Beth Howland

Elizabeth Howland (May 28, 1939 – December 31, 2015) was an American actress. She worked on stage and television, and was best known for playing Vera Gorman in Alice, the sitcom inspired by the Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974).[1]

Beth Howland
Beth Howland in Li'l Abner (1959)
Born
Elizabeth Howland

(1939-05-28)May 28, 1939
Brighton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 31, 2015(2015-12-31) (aged 76)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1959–2002
Spouse(s)
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1961; div. 1969)​
      ​
      ​
      (m. 2002; her death 2015)​
      Children1

      Howland originated the role of Amy in the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim's Company, in which she introduced the patter song "Getting Married Today".

      Early life

      Howland was born on May 28, 1941, in Brighton. At the age of 16, she left home and followed a dancer friend to New York City.[2] After a time of struggling, Howland made her Broadway debut in 1959 as Lady Beth in the Carol Burnett musical Once Upon a Mattress, which transferred from off-Broadway. She went on to have roles in the musicals Bye Bye Birdie, High Spirits, Drat! The Cat! and Darling of the Day.[3]

      Career

      Howland can be seen dancing and singing in the chorus of the movie Li'l Abner (1959) as Clem's wife, alongside future television star Valerie Harper.[2] After appearing in Company, she left New York to relocate to California,[4] where she made guest appearances on television series such as Love, American Style; Cannon; The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Little House on the Prairie; Eight Is Enough; and The Love Boat.[5][6] For her work on Alice, Howland received four Golden Globe Award nominations. She later took on numerous telefilm roles, including You Can't Take It with You (as Essie) and A Caribbean Mystery.[7]

      She remained on Alice throughout its nine seasons. After the sitcom ended in 1985, Howland went into semi-retirement. She made occasional guest appearances (including Murder, She Wrote; Chicken Soup for the Soul; Sabrina the Teenage Witch; and The Tick)[8] and starred in the ABC Afterschool Special, "Terrible Things My Mother Told Me".[9][10]

      Personal life

      From 1961 to 1969, Howland was married to actor Michael J. Pollard, with whom she had a daughter.[11]

      In 2002 she wed Murphy Brown actor Charles Kimbrough and remained married to him until her death in 2015. Kimbrough and Howland had appeared together in Company.

      Death

      Howland, who had been a smoker since she was a teenager until she finally quit in the early 2000s, died of lung cancer on December 31, 2015, at age 76. Per her request, her death was not reported to the media until May 24, 2016, four days before what would have been her 77th birthday.

      Filmography
      Year Title Role Notes
      1959 Li'l Abner Clem's wife Uncredited
      Musical film based on the comic strip of the same name created by Al Capp and the successful Broadway musical of the same name that opened in 1956 and was produced by Norman Panama & directed by Melvin Frank.[12]
      1972 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Linda Foster Episode: "Have I Found a Guy for You" (S 3:Ep 10)
      1973 The Ted Bessell Show Margaret Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Bill Persky.[13]
      Love, American Style Rita Episode: "Love and Carmen Lopez/Love and the Cover/Love and the Cryin' Cowboy" (S 5:Ep 13)
      1974 Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Vault Manager's Wife Uncredited
      Crime film written and directed by Michael Cimino.[14]
      1975 Cannon Secretary Episode: "Nightmare" (S 5:Ep 1)
      The Rookies Mrs. Ross Episode: "Reading, Writing and Angel Dust" (S 4:Ep 2)
      Bronk June Kramer Episode: "Echo of Danger" (S 1:Ep 4)
      The Mary Tyler Moore Show Joan Episode: "Mary Richards Falls in Love" (S 6:Ep 11)
      1976 Little House on the Prairie Clerk Episode: "The Pride of Walnut Grove" (S 2:Ep 14)
      1976–85 Alice Vera Louise Gorman Contract role (202 episodes)
      1977 Eight Is Enough Mavis Episode: "Is There a Doctor in the House?" (S 2:Ep 1)
      1979 The Love Boat Lee Noble Episode: "Third Wheel/Grandmother's Day/Second String Mom" (S 2:Ep 27)
      You Can't Take It with You Essie Carmichael Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Paul Bogart.[15]
      1980 The Wild Wacky Wonderful World of Winter Stripper Made-for-TV-Movie
      1981 The Love Boat Eloise Farnsworth Episodes:
      • "Farnsworth's Fling/Three in a Bed/I Remember Helen/Merrill, Melanie & Melanesia/Gopher Farnsworth Smith: Part 1" (S 5:Ep 8)
      • "Farnsworth's Fling/Three in a Bed/I Remember Helen/Merrill, Melanie & Melanesia/Gopher Farnsworth Smith: Part 2" (S 5:Ep 9)
      1982 Rosie Vera Louise Gorman Episode: "62 Pick-Up"
      1982 American Playhouse Housewife Episode: "Working" (S 1:Ep 14)
      1983 The Love Boat Jeannie Davis Episodes:
      • "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 1" (S 6:Ep 27)
      • "Hits and Missus/Return of Annabelle/Just Plain Folks Medicine/Caught in the Act/The Real Thing/Do Not Disturb/Lulu & Kenny (Country Music Jamboree): Part 2" (S 6:Ep 28)
      Captain Bernice Tobin Episode: "Youth Takes a Holiday/Don't Leave Home Without It/Prisoner of Love" (S 7:Ep 4)
      A Caribbean Mystery Evelyn Hillingdon Made-for-TV-Movie directed by Robert Michael Lewis.[16]
      1985 Comedy Factory Kate Weston Episode: "It Takes Two" (S 1:Ep 6)
      1988 ABC Afterschool Special Eleanor Flemming Episode: "Terrible Things My Mother Told Me" (S 16:Ep 5)[9]
      You Can't Take It with You Anita Briggs Episode: "For Whom the Phone Rings" (S 1:Ep 14)
      1993 Murder, She Wrote Sandy Oates Episode: "Lone Witness" (S 9:Ep 19)
      1997 Sabrina the Teenage Witch Mrs. Ericson Episode: "Cat Showdown" (S 1:Ep 19)
      2000 Chicken Soup for the Soul Diane Episode: "Thinking of You/Mama's Soup Pot/The Letter" (S 1:Ep 17)
      Batman Beyond Singer (voice) Episode: "Out of the Past" (S 3:Ep 5)
      2002 The Tick Bea Episode: "Arthur, Interrupted" (S 1:Ep 8)
      As Told by Ginger Dr. Leventhal (voice) Episode: "And She Was Gone" (S 2:Ep 23)

      References
      1. "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      2. Grimes, William (May 24, 2016). "Beth Howland, accident prone waitress from the sitcom Alice dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      3. "Beth Howland, Vera on TV sitcom 'Alice', dies at 74". WPIX. Tribune Broadcasting. Associated Press. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
      4. "Original COMPANY Cast Member & 'ALICE' Star Beth Howland Dies at 74". Broadway World. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      5. Adams, Char (May 25, 2016). "Alice Star Beth Howland Dead at 74". People. Time Inc. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      6. Kenneally, Tim (May 25, 2016). "Beth Howland, Vera From Sitcom 'Alice,' Dies at 74". TheWrap. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      7. Ellis, Ralph (May 25, 2016). "Actress Beth Howland dies; played waitress on TV show 'Alice'". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      8. Pedersen, Erik (May 25, 2016). "Beth Howland Dies: Actress Who Played Vera On 'Alice' Was 74". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      9. "Terrible Things My Mother Told Me". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      10. O'Connor, John (January 19, 1988). "TV Review; 'Terrible Things My Mother Told Me'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
      11. "Actress Beth Howland, who played Vera on 'Alice', dies at 74". New York Daily News. Associated Press. May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      12. "Li'l Abner". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      13. "The Ted Bessell Show". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      14. "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      15. "You Can't Take It with You". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
      16. "Agatha Christie's: A Caribbean Mystery". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
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