Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning star of “McMillan & Wife” and “Kate & Allie,” has died of pancreatic cancer at 80.
Story Snapshot
- Susan Saint James died at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, her representative confirmed.
- She played Sally McMillan opposite Rock Hudson and later starred with Jane Curtin on “Kate & Allie.”
- She won an Emmy in 1969, early in her TV career.
- Her family remembered a woman who “never met a stranger.”
- After her 14-year-old son Teddy died in a 2004 plane crash, Saint James gave his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband.
What Happened
Susan Saint James died on Monday, October 26, at age 80. Her representative confirmed her death, according to reports, and said she died of pancreatic cancer. The pancreas is a gland behind the stomach that helps the body digest food.
Her family shared a warm statement about her. They said she was “generous with her time and energy” and “taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people.” They added: “She never met a stranger. Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment.”
A TV Favorite for Two Decades
Saint James was born Susan Jane Miller in Los Angeles on August 14, 1946. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and started out as a model. She moved into television in the late 1960s.
Her first big break was “The Name of the Game” on NBC. She played Peggy Maxwell, a research assistant, and won the 1969 Emmy for best supporting actress in a series. She was still in her early 20s.
From 1971 to 1976 she played Sally McMillan on “McMillan & Wife.” Her TV husband was police commissioner Stewart McMillan, played by Rock Hudson. She earned three Emmy nominations for the role. She left before the last season over a contract dispute, and the show wrote her character out with a plane crash.
In 1984 she came back to prime time on CBS with “Kate & Allie.” She played Kate McArdle opposite Jane Curtin, who won two Emmys for her role as Allie. The show ran until 1989 and earned her two more Emmy nominations. She also appeared in the films “Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows” and “Love at First Bite,” and later took guest roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Suits.” She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.
Family, Loss and Giving Back
After “Kate & Allie” ended, Saint James largely stepped away from Hollywood. She put her energy into her family and into charity work, including years of service with the Special Olympics.
She met her husband, Dick Ebersol, in 1981, when she hosted “Saturday Night Live.” Ebersol was a producer of that show and later a longtime NBC executive. They married that same year.
The family suffered a terrible loss on November 28, 2004. Their son Teddy, 14, died in a private plane crash in Colorado. Ebersol and their son Charlie survived the crash. Weeks later, Saint James gave Teddy’s eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband.
She is survived by her husband; her four children, Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol; seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey; and her service dog, Lola.
Sources:
deadline.com, cnn.com, upi.com, washingtonpost.com, usatoday.com, yahoo.com