SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 25 (UPI) — Actress Beth Howland, most known for her role as waitress Vera Louise Gorman on ’70s and 80’s sitcom “Alice,” has died at the age of 74.
Confirmed by her husband and actor Charles Kimrough, Howland died on Dec. 31, 2015 in Santa Monica, Calif. after suffering from lung cancer. Kimrough refrained from announcing her death until now to stay in line with her wishes.
“It was the Boston side of her personality coming out,” he said to The New York Times. “She didn’t want to make a fuss.”
Getting her start on Broadway, Howland rose to fame as the accident-prone and naive Vera on “Alice,” a popular sitcom that ran from 1976-1985 based on the 1974 Martin Scorcese film, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Also starring Linda Lavin, Vic Tayback and Polly Holliday, the series followed a young widow (Lavin) as she packed her bags to move to Arizona with her teenage son.
Howland is survived by her husband and daughter from a previous marriage to actor Michael J. Pollard.
