Emmy Icon Susan Saint James Dies at 80 — Remembered for ‘Kate & Allie’ & ‘McMillan & Wife’

Veteran television star Susan Saint James, the smoky-voiced Emmy winner who lit up classic series “McMillan & Wife” and “Kate & Allie,” has died at 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, her family confirmed late Monday, Oct. 26. Saint James—born Susan Jane Miller on Aug. 14, 1946, in Los Angeles—shot from teenage model to household name in just a few seasons. After early guest spots on “Ironside” and “It Takes a Thief,” she landed opposite Rock Hudson in NBC’s light-hearted mystery “McMillan & Wife” (1971-77). The role earned her four Emmy nominations and cemented her image as television’s quick-witted, free-spirited heroine. In 1984 she found even greater success co-starring with Jane Curtin in CBS’s groundbreaking sitcom “Kate & Allie,” portraying two divorced single moms sharing a Manhattan brownstone. The show’s progressive take on chosen family won critical praise and two more Emmy nods for Saint James, while reruns kept her in syndication rotation for decades. Although she largely stepped away from Hollywood after the series wrapped in 1989, Saint James remained a pop-culture fixture through occasional guest arcs, charity work and her high-profile marriage to former NBC Sports president and Saturday Night Live co-creator Dick Ebersol. The couple endured personal tragedy in 2004 when their youngest son, Teddy, was killed in a Colorado plane crash—a loss Saint James later turned into advocacy for grieving parents. Known off-screen for infectious optimism and no-nonsense humor, the actress divided her later years between family life in Connecticut and volunteer efforts focused on children’s health and Special Olympics, an organization she championed since the 1970s. Saint James is survived by Ebersol, children Sunshine and Harmony Lucas from her second marriage, sons Charlie and Willie Ebersol, seven grandchildren, and sister Mary Mercedes Dewey. In a statement, relatives praised her knack for “making every stranger feel like the most important person in the room.” Memorial details are expected in the coming days; the family requests donations to pancreatic-cancer research in lieu of flowers. Keywords: Susan Saint James death, Susan Saint James obituary, pancreatic cancer, McMillan & Wife, Kate & Allie, Dick Ebersol, Emmy Award actress, television legend