Suzanne Pleshette, age 70, died at her family home in Los Angeles on Saturday evening after battling lung cancer. The actress was best known for her work with Bob Newhart in the role of Emily Hartley on The Bob Newhart Show in the 1970’s.
Most recently, she played Katey Sagal’s mother on 8 Simple Rules after the death of John Ritter in 2003. She also appeared several times on Will and Grace.
Her movie career encompassed 25 film roles spanning 1958 to 2001, including Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Birds. Pleshette starred opposite Patty Duke on Broadway in The Miracle Worker, replacing Anne Bancroft. She received rave reviews.
She married actor Troy Donahue in 1964 and the union lasted 8 months. She then married Texas oil-man Tommy Gallagher. That union lasted until his death in 2000. Her final marriage was to co-star Tom Poston in 2003. He played handyman George Utley on The Bob Newhart Show. He died in April 2007 after a brief illness.
Suzanne Pleshette died at her home on January 19, 2008. She had no children.
We’ve included photos on the next page.