AILSA CHANG, HOST:
The actress Linda Lavin spent years playing and celebrating working women. She died Sunday at 87 years old. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has this appreciation.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Linda Lavin knew who she was from a young age. Born in 1937, she made her stage debut when she was only 5 years old. She studied theater and became a known and loved performer in Broadway musicals, like 1966's "It's A Bird... It's A Plane... It's Superman."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU'VE GOT POSSIBILITIES")
LINDA LAVIN: (As Sydney, singing) Collar - pure Peoria. That hat - oh no.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In the '70s, Lavin became a TV star as the titular character on the CBS sitcom "Alice."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALICE")
LAVIN: (As Alice Hyatt, singing) Early to rise, early to bed.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Based off the Scorsese film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," Lavin played a single mom who works as a waitress at an Arizona diner.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "ALICE")
LAVIN: (As Alice Hyatt) See, the thing is that my Tommy's growing up very fast, and I want to know what you're teaching him.
ADAM WEST: (As Mr. Turner) Didn't you read about our film in the PTA newsletter?
LAVIN: (As Alice Hyatt) No. I never got past the paper drive or the fund to buy the football team protective cups.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Playing Alice won Lavin two Golden Globe awards. At the same time, she became interested in women's rights and labor issues as part of the National Commission on Working Women. In 1980, Lavin spoke to NPR about the platform being presented to presidential candidates Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
LAVIN: We want the candidates to recognize that homemakers are an important segment of the country's labor force and recognize unpaid labor in the home as a significant contribution to the national economy.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: After "Alice" ended, Lavin returned to the stage. In 1986, she appeared in Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound" as Kate, a mother grappling with her husband's infidelity. In an interview with NPR, Lavin described how her character was quite close to her in age but felt older, due to the responsibilities of being a 1940s housewife.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)
LAVIN: And women in those years were older. They were tired. They were centered on everybody else but themselves. They were doers. They were martyrs.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: As Kate, Lavin won a Tony for best leading actress in a play. She went on to receive several more Tony nominations. Lavin continued acting in plays, TV shows and films for decades, including roles in "Law & Order," "The Sopranos" and "Santa Clarita Diet." Lavin is set to appear in an upcoming Hulu comedy alongside Nathan Lane. Lane told People magazine that Lavin, quote, "went out doing what she loved and still at the top of her game." Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I'VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU")
LAVIN: (Singing) I've got my eyes on you, so best beware. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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