Susan Saint James: 7 Fascinating Facts About the ‘Kate & Allie’ Icon Everyone’s Googling Today

Veteran television and film star Susan Saint James, best known for her Emmy-winning turns in “Kate & Allie” and “McMillan & Wife,” has died at the age of 80 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer, her family confirmed on 26 October 2026. Saint James first captured audiences in the late 1960s on “The Name of the Game,” but it was her pairing with Rock Hudson on NBC’s detective hit “McMillan & Wife” that made her a household name. A decade later she reinvented herself as single-mom columnist Kate McArdle on CBS’s “Kate & Allie,” earning three consecutive Emmy Awards and cementing her status as a small-screen trailblazer who portrayed independent, career-driven women long before it was common prime-time fare. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Saint James balanced Hollywood success with outspoken philanthropy, co-founding the Special Olympics’ “Project UNIFY” initiative and lobbying Capitol Hill for mental-health parity. In recent years she largely stepped away from acting, choosing instead to mentor young performers and champion environmental causes. News of her passing sparked a flood of tributes across social media, with former co-stars praising her “fearless comic timing” and fans sharing clips of her wry banter with Jane Curtin on “Kate & Allie.” Hashtags bearing her name quickly climbed X (formerly Twitter) trends as admirers highlighted her advocacy for women’s rights and her resilience following the 2004 plane crash that claimed the life of her 14-year-old son, Teddy. Saint James is survived by her husband, NBC sports executive Dick Ebersol, and their children Charlie and Willie. The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to accelerate early-detection research—a cause the actress quietly supported throughout her illness. A public celebration of life is expected in New York City later this fall; details will be announced by her representatives in the coming weeks.