Emmy-winning Kate & Allie star Susan Saint James dead at 80 after pancreatic cancer battle
Early television breakthrough
Saint James started out as a model before moving into television. In 1968, she was cast as research assistant Peggy Maxwell on NBC’s “The Name of the Game.” Her performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award the following year. The role helped establish her as a rising television performer.
Fame in two major series
From 1971 to 1976, Saint James played Sally McMillan in “McMillan & Wife,” opposite Rock Hudson as San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan. She left before the series’ sixth and final season amid a contract dispute, and the show wrote her character out in a plane crash. She later starred with Jane Curtin in CBS sitcom “Kate & Allie,” which ran from 1984 to 1989. Her other screen credits included “Love at First Bite,” “M*A*S*H,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Suits.”
Family and life beyond acting
After “Kate & Allie” ended, Saint James largely left Hollywood to focus on her family and charitable work, including longstanding involvement with the Special Olympics. She is survived by Ebersol, four children, seven grandchildren, her sister Mary Mercedes Dewey and her service dog, Lola.
Key points
- She won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1969 for “The Name of the Game.”
- Her television roles included “McMillan & Wife” and “Kate & Allie.”
- She devoted time to family and the Special Olympics after stepping back from Hollywood.