Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley | |
|---|---|
 Alley in 1994. | |
| Born | Kirstie Louise Alley January 12, 1951 Wichita, Kansas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Wichita Southeast High School Kansas State University |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, comedian, spokesmodel |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Bob Alley (m. 1970–1977) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | kirstiealley |
Kirstie Louise Alley (born January 12, 1951) is an American actress, comedian and spokesmodel. Her big break came in 1982 playing Lieutenant JG Saavik in the science fiction film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Alley is best known for her role as Rebecca Howe on the NBC sitcom Cheers, in which she starred from 1987 to 1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" in 1991. She also has starred in number of movies, include Summer School (1987), Shoot to Kill (1988), Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels, Sibling Rivalry (1990), It Takes Two (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and Drop-Dead Gorgeous (1999). She received her second Emmy for David's Mother as the "Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie".
From 1997 to 2000, Alley starred as leading character on the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet, for which she received addition Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations. In 2000s, Alley has appeared in reality shows revolving around her life. In 2013, she returned to acting with title role on the short-lived TV Land sitcom Kirstie, and in 2016 joined the second season of the Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens playing Dr. Ingrid Hoffel.
Early life
Kirstie Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Lillian Mickie (née Heaton), a homemaker, and Robert Deal Alley, who owned a lumber company.[1][2] She has two siblings, Colette and Craig. Alley attended Wichita Southeast High School, graduating in 1969.[3] She attended college at Kansas State University in 1969.[3] After moving to Los Angeles to pursue Scientology and work as an interior designer, Alley appeared as a contestant on the popular game show Match Game in 1979 (not during the "Match Game '79" season). She won both rounds winning $500 in the first round and winning $5500 in the second round.[4] She also appeared on the game show Password Plus in 1980. In 1981, a car accident caused by a drunk driver killed her mother and left her father seriously injured. Her father eventually recovered.[3]
Career
Before becoming an actress, Alley was an interior designer, as she announced during her appearance as a contestant on the game show Match Game. She made her movie debut in 1982 in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, playing the Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik, but chose not to reprise that role in the next two sequels, saying later she was offered less money than for II. The following years, she has starred in a number of smaller films, include One More Chance, Blind Date and Runaway. In 1985 she played Virgilia Hazard in the ABC miniseries North and South, books I and II.
In 1987, Alley starred alongside Mark Harmon in comedy film Summer School. The film was a box office success, grossing over $35 million in the United States.[5] Later that year she joined the cast of NBC sitcom Cheers, replacing Shelley Long and remaining on the show until its eleventh and final season.[6] In 1989, Alley starred with John Travolta in Look Who's Talking, the film grossed over $295,000,000 worldwide. They then went on to make two other films centered around the same theme, Look Who's Talking Too and Look Who's Talking Now![7]
Alley has won two Emmy Awards[8] during her career. Her first two nominations for her work on Cheers did not earn her the award, but her third, in 1991, garnered her the statuette for that series. In her speech, she thanked then-husband Parker Stevenson, calling him "the man who has given me the big one for the last eight years."[9] She won her second Emmy for 1994 television film David's Mother. For contributions to the motion picture industry, Alley was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in 1995.[10]
From 1997 to 2000, Alley played the title character in the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet, as well as serving as executive producers on the show. She served as the spokesperson for Pier One from 2000–04 and for Jenny Craig from 2005–08.
TV Land aired a sitcom that centered on Alley as a Broadway star and a new parent. It was titled Kirstie, and reunited her with former Cheers co-star Rhea Perlman and Seinfeld star Michael Richards. The series premiered on December 4, 2013,[11] and ran for one season before it was canceled, five months after ending its freshman run.[12]
Dancing with the Stars
In February 2011, Alley was announced as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Their first dance, a cha-cha-cha, earned them the second-highest score, 23 points of a possible 30. On May 2011, Alley and Chmerkovskiy performed their final dance, also a cha-cha-cha, which earned them a perfect score of 30 out of 30. Alley finished the competition in second place, behind NFL Super Bowl champion Hines Ward. She also took part in the 15th season of Dancing with the Stars for a second chance to win the mirrorball trophy[13] again with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. They were the seventh couple eliminated from the competition.
Personal life
Alley met and dated a distant cousin, Bob Alley, in high school. They married in 1970. Her husband had the same name as her father.[14] They divorced seven years later as their career paths diverged.[15] Alley was married to her second husband, Parker Stevenson (Richard Stevenson Parker, Jr.) on December 22, 1983. They divorced in 1997. Alley and Stevenson share custody of their two children, William True and Lillie Price.[16] On June 21, 2016, Alley announced she was a grandmother after her son William welcomed a son of his own, Waylon Tripp Parker.[17]
Weight gain and loss
On September 17, 2012, Alley appeared on The Dr. Oz Show where she admitted that she started gaining weight in late 2003. Alley claimed she spent her whole life eating obsessively without gaining weight, and only noticed a change in her body after she went into early menopause in 1992.[18]
While working as a Jenny Craig spokesperson from 2004 to 2007, Alley lost 75 pounds (34 kg), bringing her weight down to 145 pounds (66 kg).[19]
In May, 2009, Alley told People magazine that, after parting ways with Jenny Craig, she gained 83 pounds (38 kg), and weighed as much as 228 pounds (103 kg).[20]
In September, 2011, Alley announced that she had lost 100 pounds (45 kg) using weight loss products from Organic Liaison, a company she had founded in 2010.[21] In 2012, Alley faced a class-action false advertising lawsuit alleging that her claim was misleading, and that her weight loss was instead the result of exercise, including training for the TV show "Dancing With the Stars." In 2013, Alley settled the suit, agreeing to remove the term “Proven Products” from packaging, issue a disclaimer on the brand’s website that it is a “calorie-based weight-loss product,” and pay a $130,000 settlement.[22][23]
In April, 2014, Alley reunited with Jenny Craig, as spokesperson, and the Organic Liaison product line was acquired by Jenny Craig's parent company, and subsequently integrated into Jenny Craig's product line.[22] In January, 2015, Alley announced that, since starting the Jenny Craig weight-loss program again, she had lost 50 pounds (23 kg).[24]
Scientology
Alley was raised as a Methodist but became a member of the Church of Scientology in 1979.[25] At the time she became a Scientologist, Alley admitted to having had a cocaine addiction and went through Narconon, a Scientology-affiliated drug treatment program,[26] to end her dependency.[27] She has continued her Scientology training and, as of 2007, has attained the level of OT VII (Operating Thetan Level 7).[28]
In May 2000, she purchased a 5,200 sq ft (480 m2) waterfront mansion from fellow Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley for $1.5 million. The house is in Clearwater, Florida, the spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology. In 2007 Alley donated $5 million to the Church.[29]
After fellow actress Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology in 2013, Alley publicly denounced Remini as "a repulsive bigot" and declared her former friend was now "my enemy".[30]
Politics
In August 2015 Alley tweeted that she will not be supporting the Democratic nominee during the 2016 presidential elections, and on April 8, 2016, she tweeted her support for Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani.[31][32] On October 8, 2016, Alley retracted her endorsement of Trump, tweeting, "I hate this election and I'm officially no longer endorsing either candidate."[33]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan | Lt. Saavik | Nominee—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1983 | One More Chance | Sheila | |
| 1983 | Champions | Barbara | |
| 1984 | Blind Date[34] | Claire Simpson | |
| 1984 | Runaway | Jackie Rogers | Nominee—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1987 | Summer School | Ms. Robin Bishop | |
| 1988 | Shoot to Kill | Sarah Renell | Also known as Deadly Pursuit |
| 1989 | Look Who's Talking | Mollie | |
| 1989 | Loverboy | Dr. Joyce Palmer | |
| 1990 | Madhouse | Jessie Bannister | |
| 1990 | Look Who's Talking Too | Mollie Ubriacco | |
| 1990 | Sibling Rivalry | Marjorie Turner | |
| 1993 | Look Who's Talking Now | Mollie Ubriacco | |
| 1994 | 3 Chains o' Gold | Vanessa Bartholomew | |
| 1995 | Village of the Damned | Dr. Susan Verner | |
| 1995 | It Takes Two | Diane Barrows | |
| 1997 | Deconstructing Harry | Joan | |
| 1997 | For Richer or Poorer | Caroline Sexton | |
| 1999 | Drop-Dead Gorgeous | Gladys Leeman | |
| 2002 | Back by Midnight | Gloria Beaumont | |
| 2004 | Family Sins | Brenda Geck | |
| 2013 | Syrup | Herself | |
| 2015 | Accidental Love | Aunt Rita | Filmed in 2008 |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Match Game | Self (contestant) | |
| 1980 | Password Plus | Self (contestant) | |
| 1983 | Masquerade | Casey Collins | (2 episodes) |
| 1984 | Sins of the Past | Patrice Cantwell | |
| 1985 | A Bunny's Tale | Gloria Steinem | |
| 1985 | The Hitchhiker | Angelica | Episode: "Out of the Night" Nominee—CableACE Award for Actress in a Dramatic Series |
| 1985 | North and South | Virgilia Hazard | (miniseries) |
| 1986 | North and South II | Virgilia Hazard | (miniseries) |
| 1986 | Stark: Mirror Image | Maggie Carter | |
| 1986 | Prince of Bel Air | Jamie Harrison | |
| 1987 | The Hitchhiker | Jane L. | Episode: "The Legendary Billy B." |
| 1987 | Infidelity | Eliot 'Ellie' Denato | |
| 1987–1993 | Cheers | Rebecca Howe | Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series (1991) Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1991) Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series (1988, 1990, 1992, 1993) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1990, 1992, 1993) |
| 1990 | The Earth Day Special | Rebecca Howe | |
| 1991–1993 | Saturday Night Live | Herself (Host) | |
| 1992 | My Name Is Prince[35] | Vanessa Bartholomew | (music video) |
| 1994 | David's Mother | Sally Goodson | Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1996 | Peter and the Wolf | Annie / Bird / Duck / Cat | |
| 1996 | Radiant City | Gloria Goodman | |
| 1996 | Suddenly | Marty Doyle | |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Rose Marie Clericuzio | (miniseries) Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1997 | Toothless | Dr. Katherine Lewis | (TV movie) |
| 1997–2000 | Veronica's Closet | Veronica Chase | (also producer) Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series (1998) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1998) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series |
| 1998 | The Last Don II | Rose Marie Clericuzio | (miniseries) |
| 2001 | Blonde | Elsie | (miniseries) |
| 2002 | Salem Witch Trials | Ann Putnam | (miniseries) |
| 2003 | Profoundly Normal | Donna Lee Shelby Thornton | (also executive producer) |
| 2004 | Family Sins | Brenda Geck | |
| 2004 | While I Was Gone | Jo Beckett | |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Noreen Raab | Episode: "Risen" |
| 2005 | Fat Actress | Self | (also joint creator and co-writer w/Brenda Hampton) (7 episodes) |
| 2006 | The King of Queens | Self | Episode: "Apartment Complex" |
| 2007 | Write & Wrong | Byrdie Langdon | |
| 2007 | The Minister of Divine | Sydney Hudson | Pilot based on the British series The Vicar of Dibley. |
| 2010 | The Marriage Ref | Self (guest judge) | |
| 2010 | Kirstie Alley's Big Life | Self (documentee) | Reality television |
| 2011–2012 | Dancing with the Stars | Self (contestant) | Season 12 & Season 15: All-Stars Reality Television |
| 2012 | The Manzanis | Angela | Pilot |
| 2013 | Baby Sellers | Carla Huxley | TV movie |
| 2013–2014 | Kirstie[36] | Maddie Banks | |
| 2014 | Hot in Cleveland | Maddie Banks | Episode: "Bucket: We're Going to New York" |
| 2015 | The Middle | Pam Staggs | Episode: "Pam Freakin' Staggs" |
| 2015 | Time Crashers | Herself | British reality series |
| 2016 | Flaked | Jackie | |
| 2016 | Scream Queens | Ingrid Marie Hoffel |
References
- ^ "Kirstie Alley". Soylent Communications. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley Recharged". Good Housekeeping. May 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
- ^ a b c Paul Zahn Now, April 15, 2005.
- ^ The Game Show Network re-broadcast
- ^ "Summer School (1987) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved October 18, 2016.
- ^ Interview with Kirstie Alley, The Howard Stern Show, December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Look Who's Talking (1989)". Box Office Mojo. March 6, 1990. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Emmys.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "43rd Annual Emmys - Kirstie Alley". YouTube. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame database". HWOF.com.
- ^ "TV Land greenlights Kirstie Alley comedy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ "TV Land cancels 'Kirstie'". Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
- ^ Shira, Dahvi (July 27, 2012). "Dancing with the Stars: Joey Fatone, Bristol Palin in All-Star Cast". People.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "All about Kirstie Alley's first marriage and love affairs". starcasm.net. November 7, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Star Magazine Uncovers Dancing With The Stars Celebs' Secret Pasts". KRTH. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ "'Gal-imony': Celeb Women Who Pay in the Divorce". ABC News. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ Rayne, Naja (June 21, 2016). "Kirstie Alley Is a Grandma! See the Adorable First Pic of Grandson Waylon Tripp". PEOPLE. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley opens up about weight gain on 'Dr. Oz'". OTRC. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ^ Meghan Holohan. "Kirstie Alley joins Jenny Craig to lose weight — again". TODAY.com.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley: 'Yes, I Gained 83 Pounds'". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley's New Life 100 Lbs. Lighter!". People. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
- ^ a b E.J. Schultz. (April 7, 2014). "Kirstie Alley Reunites With Jenny Craig As Spokeswoman - News - Advertising Age".
- ^ Daily Dish (June 20, 2013). "Kirstie Alley ordered to modify labels on diet products". Daily Dish.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley: 50-Lb. Weight Loss with Jenny Craig : People.com". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ "'I thought she was my friend... f*** her': Staunch Scientologist Kirstie Alley posts cryptic tweet as Leah Remini makes dramatic exit from Church". Daily Mail. July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
- ^ "Narconon Exposed: Is Narconon safe?". Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science. November 5, 2002.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Huus, Kari (July 5, 2005). "Scientology's love affair with Hollywood". MSNBC. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
- ^ "Scientology and Me". Panorama. May 14, 2007. BBC One.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|episodelink=ignored (|episode-link=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ Associated Press. "Scientologists' big donations," ABC Action News, Scripps TV Station Group, January 30, 2008. Retrieved on January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley slams Leah Remini again while on Howard Stern". Mail Online. December 5, 2013.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley announces that she will not be voting for the party 'that starts with the letters D E M'". August 26, 2015.
- ^ Trudo, Hanna (April 8, 2016). "Kirstie Alley endorses Donald Trump". Politico.
- ^ Heil, Emily (October 11, 2016). "Donald Trump has lost Kirstie Alley's vote, but hey, Scott Baio is still with him". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ The end credits of this film promoted a sequel, to have been titled Run, Stumble, Fall, which was not known to have been produced or released as of the middle of May of 2012.
- ^ "Kirstie Alley: People.com". Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ^ "TV Land Greenlights Original Sitcom 'Kirstie's New Show' Starring Kirstie Alley - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
External links
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
- 1951 births
- Actresses from Kansas
- American Scientologists
- American film actresses
- American television actresses
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
- Contestants on American game shows
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
- American former Protestants
- Kansas State University alumni
- Living people
- Actors from Wichita, Kansas
- University of Kansas alumni
- Former Methodists
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses