Jessica Walter, the award-winning actress best known for portraying Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, died Wednesday at age 80 at her home in New York City. A representative for Walter confirmed the news to Rolling Stone but did not provide a cause of death.
Walter is survived by her daughter, Brooke Bowman, and grandson, Micah Heymann. Bowman said in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica. A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on-screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class, and overall joie de vivre.”
Walter’s six-decade acting career spanned across film and television, from Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut, Play Misty for Me, to the voice of Malory Archer on the animated series Archer, to Emmy-nominated roles on Trapper John, M.D. and Streets of San Francisco. Walter won an Emmy for portraying the title character on the police drama series Amy Prentiss.
For younger audiences, Walter was most recognizable for her role as Arrested Development matriarch Lucille Bluth, which earned her yet another Emmy nomination (for Outstanding Supporting Actress) as well as two SAG nominations. In the years since, many recognizable GIFs and internet memes have stemmed from her performance.
“I get a lot of — especially on the subway and buses here in New York — ‘You know, you look a lot like that woman that plays Lucille Bluth,’” Walter told the New York Times in 2018. “I say, ‘You know, I’ve heard that.’”
In addition to her recognition from the Screen Actors Guild, Walter served as the second national vice president of the union and was an elected member of the SAG board of directors for more than a decade.
Walter was born in New York City on January 31st, 1941, to David Walter, a musician in the NBC Symphony Orchestra and New York City Ballet Orchestra, and Esther Groisser, a teacher. She attended the High School of Performing Arts and began her career as a stage actor in New York, working at the famed Playwright’s Horizons and landing roles in Broadway productions such as Advise and Consent, Neil Simon’s Rumors, A Severed Head, Nightlife, and Photo Finish, for which she earned the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Promising Newcomer. More recently, she was cast in the 2011 Broadway revival of Anything Goes, which won several Tony Awards.
She was first married to Ross Bowman, a Broadway stage manager, from 1966 to 1978. In 1983, she married Emmy- and Tony-winning actor Ron Leibman, who died in 2019. The couple starred opposite each other in the 1986 production of Tartuffe at the Los Angeles Theater Center. Leibman also provided the voice for Ron Cadillac on Archer.
Several of Walter’s past co-stars and collaborators paid tribute to her following news of her death on Thursday. Arrested Development co-star Henry Winkler wrote in a statement to Rolling Stone, “Jessica’s sense of timing was as sharp as a stiletto, and Jessica would not stop until she found her perfection. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her year after year.” Tony Hale, who portrayed Lucille’s son Buster Bluth on the show, tweeted: “She was a force, and her talent and timing were unmatched.”
Co-star David Cross tweeted: “I just heard the shitty news about Jessica Walter, an absolutely brilliant actress and amazing talent. I consider myself privileged and very lucky to have been able to work with her. Lucille Bluth is one of TV’s greatest characters.”
Will Arnett, who portrayed Gob Bluth, said, “Jessica Walter was a deeply talented person. We first met on a pilot in ‘96 and I was instantly blown away. I’m fortunate to have had a front row seat to her brilliance for 25 years. My thoughts are with her daughter Brooke and grandson Micah today. Farewell Jessica, you’ll be missed.”
Arrested Development writer and producer John Levenstein said, “Jessica Walter never missed. If she didn’t get a laugh there was a problem with the script.”
Adam Reed, the creator and executive producer of Archer, said in a statement: “The Archer family is heartbroken to lose Jessica Walter, our beloved colleague and friend. Jessica was a consummate professional, an actor’s actor, and the exact opposite of Malory Archer — warm, caring, and kind, with an absolutely cracking sense of humor — and it was both a privilege and a true honor to work with her over these many years. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
Archer co-star Aisha Tyler wrote: “Jessica Walter was a queen in every way: kind, classy, incredibly talented, generous with love and support. And so insanely funny. She was the brilliant center of our universe. Sweet flight to you, dear Jessica. You were so loved, and we were so lucky to know you.” H. Jon Benjamin, who portrayed the titular Archer on the show, tweeted, “Jessica Walter was an unparalleled talent. So funny. So insanely good in everything she was in. Wonderful to be around. I will miss her.”
Alia Shawkat, who played Lucille Bluth’s granddaughter Maeby Fünke on Arrested Development, posted a tribute to Instagram, writing, “Love you Gangie.”
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From Rolling Stone US
