Frances Sternhagen

Frances Hussey Sternhagen (January 13, 1930 – November 27, 2023) was an American actress. She was known as a character actress who appeared on- and off-Broadway, in movies, and on television for over six decades. Sternhagen received numerous accolades, including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and a Saturn Award, as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Sternhagen gained acclaim for her extensive career on the Broadway stage. She made her debut in The Skin of Our Teeth (1955). She went on to receive two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performances as various characters in Neil Simon's comedic play The Good Doctor (1973) and as Lavinia Penniman in Ruth and Augustus Goetz's dramatic play The Heiress (1995). Her other Tony-nominated roles were for The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (1972), Equus (1975), Angel (1978), On Golden Pond (1979), and Morning's at Seven (2002).

She gained prominence and Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her recurring roles as Esther Clavin in the NBC sitcom Cheers (1986–1993) and Bunny MacDougal in the HBO series Sex and the City (2000–2002). She also had recurring roles in the NBC medical drama ER (1994–2009), and the TNT series The Closer (2006–2012). Sternhagen acted in numerous films, including The Hospital (1971), Starting Over (1979), Misery (1990), and Julie & Julia (2009).

Early life and education Frances Hussey Sternhagen was born in Washington, DC, on January 13, 1930. Her father was tax court judge John M. Sternhagen and her mother was a homemaker who served as a nurse during World War I. The same year, she had her off-Broadway debut in Thieves' Carnival, and her TV debut in The Great Bank Robbery on Omnibus (CBS). By the following year, she had won her first Obie Award for "Distinguished Performance (Actress)" in The Admirable Bashville (1955–56).

Sternhagen made her film debut in Up the Down Staircase (1967). Following this, she worked periodically in Hollywood. She had character roles in the Paddy Chayefsky-written The Hospital (1971), Two People (1973), and Billy Wilder's Fedora (1978). Sternhagen appeared as the daughter in the original 1971 Broadway production of Edward Albee's All Over with Colleen Dewhurst and Jessica Tandy. She worked for many years in soap operas, such as Another World, The Secret Storm, Love of Life, and The Doctors, and she played two roles on One Life to Live. She is also recognized as Mrs. Marsh from a series of television commercials for Colgate toothpaste that aired in the 1970s.

1974–1993: Theater roles and Cheers Sternhagen won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1974 for the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's The Good Doctor. She was also nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play in 1979 for On Golden Pond.

Sternhagen portrayed the title character in 1988's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Driving Miss Daisy, which was originated by Dana Ivey at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. Sternhagen took over the role after the show moved to the John Houseman Theatre and played it for more than two years.

During this time, Sternhagen appeared as Charles Durning's strong-willed wife in Starting Over (1979) with Burt Reynolds and Jill Clayburgh, the acerbic and tough-as-nails Dr. Marian Lazarus opposite Sean Connery in Outland (1981), a turn that garnered her a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, and played roles in Bright Lights, Big City (1988) and Doc Hollywood (1991), both alongside Michael J. Fox. Sternhagen's work as Sheriff Buster's (Richard Farnsworth) wife Deputy Virginia in Rob Reiner's Misery (1990), an adaptation of Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, and her performance as Dr. Lynn Waldheim in Brian De Palma's 1992 psychological horror-thriller Raising Cain garnered her two more career Saturn Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Sternhagen also played Farrah Fawcett's mother in See You in the Morning (1989). She may be best known to TV audiences as Esther Clavin, mother of John Ratzenberger's Boston postman character Cliff Clavin, on the long-running series Cheers, which she played from 1986 to 1993. For her performance, she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. and in 2005 for the World War I drama Echoes of the War. She is included in the New Rochelle Walk of Fame. Her final film roles included Irene Reppler, one of the numerous local townfolk trapped in a supermarket, in Frank Darabont's horror-chiller The Mist (2007), real-life Joy of Cooking author Irma Rombauer in Julie & Julia (2009), Clearwater Aquarium owner Gloria Forrest in Dolphin Tale (2011), and in her final screen appearance, Claire in the Rob Reiner romantic comedy And So It Goes (2014) starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton.

Personal life and death Sternhagen met Thomas A. Carlin while in graduate school and was married to him from 1956 until his death in 1991; the couple had four sons and two daughters.

Sternhagen was a longtime resident of New Rochelle, New York.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1967 Up the Down Staircase Charlotte Wolf 1967 Lady On Bus 1971 Mrs. Cushing 1973 Two People Mrs. McCluskey 1978 Fedora Miss Balfour 1979 Starting Over Marva Potter 1981 Outland Dr. Marian Lazarus 1983 Independence Day Carla Taylor 1983 Romantic Comedy Blanche Dailey 1988 Bright Lights, Big City Clara Tillinghast 1989 Communion Dr. Janet Duffy 1989 See You in the Morning Neenie 1990 Sibling Rivalry Rose Turner 1990 Misery Deputy Virginia 1991 Doc Hollywood Lillian 1991 Walking the Dog Antique Dealer Short film 1992 Raising Cain Dr. Lynn Waldheim 1998 It All Came True Amy 2000 Midnight Gospel Ruth Short film 2001 Landfall Emily Thornton 2001 The Rising Place Ruth Wilder 2002 Highway Mrs. Murray 2007 Irene Reppler 2009 Julie & Julia Irma Rombauer 2011 Dolphin Tale Gloria Forrest 2014 And So It Goes Claire

Television Year Title Role Notes 1956 Westinghouse Studio One Betty Episode: "The Arena" 1957 Westinghouse Studio One Mary Episode: "My Mother and How She Undid Me" 1957 Goodyear Television Playhouse Elizabeth Barnes Episode: "The House" 1959 Play of the Week Eva Episode: "Thieves Carnival" 1961 Play of the Week Unknown Episode: "In a Garden" 1962 Theatre-Goer TV movie 1962 Mrs. Harris Episode: "The Lady Made of Stone" 1964 Louise Kiley Episode: "May Day! May Day!" 1964 Profiles in Courage Miss Koeller Episode: "Mary S. McDowell" 1967 NET Playhouse Unknown Episode: "Infancy and Childhood" 1967 Hallmark Hall of Fame Abigail Episode: "Soldier in Love" 1967–1968 Love of Life Toni Prentiss Davis TV series 1970 The Doctors Phyllis Corrigan TV series 1971 NET Playhouse Unknown Segment: "Foul!" 1971 Another World Jane Overstreet TV series 1972 Great Performances Wilma Atkins Episode: "The Rimers of Eldritch" 1974 Jessie Reddin TV series 1974 Great Performances Paulina Episode: "Enemies" 1977 The Andros Targets Mrs. Mason Episode: "In the Event of My Death" 1978 Who'll Save Our Children? Nellie Henderson TV movie 1980 Mother and Daughter: The Loving War Mrs. Lloyd TV movie 1980 Mary Richards TV short 1983 Prototype Dorothy Forrester TV movie 1984 Various TV movie 1985 Spencer Millie Sprague 7 episodes 1986 Resting Place Eudora McCallister TV movie 1986–1993 Cheers Esther Clavin 7 episodes 1987 At Mother's Request Berenice Bradshaw TV movie 1987 Once Again Esther TV movie 1990 Follow Your Heart Cloe Sixbury TV movie 1991 American Experience (voice) Episode: "Coney Island" 1991 Dora Episode: "Here's a High Dive Into a Shallow Pool" 1991 Golden Years Gina Williams 7 episodes 1991 Law & Order Margaret Langdon Episode: "The Serpent's Tooth" 1992 She Woke Up Noelle TV movie 1992 Tales from the Crypt Effie Gluckman Episode: "None But the Lonely Heart" 1993 Mary Rafferty TV movie 1994 Vault of Horror I Unknown TV movie 1994 Charlotte Babineaux 6 episodes 1994 Tobie Yates TV movie 1995 Jean Anderson Episode: "The Choice" 1997 Law & Order Estelle Muller Episode: "Legacy" 1997–2003 ER Millicent Carter 21 episodes 1998 Hadabelle TV movie 1998 To Live Again Constance Holmes TV movie 2000–2002 Sex and the City Bunny MacDougal 10 episodes 2002 Marge Murray TV movie 2002 Mrs. Bellamy (voice) Episode: "The Frying Game" 2004 Becker Naomi Episode: "Subway Story" 2006–2012 Willie Rae Johnson 15 episodes 2012 Parenthood Blanche Braverman Episode: "Road Trip"

Theatre Year Title Role Notes 1955 Miss T. Muse 1955 Widow Yang 1960 Viva Madison Avenue! Dee Jones 1962 Great Day in the Morning Alice McAnany 1965–1966 Mrs. Ashton Dilke 1967 Nora Helmer 1967–1969 You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running Harriet / Edith / Muriel (standby) 1968–1969 Lavinia Chamberlayne 1969 Cock-A-Doodle Dandy Loreleen 1970 Blood Red Roses Various (standby) 1971 Widow Quin 1971 All Over The Daughter / The Mistress (standby) 1971 Mary Stuart Mary Stuart / Queen Elizabeth (understudy) 1972 The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window Mavis Parodus Bryson 1972 Enemies Paulina 1973–1974 Performer 1974–1977 Equus Dora Strang 1978 Angel Eliza Gant 1979–1980 On Golden Pond Ethel Thayer 1981 Laura 1981–1982 Grown Ups Helen 1983–1984 You Can't Take It with You Penelope Sycamore 1985 Home Front Maurine 1993 A Perfect Ganesh Margaret 1995 The Heiress Lavinia Penniman 1998 Long Day's Journey into Night Mary Cavan Tyrone 1999 Vada Love Powell 2002 Morning's at Seven Ida Bolton 2004 Echoes of the War Mrs. Dowey 2005 Steel Magnolias Clairee 2005–2006 Seascape Nancy 2013 The Madrid Rose

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Project Result Ref. 1972 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window 1973 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play 1974 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Equus Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play 1978 Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical Angel 1979 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play On Golden Pond Tony Award Best Actress in a Play 1981 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Outland 1990 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Misery 1991 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Cheers 1992 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 1992 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Raising Cain 1995 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play The Heiress 1998 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Long Day's Journey into Night 2002 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play Morning's at Seven 2002 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Sex and the City 2003 Satellite Award Best Supporting Actress - Television 2004 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actress in a Play Echoes of the War