Kirstie Louise Alley (January 12, 1951 – December 5, 2022) was an American actress.

Her breakout role was as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1987–1993), for which she received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991. From 1997 to 2000, she starred as the lead in the sitcom Veronica's Closet, earning additional Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Alley appeared in various films, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Summer School (1987), Shoot to Kill (1988), Look Who's Talking (1989) and its two sequels (1990–1993), Madhouse (1990), Sibling Rivalry (1990), Village of the Damned (1995), It Takes Two (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997), and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).

Alley won her second Emmy Award in 1994 for the television film David's Mother. In 1997, Alley received another Emmy nomination for her work in the crime drama series The Last Don. In 2005, she played a fictionalized version of herself on Showtime's Fat Actress. In 2013, Alley returned to acting with the title role on the sitcom Kirstie. In 2016, she appeared on the Fox comedy horror series Scream Queens.

She also appeared in reality television including Kirstie Alley's Big Life (2010), where she finished in second place. She also served as a contestant on the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars (2011–2012), and the 22nd series of the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother (2018), in which she finished as runner-up. In 2022, she appeared on The Masked Singer.

Early life

Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Robert Deal Alley, who owned a lumber company, and Lillian Alley. She had two siblings, Colette and Craig. Alley attended Wichita Southeast High School, graduating in 1969. She attended college at Kansas State University, dropping out after her sophomore year. After moving to Los Angeles to pursue Scientology and work as an interior designer, Alley appeared as a contestant on the game show Match Game in 1979. She won both rounds, winning $500 in the first round and $5500 in the second round. She also appeared on the game show Password Plus in 1980. On both shows she described her profession as interior designer. In 1981, an automobile accident involving a drunk driver killed her mother and left her father seriously injured.

Career

Alley made her film 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, later saying she was offered less money than for Star Trek II. She was also a regular on the ABC television series Masquerade from 1983 to 1984.[8] In the years following, she starred in a number of smaller films, including One More Chance, Blind Date and Runaway. In 1985, she starred in the ABC miniseries North and South, and also portrayed feminist icon Gloria Steinem in the television movie A Bunny's Tale. In 1987, Alley starred alongside Mark Harmon in the comedy film Summer School. The film was a box office success, grossing over $35 million in the United States.

Later in 1987, Alley joined the cast of NBC sitcom Cheers, replacing Shelley Long. It became her breakout hit role and she remained with the show for six years until its eleventh and final season. In 1989, Alley starred with John Travolta in Look Who's Talking. The film grossed over $295 million worldwide. They then went on to make two other films centered on the same theme, Look Who's Talking Too and Look Who's Talking Now. After two Emmy Award nominations for her work on Cheers, in 1988 and 1990, she won the Emmy on her third nomination, in 1991.[13]

Alley earned her second Emmy for the 1994 television film David's Mother. For her contributions to the film industry, Alley received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in 1995.

From 1997 to 2000, Alley played the title character in the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet, as well as serving as executive producer on the show. She served as the spokesperson for Pier 1 Imports from 2000 to 2004, and for Jenny Craig from 2004 to 2007.

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, and ran for one season before it was canceled, five months after ending its freshman run.

She was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the 15th season of Dancing with the Stars. In 2022, Alley competed in season seven of The Masked Singer as "Baby Mammoth" of Team Cuddly.

Personal life

Alley was married from 1970 to 1977 to high-school sweetheart Bob Alley, who coincidentally had the same name as her father.  Alley married actor Parker Stevenson on December 22, 1983. Following a miscarriage, the couple adopted son William “True” one week after his October 5, 1992, birth, and in 1995 adopted daughter Lillie. The marriage ended in 1997. In 2016, Alley became a grandmother after her son William had a son of his own.

From 2000 until her death in 2022, Alley was a resident of Clearwater, Florida. From 1991 to 2020, Alley also lived on Islesboro Island, Maine. She once owned the Mitchell Cottage, formerly the Islesboro Inn, with her then husband. Alley later purchased another home on Islesboro.

While working as a Jenny Craig spokesperson from 2004 to 2007, Alley lost 75 pounds (34 kilograms), bringing her weight down to 145 pounds (66 kg).

In May 2009, she 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).

In March 2010, after gossip blogger Roger Friedman alleged a link between her Organic Liaison weight-loss system and the Church of Scientology, Alley wrote: "Please Google Mr. Roger Friedman. He is spreading lies about me and my new business. You will see his history & why Fox fired him. Going to have Mr. Attorney call Mr. Friedman's Attorney tomorrow ... Mr. Friedman is treading on thin LIBELOUS ice with my company." In September 2011, Alley announced she had lost 100 pounds (45 kg) using weight loss products from Organic Liaison. In 2012, she faced a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising; the suit claimed that her weight loss was the result of exercise, including training for the TV show Dancing with the Stars, not Organic Liaison products. She settled the suit in 2013, 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.

In April 2014, she resumed a role as a spokesperson with Jenny Craig; the Organic Liaison product line was acquired by Jenny Craig's parent company, and subsequently integrated into Jenny Craig's product line. In January 2015, Alley claimed that, since starting the Jenny Craig weight-loss program again, she had lost 50 pounds (23 kg).

Alley was raised as a Methodist, but became a member of the Church of Scientology in 1979. 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, to end her dependency. By 2007 she had attained the level of OT VII (Operating Thetan Level 7).

In May 2000, she purchased a 5,200 square feet (480 square meters) waterfront mansion from former Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley for $1.5 million. The house is in Clearwater, Florida, the spiritual headquarters of the Church of Scientology. Alley donated $5 million to the Church in 2007.

As a member of the Church of Scientology, Alley opted to not reprise her role Rebecca Howe on any episode of Frasier, because the series was centered on the field of medical psychiatrists; she was the only former Cheers regular not to do so.

In August 2015, Alley tweeted that she would not be supporting Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, during the 2016 presidential elections, and on April 8, 2016, she tweeted her support for Republicans Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani. On October 8, 2016, Alley retracted her endorsement of Trump, tweeting, "I hate this election and I'm officially no longer endorsing either candidate."

In October 2020, she stated she had voted for Trump in 2016 and intended to vote for him again in 2020 because "he's NOT a politician". She also endorsed Republican John James in the 2020 United States Senate election in Michigan.

Alley died from colon cancer on December 5, 2022, at the age of 71. Per a statement released by her children, the cancer had only been recently discovered. She had been undergoing treatment in Tampa, Florida.

Her ex-husband Parker Stevenson, her two children, Look Who's Talking co-star John Travolta, and other celebrities posted their condolences on social media. Her Cheers co-stars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Rhea Perlman also released statements memorializing her.