films, including “Outlaw Blues” (1977) with Peter Fonda and “How to Beat the High Cost of Living” (1980) with Jane Curtin and Jessica Lange.
In 1981, while hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Saint James met NBC executive Dick Ebersol. They went on a date after a rehearsal and quickly fell for each other.
The pair wed about six weeks after meeting and welcomed three children together: Charles, William and Edward, known as Teddy.
In 1984, Saint James landed her role on sitcom “Kate & Allie” alongside Curtin. In the series, the women played two divorced best friends who move in together, with their children in tow.
“This is not a statement saying, ‘Girls, leave the guys and go live with your best friend,’” Saint James told People in 1984 of the show’s premise. “Kate and Allie didn’t plan this. It’s just the best solution they could think of, and their friendship sustains them.”
Although Saint James was initially hesitant to sign on to the project, she explained how she “could relate to the problems of a divorced woman.”
She received two more Emmy nominations before the series ended in 1989.
Saint James took a step away from Hollywood at the end of the ‘80s.
In November 2004, a private jet carrying Ebersol, Charles and Teddy crashed in Montrose, Colorado, killing 14-year-old Teddy. The family had been celebrating Thanksgiving in Los Angeles.
“There’s so many ways that these things can happen,” Saint James told People in 2022, reflecting on the tragic death of her youngest son.
“You can have an argument the night before, or you’re far away or working. It’s a whole another experience that we had, because we could just remember the hilarious time that we had in L.A. Everybody has a really fond memory of that, and everybody said, ‘Oh, I love you. See you at Christmas. Goodbye.’”
Years later, she returned to the screen for some TV appearances on “The Drew Carey Show,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in 2006 and one on “Suits” in 2011.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.
Back in August, Saint James celebrated turning 80 by seeing the Doobie Brothers the night before her birthday with all of her children and grandchildren.
On her actual birthday, her kids, grandkids, Ebersol and close friends celebrated in her backyard. Her family told People that the actress gushed it “was one of the best two days of her entire life.”
