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Gone, but not forgotten.

Linda Lavin died Dec. 29, 2024, due to complications from lung cancer. At the time of her death, the beloved 87-year-old actress had filmed seven of 10 episodes of Mid-Century Modern, Hulu's new comedy starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham as gay best friends who decide to live together in Palm Springs.

Lavin's role of Sybil Schneiderman, the mother of Bunny (Lane), has been receiving Emmy buzz following the sitcom's premiere on March 28. She currently ranks among the top 10 for Best Comedy Supporting Actress, according to the Gold Derby odds. To date, only 11 actresses have received posthumous Emmy nominations, so Lavin would be in rare company, indeed.

Here's a clip of one of Lavin's final scenes from Mid-Century Modern. Sybil's spicy side is in full display as she yells at a stranger on the phone who's trying to con her, with Lavin delivering perfect comedic timing.

While 21 male actors have posthumously earned TV academy recognition since the advent of the Primetime Emmys, the same applies to just 11 actresses. The most recent female case involved Archer voice performer Jessica Walter, who was nominated for the Fxx show four months after her 2021 death and then again one year later. Scroll through our photo gallery to find out which other women preceded her in joining this roster.

The five actresses on this list who pulled off posthumous wins are Bewitched cast mates Alice Pearce (1966) and Marion Lorne (1968), Diana Hyland, Ingrid Bergman, and Colleen Dewhurst. Dewhurst, who also received a 1991 bid for Road to Avonlea, is the only actress to ever posthumously compete for two Emmys at once.

To date, the only live action female acting categories that have never produced deceased nominees are the comedy and drama series lead ones. The 11 list entrants’ lifespans ranged from 41 to 84 years, with...

Alice Hirson, who played a confidante of Barbara Bel Geddes’ Miss Ellie Ewing on Dallas and the mother of Ellen DeGeneres’ character on the comic’s groundbreaking ABC sitcom, has died. She was 95.

Hirson died Friday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, her son David Hirson told The Hollywood Reporter. She had been there for about a year.

From 1969-93, Hirson appeared on such daytime soap operas as CBS’ The Edge of Night as Stephanie Martin; on NBC’s Another World and its spinoff, Somerset, as Marsha Davis; on ABC’s One Life to Live as Eileen Siegel; on ABC’s General Hospital as Mrs. Van Gelder; and on ABC’s Loving as Dr. Lisa Helman.

On the big screen, she played the wife of Colonel Thornbush (Robert Webber), head of the paratrooper unit known as the Thornbirds, in Private Benjamin...

The classic 1960s sitcom Bewitched has remained a beloved staple of American television, with its memorable characters, whimsical plotlines, and groundbreaking portrayal of an independent female lead. The show’s unique twist—a suburban housewife who is secretly a witch—combined humor with fantasy, captivating audiences over eight seasons from 1964 to 1972.

Unfortunately, most of the original cast members have passed away, leaving behind a legacy that still resonates with fans today. Here’s a look at the lives of the Bewitched cast and where they are now.

Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha. | ABC

Elizabeth Montgomery starred as Samantha Stephens, a kind-hearted witch who tries to live a normal suburban life while balancing her magical heritage. Samantha’s character broke stereotypes, showcasing a strong and independent woman in a time when television often depicted women in domestic roles. Montgomery’s portrayal earned her five Primetime Emmy Award...

Bewitched was a magical sitcom from 1964 that broke stereotypes with its strong female characters and smart writing. The main cast members like Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York have passed away, but their legacy lives on in TV history. Adam Stephens actor David Mandel-Bloch, one of the few surviving cast members, co-owns a restaurant with his twin brother Greg.

David Mandel-Bloch is one of only three actors from the main Bewitched cast who's still alive. The 1964 Bewitched series kicked off a magical franchise, leading to spin-offs, an animated adaptation, and a theatrical Bewitched movie remake starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. The fantasy sitcom follows a witch named Samantha who marries an ordinary man, Darrin, and tries to lead a normal suburban life. Samantha's family is not a fan of the marriage and frequently interferes with their lives, usually with Darrin the hapless victim of their many spells gone wrong.

Bewitched...

In its own way, Sol Saks' 1963 sitcom "Bewitched" was a subversive work. Inspired by movies like "I Married a Witch" (1942) and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957), "Bewitched" followed the everyday, quotidian, brightly-lit travails of a typical white suburban couple named Darrin Stephens and Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery). 

The twist was that Samantha was a centuries-old witch, descended from a long line of magic-users. Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha's colorful mother, would occasionally drop in, as would her father Maurice (Maurice Evans from "Planet of the Apes"), and uncle Arthur (legendary comedian Paul Lynde). The witches and warlocks on the show would often attempt to drive a wedge between Samantha and Darrin, but their love would prevail in the end. 

Beginning in the show's third season, the Stephens had their first child, Tabitha (Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy). In the sixth season, they were joined by baby Adam (David Lawrence and Greg Lawrence). 

Sadly,...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2023 Emmy Predictions:

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. (L to R) Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer in episode 108 of Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022

Weekly Commentary: There...

Over a year after his untimely death in May 2022, Ray Liotta has just been honored with a Primetime Emmy nomination for his supporting performance on the Apple TV+ limited series “Black Bird.” This recognition comes after he received Critics Choice and Gold Derby TV Award notices for the same role. As the 11th person (and first in 25 years) to posthumously compete for an Emmy as a non-continuing program performer, he is just one step away from breaking new ground as the first deceased limited series acting winner in TV academy history.

Liotta’s “Black Bird” character, James Keene Sr., is the father of real-life convict James Keene Jr., whose 10-year prison sentence for dealing narcotics was ultimately shortened after he helped coax a confession out of serial killer Larry Hall. Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser also received 2023 Emmy nominations for their respective lead and supporting performances as Keene Jr.

Lance Reddick’s unexpected death in March 2023 halted a thriving acting career that consisted of many memorable performances, including several voice-over gigs on TV series like “Castlevania,” “Duck Tales” and “Rick and Morty.” In addition to half a dozen mid-production projects, his legacy could include a posthumous Emmy victory in honor of his vocal work on the Amazon Prime Video animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina.” After Chadwick Boseman, who won the 2022 Best Character Voice-Over prize for “What If…?” two years after his death, Reddick would be the second posthumous recipient of any voice acting Emmy.

Reddick joined the recurring cast of “The Legend of Vox Machina” in its second season, which concluded less than a month before he died. His character, Thordak, is the leader of a group of dragons known as the Chroma Conclave, whose destructive plans are encumbered by the heroic, interspecific members of Vox Machina.

Months after his life was suddenly cut short, Emmy winner Leslie Jordan has a chance to receive more TV academy love for his final small screen performance as Phil on Fox’s “Call Me Kat.” If he does land in this year’s Best Comedy Supporting Actor lineup, he will join a group of 12 other comedy or drama series regulars who posthumously achieved Emmy recognition. If he scores his second victory, he will make history as the first deceased male actor to win an Emmy for a continuing program.

“Call Me Kat” was the first and only multi-season series on which Jordan played a regular role. In his last few episodes, his character, who worked as the head baker at a Kentucky cat cafe, finally found true love with drag performer Jalen, aka Queen Dicktoria (John Griffin). Following his final appearance, Phil was given a happy ending that involved him...

Chadwick Boseman’s final role has won him another award.

On Saturday night at the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys, the late “Black Panther” star won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

Read More: Lupita Nyong’o Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman Two Years After His Death

Boseman won the posthumous award for the Marvel animated series “What If…?”, in which he put a different spin on his superhero character, playing him as the “Guardians of the Galaxy” mash-up Star Lord T’Challa.

Also nominated this year for posthumous awards were Norm MacDonald and Jessica Walter, who was nominated in the same category at Boseman for her role in “Archer”.

Taylor Simone Ledward — Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

“When I learned that Chadwick had been nominated for this award, I started thinking about everything that was going on when he was recording it, what was going on in the world and what was going on in...

The late Chadwick Boseman won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance at the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday for playing T’Challa one last time in the Disney+ animated series “What If…?”

In his final performance before his death from colon cancer in 2020, Boseman put a new spin on his “Black Panther” character, playing him as Star Lord T’Challa.

Boseman was one of three actors to earn posthumous Emmy nominations this year, alongside Norm MacDonald and Jessica Walter, who was nominated for “Archer” in the same category as Boseman and is the only performer to earn two post-death Emmy nods (she was nominated for “Archer” last year after passing away).

“When I learned that Chadwick had been nominated for this award, I started thinking about everything that was going on when he was recording it, what was going on in the world and what was going on in our world and...

One year after losing the Best Comedy Supporting Actress Emmy to her “Ted Lasso” castmate Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple has now earned an immediate second shot at the gold. If she triumphs this time, “Ted Lasso” will become the fifth series to produce multiple winners in the category after “Caesar’s Hour” (Nanette Fabray and Pat Carroll), “Bewitched” (Alice Pearce and Marion Lorne), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Cheers” (Rhea Perlman and Bebe Neuwirth).

Temple has played model-turned-pr consultant Keeley Jones since “Ted Lasso” first premiered in August 2020. Her episode submission, “Midnight Train to Royston,” serves as the penultimate chapter of the Apple TV+ show’s sophomore season. In the installment, Keeley prepares for a Vanity Fair photoshoot by shopping for new outfits with Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed). Partway through the errand, she graciously rebuffs an impulsive kiss from Nate, who harbors feelings for her despite the fact that she is dating his coworker,...

History was made when the 2022 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced, as Chadwick Boseman (“What If…?”) and Jessica Walter (“Archer”) became the first pair of direct competitors to be recognized posthumously. They are both up for the Best Character Voice-Over Performance prize after having passed away in August 2020 and March 2021, respectively.

Walter is now the only performer to ever receive two post-death Emmy bids, having just contended in the same category last summer. Now including Boseman, the list of departed acting Emmy nominees consists of 26 entrants, four of whom were honored with wins.

The first actor to be nominated for and win an Emmy posthumously was Alice Pearce, who was awarded the Best Comedy Supporting Actress trophy for “Bewitched” two months after her death in 1966. The other three champs, all of whom triumphed for TV movie performances, are supporting players David Burns and Diana Hyland and lead Raul Julia.

Two more...

The spirit of “Black Panther” and Chadwick Boseman still lives on. The Television Academy gave one last honor to the late actor’s greatness with an Emmy nomination Tuesday morning.

With the announcement of the Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, Boseman received a posthumous nom for outstanding character voice-over for his famous role of T’Challa in the animated series “What If…?” from Disney+ and Marvel Studios.

Boseman also received a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance in George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Anthony Hopkins ultimately won that year for his work in “The Father.”

Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August 2020 at 43, has a legacy that remains prominent in pop culture and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with the upcoming sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” scheduled to hit theaters later this year. The first film became the first superhero movie to be nominated for best picture,...

While the late Michael K. Williams did not prevail as expected in the Emmys’ Drama Supporting Actor category—bested in the end by The Crown‘s Tobias Menzies—he was honored on Sunday night by presenter Kerry Washington.

“Michael was—it’s crazy to say ‘was’—a brilliantly talented actor and a generous human being who has left us far too soon,” Washington said in a short speech prior to announcing Williams’ category. “Michael, I know you’re here because you wouldn’t miss this. Your excellence will endure. We love you.”

Menzies was not in attendance at the ceremony, with Washington accepting the award on his behalf—the moment recalling Anthony Hopkins’ surprise triumph over the late Chadwick Boseman in the Oscars’ Best Actor race earlier this year.

The first-time nominee was honored for his portrayal of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the longest-serving royal consort in history, who...

This CinemaScope musical remake of 1939’s The Women is highly watchable, especially in this flawless digital remaster. The actresses that bare their claws, compete for husbands and just plain cat-fight are a choice batch, with favorites from the ’50s the ’40s the ’30s — plus a few wildflowers that bloomed cinematically for only a few years (Dolores Gray) and one that somehow managed immortality (Joan Collins). It’s highly watchable despite, or maybe because of, its criminally outdated recipe for marital bliss. Did women really go for this fantasy — did anybody ever really live like this?

The Opposite Sex

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1956 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 116 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, Sam Levene, Alice Pearce, Barbara Jo Allen, Sandy Descher, Carolyn Jones, Jerry Antes, Harry James, Art Mooney,...

The Emmys are pretty stingy when it comes to giving out posthumous awards. A 2017 Goldderby piece proclaimed that the reason the Emmys haven’t honored the dead is because the voters are not sentimental. I think that’s part of the reason, but I also think it’s just so sad when they do win. To clarify, it’s not that they shouldn’t have won, it’s just so emotional to see spouses, friends, children and co-workers go up on stage and accept the award in their honor.

Remember John Travolta’s impassioned acceptance speech for his late girlfriend Diana Hyland, and “Boy in the Plastic Bubble” co-star who won the Emmy for outstanding performance by a supporting actress in a comedy or dramatic special? She had died in his arms of breast cancer in March 1977 at the age of 41. The audience was crying as hard as Travolta. “Wherever you are,...

This year, Emmy voters paid respects to Anthony Bourdain, who committed suicide on June 8, with six nominations for his CNN series “Parts Unknown,” and another for its digital expansion. But whether these accolades end up in the win column as well remains to be seen. If history is any judge, the Academy delivers a mixed bag on posthumous trophies, with sentimentality playing an uneven role.

“The Emmys are quirky,” says awards consultant Jonathan Taylor of Robertson Taylor Partners. “With peak TV there [are] so many shows that anybody who says they know how voters are going to vote is lying.”

Ingrid Bergman won her Emmy for “A Woman Called Golda” in 1982, a month after she died of breast cancer. Audrey Hepburn earned hers in 1993, several months after her death, for “Gardens of the World.” Raul Julia died in 1994, but earned a trophy the next year for “The Burning Season.”

Diana Hyland,...

Barns are a-burning, Paul Newman is recommended to Joanne Woodward as ‘a big stud horse’ and Lee Remick oozes sexuality all over Martin Ritt’s CinemaScope screen. William Faulkner may be the literary source, but this tale of ambition in the family of yet another southern Big Daddy is given the faux Tennessee Williams treatment — it’s a grand soap opera with a fistful of great stars having a grand time.

The Long, Hot Summer

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1958 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 117 min. / Street Date August 14, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, Orson Welles, Lee Remick, Angela Lansbury, Richard Anderson

Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle

Art Direction: Maurice Ransford, Lyle R. Wheeler

Film Editor: Louis R. Loeffler

Original Music: Alex North

Written by Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr. from stories and a novel by William Faulkner

Produced by Jerry Wald

Directed by Martin Ritt

Time...

“Getting involved is so… so… involving.”

On The Town screens at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, September 10th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. The film will be introduced by Harry Hamm, movie reviewer for Kmox. Admission is only $5

Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up. That summary to the beloved 1949 musical On The Town should be sung to the tune of “New York, New York,” the most famous song to come from this rollicking adaptation of the Broadway musical. There’s nary a dull moment as we watch Gene Kelly search desperately for Vera-Ellen, Frank Sinatra play a young and naive sailor (!) who tries to resist going up to Betty Garrett’s place but eventually gives in,...

Joan Collins in 'The Bitch': Sex tale based on younger sister Jackie Collins' novel. Author Jackie Collins dead at 77: Surprisingly few film and TV adaptations of her bestselling novels Jackie Collins, best known for a series of bestsellers about the dysfunctional sex lives of the rich and famous and for being the younger sister of film and TV star Joan Collins, died of breast cancer on Sept. 19, '15, in Los Angeles. The London-born (Oct. 4, 1937) Collins was 77. Collins' tawdry, female-centered novels – much like those of Danielle Steel and Judith Krantz – were/are immensely popular. According to her website, they have sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries. And if the increasingly tabloidy BBC is to be believed (nowadays, Wikipedia has become a key source, apparently), every single one of them – 32 in all – appeared on the New York Times' bestseller list. (Collins' own site claims that a mere 30 were included.) Sex...

Joan Crawford Movie Star Joan Crawford movies on TCM: Underrated actress, top star in several of her greatest roles If there was ever a professional who was utterly, completely, wholeheartedly dedicated to her work, Joan Crawford was it. Ambitious, driven, talented, smart, obsessive, calculating, she had whatever it took – and more – to reach the top and stay there. Nearly four decades after her death, Crawford, the star to end all stars, remains one of the iconic performers of the 20th century. Deservedly so, once you choose to bypass the Mommie Dearest inanity and focus on her film work. From the get-go, she was a capable actress; look for the hard-to-find silents The Understanding Heart (1927) and The Taxi Dancer (1927), and check her out in the more easily accessible The Unknown (1927) and Our Dancing Daughters (1928). By the early '30s, Joan Crawford had become a first-rate film actress, far more naturalistic than...

James Garner movies on TCM: ‘Grand Prix,’ ‘Victor Victoria’ among highlights (photo: James Garner ca. 1960) James Garner, whose film and television career spanned more than five decades, died of "natural causes" at age 86 on July 19, 2014, in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood. On Monday, July 28, Turner Classic Movies will present an all-day marathon of James Garner movies (see below) as a tribute to the Oscar-nominated star of Murphy’s Romance and Emmy-winning star of the television series The Rockford Files. Among the highlights in TCM’s James Garner film lineup is John Frankenheimer’s Monaco-set Grand Prix (1966), an all-star, race-car drama featuring Garner as a Formula One driver who has an affair with the wife (Jessica Walter) of his former teammate (Brian Bedford). Among the other Grand Prix drivers facing their own personal issues are Yves Montand and Antonio Sabato, while Akira Kurosawa’s (male) muse Toshiro Mifune plays a...