Biography
Kirstie Louise Alley was born January 12, 1951, in Wichita, KS. She lived a typical Middle American childhood. Her father Robert owned a lumber company, and her mother Lillian was a homemaker to her and her two siblings. After finding her niche as cheerleader while in high school, she tried college, but decided what she really wanted to do was act. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, working as an interior decorator, while at the same time, going out on auditions. Her social life was another story. Alley ran with a fast Hollywood crowd and found salvation in the Church of Scientology, the religion based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, a former science fiction author. Wanting to get noticed and hoping to raise extra cash, she auditioned for game shows. She appeared on "Match Game" (CBS, 1973-1982) in 1979 and "Password Plus" (NBC, 1979-1982) in 1980, impressing producers and the audience with her quick wit and dark girl-next-door good looks. She got her first big break, playing Lieutenant Saavik in the feature film, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." The movie did well - to the point that Trekkies would consider it the best of the "Star Trek" films - and Kirstie Alley could now legitimately call herself a Hollywood actress. Following her promising breakout role as Saavik, Alley worked steadily in projects through the mid-1980s. She starred in the acclaimed Civil War-era TV miniseries "North and South" (ABC, 1985), and later was cast as the new bar owner and love interest in "Cheers," following the departure of the beloved Shelley Long and her character, Diane Chambers. At the time Alley joined the show, "Cheers" was one of the best and most popular sitcoms in television history. The show centered around Sam Malone (Ted Danson), an alcoholic ex-Red Sox pitcher, and the eccentric patrons and staff at Cheers, the bar owned and run by Sam. The rocky romantic chemistry generated between Sam and one of his waitresses, Diane Chambers, drove the show to primetime supremacy and Long to leave for a career in movies. Replacing Long was, well, a long shot, but the show did not miss a beat when Alley assumed the role of Rebecca Howe, the bar's new owner and Sam's eventual love interest, until it went off the air in 1993. She won an Emmy as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for 1991 and won the Golden Globe as well that same year. The motto at Cheers was "Everybody knows your name" and now everybody knew who Kirstie Alley was. She used her TV success as a launching pad into features, starring in the comedy "Look Who's Talking" (1989) with friend and fellow Scientologist John Travolta. The movie grossed over $100 million, ensuring two sequels - "Look Who's Talking Too" (1990) and "Look Who's Talking Now" (1993). Alley won another Emmy for her role as the mother of an autistic boy in the made-for-TV movie, "David's Mother" (CBS, 1994). She played a social worker in "It Takes Two" (1995), the movie debut of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olson, then moved on to more prestigious fare, earning excellent reviews as a psychiatrist married to Woody Allen's writer character in the film "Deconstructing Harry" (1997). After a few unmemorable TV movies, she hooked up with the powerhouse producing team of Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the creators of the TV sitcom smash "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004). The show they created for Alley was "Veronica's Closet" (NBC, 1997-2000), in which the star played Veronica Chase, the divorced owner of a lingerie company called (surprise!) Veronica's Closet. "Veronica's Closet" stayed open for business for three seasons. She did a beauty pageant movie, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999), then spent more time on the cover of the tabloids than on TV or movie screens because of weight gain. The ever- savvy Alley worked it to her advantage. She published her memoirs, How to Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life (2005), in which she chronicled how her depression over her miscarriages and infertility led to binge eating. She played herself in "Fat Actress," which, while not a hit, won her new fans for its self-deprecating tone. And then landed a spokeswoman gig for Jenny Craig. During the 2007-08 season, she made guest appearances on the comedy series "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-2010), and turned up as a celebrity judge on the Jerry Seinfeld-produced matrimonial reality/game show "The Marriage Ref" (NBC, 2010-11). In a move that was sure to endear her to even more fans, as well as burn many a calorie, in February 2011 Alley joined the celebrity cast as a contestant on the 12th season of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ). Kirstie Alley died on December 5, 2022 at the age of 71.
