American Actresses You Might Not Know Have Passed Away

The film and television industry often loses talented individuals who leave a lasting impact on popular culture through their memorable performances. Many viewers recognize these faces from classic sitcoms or blockbuster movies without realizing they have since departed. This collection highlights actresses whose careers spanned several decades and multiple genres of entertainment. Their work continues to be celebrated by fans around the world today.

Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy rose to fame in the mid nineties after her performance in the hit movie ‘Clueless’. She later took on more dramatic roles in films such as ‘Girl, Interrupted’ and ‘8 Mile’. The actress also lent her voice to the character Luanne Platter on the long running animated series ‘King of the Hill’. Her sudden passing in 2009 at the age of thirty two remained a major news story for many years.

Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera became a television icon for her role as Santana Lopez on the musical series ‘Glee’. She began her career as a child performer in several national commercials and the sitcom ‘The Royal Family’. Rivera was also a talented vocalist who released music independently during her time on television. She tragically passed away in 2020 during a boating trip in California.

Kelly Preston

Kelly Preston was a versatile actress known for her roles in films like ‘Twins’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’. She worked steadily in Hollywood for several decades and appeared in numerous music videos and television shows. Preston was married to actor John Travolta and the couple frequently collaborated on various philanthropic efforts. She passed away in 2020 after a private battle with breast cancer.

Lisa Robin Kelly

Lisa Robin Kelly is best remembered for her role as Laurie Forman on the sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’. She appeared in various television guest spots during the late nineties and early two thousands. Her career also included roles in films such as ‘Jawbreaker’ and ‘Amityville Dollhouse’. Kelly passed away in 2013 while seeking treatment at a recovery center.

Heather O’Rourke

Heather O’Rourke became a child star after being discovered by Steven Spielberg for the film ‘Poltergeist’. She played the character Carol Anne Freeling in all three movies of the supernatural franchise. O’Rourke also had a recurring role on the popular television show ‘Happy Days’ as Heather Pfister. She passed away unexpectedly in 1988 at the age of twelve due to medical complications.

Judith Barsi

Judith Barsi was a prominent child actress who provided voices for beloved animated films like ‘The Land Before Time’. She also voiced the character Anne Marie in the movie ‘All Dogs Go to Heaven’. Barsi appeared in dozens of commercials and had guest roles on shows like ‘Growing Pains’ and ‘Remington Steele’. She passed away in 1988 at the age of ten.

Nicole DeHuff

Nicole DeHuff made her feature film debut in the comedy ‘Meet the Parents’ as the character Deborah Byrnes. She continued to work in television and had roles on shows like ‘The Court’ and ‘The Practice’. DeHuff was also involved in independent filmmaking and stage productions throughout her career. She died in 2005 at the age of thirty due to complications from pneumonia.

Michelle Thomas

Michelle Thomas was well known for her role as Justine Phillips on ‘The Cosby Show’ during the late eighties. She later gained further recognition playing Myra Monkhouse on the sitcom ‘Family Matters’. Thomas also appeared in several music videos and the soap opera ‘The Young and the Restless’. She passed away in 1998 at the age of thirty after a battle with a rare form of cancer.

Dana Hill

Dana Hill was a recognizable child and teen actress who starred in ‘National Lampoon’s European Vacation’. She also provided the voice for Max Goof in the animated series ‘Goof Troop’ and other Disney projects. Hill had a successful career in voice acting and live action roles until health issues limited her work. She passed away in 1996 following complications from diabetes.

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña had a long and distinguished career in Hollywood with roles in movies like ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Rush Hour’. She also voiced the character Mirage in the popular animated film ‘The Incredibles’. Peña was a pioneer for Latina actresses and directed several episodes of television during her career. She passed away in 2014 at the age of fifty five.

Wendie Jo Sperber

Wendie Jo Sperber is remembered for her role as Linda McFly in the ‘Back to the Future’ trilogy. She also starred in the sitcom ‘Bosom Buddies’ alongside Tom Hanks during the early eighties. Sperber was an active advocate for cancer support and founded a non profit organization to help patients. She passed away in 2005 after a long battle with breast cancer.

Alice Ghostley

Alice Ghostley was a celebrated character actress known for her role as Esmeralda on the series ‘Bewitched’. She later played the eccentric Bernice Clifton on the sitcom ‘Designing Women’. Ghostley won a Tony Award for her work on Broadway and appeared in numerous films like ‘Grease’. She passed away in 2007 at the age of eighty four.

Ann Wedgeworth

Ann Wedgeworth won a Tony Award for her stage work before finding success on television. She is often remembered for her role as Lana Shields on the hit sitcom ‘Three’s Company’. Wedgeworth also appeared in films such as ‘Steel Magnolias’ and ‘Sweet Dreams’ during her lengthy career. She passed away in 2017 following a long illness.

Dixie Carter

Dixie Carter was the star of the long running sitcom ‘Designing Women’ where she played Julia Sugarbaker. She was known for her dramatic monologues and her sophisticated presence on screen. Carter also appeared on Broadway and received an Emmy nomination for her guest role on ‘Desperate Housewives’. She passed away in 2010 due to complications from endometrial cancer.

Jan Hooks

Jan Hooks was a standout cast member on ‘Saturday Night Live’ during the late eighties and early nineties. She was praised for her impressions and her work in the recurring sketch The Sweeney Sisters. Hooks later joined the cast of ‘Designing Women’ and had a memorable role in the film ‘Batman Returns’. She passed away in 2014 after a battle with cancer.

Marcia Wallace

Marcia Wallace provided the voice for the character Edna Krabappel on the animated series ‘The Simpsons’ for over twenty years. She originally gained fame playing Carol Kester on ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ during the seventies. Wallace was a frequent guest on game shows and a vocal advocate for breast cancer awareness. She passed away in 2013 at the age of seventy.

Jean Stapleton

Jean Stapleton became a television legend for her portrayal of Edith Bunker on the sitcom ‘All in the Family’. She won three Emmy Awards for the role and became a symbol of American television in the seventies. Stapleton also had a successful career on stage and appeared in movies like ‘You’ve Got Mail’. She passed away in 2013 at the age of ninety.

Audrey Meadows

Audrey Meadows is best known for her role as Alice Kramden on the classic sitcom ‘The Honeymooners’. She played the sharp witted wife of Jackie Gleason and became one of the most famous faces in television history. Meadows also worked as a bank director and appeared in several other television shows and films. She passed away in 1996 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Eileen Brennan

Eileen Brennan received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Captain Doreen Lewis in the film ‘Private Benjamin’. She reprised the role for the television adaptation and won an Emmy Award for her performance. Brennan was a versatile actress who appeared in many films including ‘The Sting’ and ‘Clue’. She passed away in 2013 at the age of eighty.

Misty Upham

Misty Upham was a Native American actress known for her powerful performance in the film ‘Frozen River’. She also appeared in major motion pictures such as ‘August Osage County’ and ‘Django Unchained’. Upham was an advocate for indigenous rights and worked to bring more representation to Hollywood. She passed away in 2014 under circumstances that were widely reported in the media.

Skye McCole Bartusiak

Skye McCole Bartusiak played the young daughter of Mel Gibson in the historical epic ‘The Patriot’. She continued to act in television shows such as ’24’ and ‘House’ during her teenage years. Bartusiak was also involved in stage productions and worked as a director for short films. She passed away in 2014 at the age of twenty one.

Anne Meara

Anne Meara was one half of the famous comedy duo Stiller and Meara alongside her husband Jerry Stiller. She had a long career in television with roles on shows like ‘Archie Bunker’s Place’ and ‘The King of Queens’. Meara was also a playwright and received multiple Emmy and Tony nominations for her work. She passed away in 2015 at the age of eighty five.

Beth Howland

Beth Howland became a household name for her role as the clumsy waitress Vera Gorman on the sitcom ‘Alice’. Before her television success she was a regular performer on Broadway in musicals like ‘Company’. Howland made guest appearances on several other shows including ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Murder, She Wrote’. She passed away in 2015 but her death was not made public until the following year.

Doris Roberts

Doris Roberts won five Emmy Awards during her long career with four coming from her role on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. She played the meddling mother Marie Barone and became one of the most beloved figures in sitcom history. Roberts also appeared in films like ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ and ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’. She passed away in 2016 at the age of ninety.

Florence Henderson

Florence Henderson was best known as the matriarch Carol Brady on the iconic series ‘The Brady Bunch’. She was a pioneer for women in television and hosted her own talk shows and cooking segments. Henderson also appeared on Broadway and was a frequent guest on various reality competition shows in her later years. She passed away in 2016 at the age of eighty two.

Charmian Carr

Charmian Carr rose to international fame playing the eldest daughter Liesl von Trapp in ‘The Sound of Music’. After her success in the film she starred in the television musical ‘Evening Primrose’ alongside Anthony Perkins. Carr eventually left the acting world to start a successful interior design business in California. She passed away in 2016 due to complications from a rare form of dementia.

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore was a television pioneer who starred in ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ and her own eponymous sitcom. She won seven Emmy Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in ‘Ordinary People’. Moore was also a dedicated advocate for diabetes research and animal rights throughout her life. She passed away in 2017 at the age of eighty.

Della Reese

Della Reese was a talented singer and actress who gained late career fame on the series ‘Touched by an Angel’. She played the character Tess for nine seasons and became a mentor to many young actors in the industry. Reese was also the first Black woman to guest host ‘The Tonight Show’ during the late sixties. She passed away in 2017 at the age of eighty six.

Charlotte Rae

Charlotte Rae is best remembered for her role as Edna Garrett on the sitcoms ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ and ‘The Facts of Life’. She was a classically trained actress who appeared in many stage productions and received two Tony Award nominations. Rae continued to work in the industry well into her eighties with guest roles and voice work. She passed away in 2018 at the age of ninety two.

Peggy Lipton

Peggy Lipton became an overnight star in the late sixties for her role in the series ‘The Mod Squad’. She later gained a new generation of fans for playing Norma Jennings on the show ‘Twin Peaks’. Lipton was also a singer and released several successful singles during the height of her fame. She passed away in 2019 after a battle with colon cancer.

Georgia Engel

Georgia Engel was best known for her role as Georgette Baxter on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’. Her unique voice and comedic timing made her a favorite guest star on shows like ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’. Engel also had a prolific career on Broadway appearing in productions such as ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’. She passed away in 2019 at the age of seventy.

Valerie Harper

Valerie Harper became a cultural icon playing Rhoda Morgenstern on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ and its spin off ‘Rhoda’. She won four Emmy Awards for the role and became one of the most popular actresses of the seventies. Harper also appeared in numerous stage plays and was an advocate for various charitable organizations. She passed away in 2019 after a long battle with cancer.

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll was a trailblazing actress who was the first Black woman to star in her own television series ‘Julia’. She later gained fame for playing the glamorous Dominique Deveraux on the soap opera ‘Dynasty’. Carroll won a Tony Award and received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the film ‘Claudine’. She passed away in 2019 at the age of eighty four.

Jessica Walter

Jessica Walter had a long and varied career that included a chilling performance in the thriller ‘Play Misty for Me’. She reached new levels of fame playing the matriarch Lucille Bluth on the comedy series ‘Arrested Development’. Walter also provided the voice for Malory Archer on the long running animated show ‘Archer’. She passed away in 2021 at the age of eighty.

Anne Heche

Anne Heche was a versatile actress who starred in major films like ‘Donnie Brasco’ and ‘Six Days, Seven Nights’. She won a Daytime Emmy Award early in her career for her work on the soap opera ‘Another World’. Heche also appeared in numerous television series including ‘Men in Trees’ and ‘Hung’. She passed away in 2022 following a severe car accident in Los Angeles.

Kirstie Alley

Kirstie Alley rose to stardom as Rebecca Howe on the hit sitcom ‘Cheers’ for which she won an Emmy Award. She also starred in the successful ‘Look Who’s Talking’ film franchise alongside John Travolta. Alley later had her own sitcom called ‘Veronica’s Closet’ and appeared on several reality television programs. She passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch became an international sex symbol and movie star after appearing in ‘One Million Years B.C.’. She won a Golden Globe for her performance in ‘The Three Musketeers’ and appeared in many television specials. Welch was also a successful businesswoman with her own line of wigs and beauty products. She passed away in 2023 at the age of eighty two.

Annie Wersching

Annie Wersching was a prolific television actress known for her role as Renee Walker on the series ’24’. She also provided the voice and motion capture for the character Tess in the popular video game ‘The Last of Us’. Wersching appeared in recurring roles on shows like ‘Bosch’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ throughout her career. She passed away in 2023 following a battle with cancer.

Stella Stevens

Stella Stevens was a prominent leading lady during the sixties starring in films like ‘The Nutty Professor’. She also appeared in the disaster epic ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and directed several films later in her career. Stevens was a frequent guest on television shows ranging from ‘Bonanza’ to ‘General Hospital’. She passed away in 2023 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Please share your favorite memories of these talented performers in the comments.