What did Beth Howland do after 'Alice'? Cast member's life after series explored as Polly Holliday dies 

Beth Howland, who passed away on December 31, 2015, from the complications of lung cancer, was one of the cast members of the hit 1970s TV show Alice. Known for playing Vera in the sitcom, Howland was a stage and television actress as well as a producer. After the sitcom Alice, she made guest appearances on a few series and executive-produced the documentary You Don't Have To Die.

According to People Magazine, Polly Holliday, the Emmy-nominated actress who was the last surviving cast member from the beloved show, died from the complications of pneumonia on September 9.

Polly Holliday was widely known for her role in the show as the witty waitress Flo Castleberry. The show also starred Beth Howland as Vera Gorman, Linda Lavin as Alice Hyatt, and Vic Tayback as Mel Sharples, who was the owner of the diner where these three women worked. Holliday garnered widespread acclaim for her performance and was nominated for four Emmy Awards.

More about Beth Howland's life, as her former co-star, Polly Holliday, passes away

Beth Howland, whose full name was Elizabeth Howland, was born on May 28, 1941, in Brighton, Massachusetts. Not much is known about her early life, but according to the Boston Globe, she was a dancer who attended the Hazel Boone Studio, and later travelled to New York to pursue a career in acting.

It was then she was cast as Lady Beth in the stage production of Once Upon a Mattress, after which she appeared in other Broadway productions such as Twelfth Night, Getting Married, Your Own Thing, and others. According to reports, Howland was previously married to Oscar-nominated actor Michael J. Pollard. Not much is known about their relationship, during which they welcomed one daughter, but the couple later divorced.

Beth Howland later moved to Los Angeles and was cast as Vera Gorman in the CBS TV show Alice, a performance that earned her four Golden Globe nominations. She appeared in all nine seasons of the sitcom, from August 1976 until it ended in March 1985.

Following her role in Alice, Howland took on fewer acting roles. She made guest appearances on Little House on the Prairie, Eight is Enough, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, and The Tick, among others. In the late 1980s, she worked as the executive producer of the award-winning documentary, You Don't Have To Die. The documentary went on to win the Oscar for Best Short Subject Documentary in 1989.

Trending

In 1993, she reunited with other cast members of the stage musical Company for several concert performances of the production.

Beth Howland later married actor Charles Kimbrough in 2002, with whom she led a quiet life in Santa Monica, California, away from the spotlight. He had announced her death in May 2016, five months after she had passed, in accordance with her wishes.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback