Sunday, January 20, 2008

Suzanne Pleshette: 1937-2008

Suzanne Pleshette, known for her distinctive voice and throaty laugh in films and television, passed away last night at the age of 70.

On Broadway, Pleshette played Annie Sullivan in the original production of The Miracle Worker, and on film she co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (wherein she uttered the infamous line "Don't they ever stop migrating?"). She would go on to star in several Disney family favorites, including The Ugly Dachshund, Blackbeard's Ghost and The Shaggy D.A., and also voiced the villainesses in The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and Spirited Away.

But Pleshette will most be remembered for her work in television, in particular as Emily Hartley, Bob Newhart's no-nonsense wife on The Bob Newhart Show, a role that earned her two Emmy nominations (she would famously reprise the role years later on the classic series finale of Newhart). She was also Emmy nominated for her memorable performance as the title character in the TV movie Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean, and guest starred as Karen's mother on Will and Grace.

Pleshette, who was briefly married to heartthrob Troy Donahue in the 1960's, married her Newhart co-star Tom Poston in 2001 (the two had co-starred in a Broadway play some 40 years before) and were together up until his death last year. Now they are together again.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Maybe she'll wake up and this will all be a dream! It's very sad news.