Sally Kirkland, the character actress who racked up more than 250 credits and won a Golden Globe in her long and varied career, died Tuesday. She was 84.
Kirkland died in hospice care in Palm Springs, Calif. She had been battling several health problems in recent years, according to an online fundraiser page set up by her friends. She was also dealing with dementia, her representatives told TMZ.
“Sally has been more than just a friend– she has been a maternal figure, offering encouragement, wisdom, and love when it was needed most,” her friends wrote in the fundraiser. “For those who know Sally personally, she has been a limitless source of generosity, kindness, and unwavering spirit.”
Kirkland tallied 270 acting credits from her breakout in Andy Warhol’s “The 13 Most Beautiful Women” in 1964 to a small part in the 2023 comedy “80 for Brady” and many in between.
Her most critically acclaimed role came in the 1987 film “Anna,” where she played the titular aging Czech actress mentoring a younger version of herself. Though the film was independently produced on a small budget, Kirkland’s engrossing performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
“At the Oscars, there were all these movie stars emerging from their limos, and then there was me,” she told HuffPost in 2012. “I felt like Cinderella.”
Cher won the statuette for her performance in “Moonstruck,” leaving Kirkland to settle for the Golden Globe for Best Actress that year.
Her numerous other credits included 1973’s “The Sting,” 1990’s “Revenge,” 1991’s “JFK” and 2003’s “Bruce Almighty.”
Her health troubles were exacerbated in 2024, when she fell multiple times and broke four bones in her neck, wrist and hip, which were complicated by infections during treatment.
With News Wire Services
