Latest news with #SeattleRepertoryTheatre
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Sanford and Son', ‘The Waltons' actress Lynn Hamilton dies at 95
Actress Lynn Hamilton, who performed on 'Sanford and Son' and 'The Waltons,' has died. She was 95. Hamilton 'transitioned peacefully' on Thursday at her Chicago home, 'surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones and caregivers,' her former manager and publicist, Rev. Dr. Calvin Carson, said in posts on Facebook and Instagram. Born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Hamilton and her family moved to Chicago when she was 4 years old. As the only Black actor in her class at the Goodman School of Drama Theater, Hamilton found roles hard to come by. After working briefly with a theater company on Chicago's South Side, she moved to New York in 1956, where she appeared in four Broadway plays and worked for three years with the New York Shakespeare Festival. She also toured with 'The Miracle Worker' and 'The Skin of Our Teeth' as part of President John F. Kennedy's cultural exchange program before joining the Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1966. Hamilton had some small television roles, starting as an extra in John Cassavetes' 'Shadows,' before being cast as the leading characters' cantankerous landlady in the seventh episode of 'Sanford and Son' in 1972. The sitcom's producers decided a couple of months later 'to give Fred Sanford a girlfriend,' Hamilton told an interviewer in 2009, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hamilton spent the rest of the show's run in the recurring role of Donna Harris, a nurse who found herself frequently caring for Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), when they weren't passionately arguing — but not before a serious grilling by his late wife's sisters. The characters got engaged but never married before the series ended in 1977. Starting in 1973, Hamilton also played Verdie Grant Foster on 'The Waltons,' appearing in 16 episodes through 1981 and then in Waltons television movies 'A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion' and 'A Walton Easter' in 1993 and 1997, respectively. More recent roles included 'The Practice,' and 'Golden Girls' among other shows. 'Her illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, motivating audiences across the globe through her work as a model, stage, film, and television actress,' Carson said in his statement. 'Her passing marks the end of an era, but her legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations.' ______
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Star of iconic 90s medical drama is unrecognizable during LA outing... can you guess who?
Fans of the hit '90s drama ER were in for a treat this week as one of the show's most iconic stars was spotted during a rare outing in Los Angeles. The reclusive actress, now 67, turned heads as she stepped out looking effortlessly chic — a far cry from her white coat days as ER's Dr. Kerry Weaver. The star, who joined the medical drama in season 2 as the no-nonsense chief who famously used a forearm crutch, proved she's still just as striking as ever — only this time, in a more casual vibe. Dressed in sleek black leggings and a sporty warm-up jacket, the Emmy-nominated star kept things simple while running errands — with her signature ginger hair instantly recognizable to longtime fans. She later made memorable appearances in shows like How to Get Away with Murder and even stepped behind the camera to direct episodes of The West Wing. Can you guess the mystery actress? Dressed in sleek black leggings and a sporty warm-up jacket, the Emmy-nominated star kept things simple while running errands — with her signature ginger hair instantly recognizable to longtime fans If you guessed Laura Innes, you're right! Innes made her final regular appearance on ER in the emotional season 13 episode A House Divided, which aired in January 2007. She returned for the series finale, flying in from Florida to reunite with fellow ER legends Elizabeth Corday, Susan Lewis, John Carter, and Peter Benton. After a warm catch-up dinner, she told the group she had to catch a flight back — a poignant farewell for a character who had grown so much throughout the series. Before she became a household name on ER, Innes built a strong foundation in theater, earning critical praise for her stage work in Chicago, where she starred as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire alongside John Malkovich as Mitch. She went on to appear in major productions like Two Shakespearean Actors with Eric Stoltz at Lincoln Center, Our Town at Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Three Sisters at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. Her early screen career included a mix of sitcoms and guest roles — from co-starring as Krissy Bender Marino in the short-lived The Stiller and Meara Show to popping up on Hey Dude, Party of Five, My So-Called Life, and the Emmy-winning TV movie And the Band Played On. In the early '90s, she landed her first major television role as Bunny, the bold and flirtatious ex-wife of Lowell Mather, on the NBC sitcom Wings. She later made memorable appearances in shows like How to Get Away with Murder and even stepped behind the camera to direct episodes of The West Wing Before she became a household name on ER, Innes built a strong foundation in theater, earning critical praise for her stage work in Chicago, where she starred as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire alongside John Malkovich as Mitch In the early '90s, she landed her first major television role as Bunny, the bold and flirtatious ex-wife of Lowell Mather, on the NBC sitcom Wings Off-screen, Innes has faced her share of challenges. Her first fiancé, actor David Bell, was tragically murdered in 1980 at just 22 years old, reportedly over a dispute involving a blocked driveway in Florida. She later married actor David Brisbin, and the couple have two children — a biological son Cal and an adopted daughter, Mia, from China. Still, through it all, Laura Innes remains a television icon — and clearly, a class act in real life too.
