The actress best known for her role as the naive, nervous waitress, Vera, on the hit sitcom, “Alice,” has died.
Beth Howland was 74. Her husband, actor Charles Kimbrough, told The Associated Press that Howland died Dec. 31 of lung cancer. He said Howland had requested no announcement or funeral service.
Howland was born May 28, 1941, in Boston. She had small parts in Broadway and television productions before landing the role that would define her career. For playing the nervous, ditzy waitress on “Alice” alongside co-stars Linda Lavin and Polly Holliday, Howland earned four Golden Globe nominations.
After "Alice" ended in 1985, Howland acted in a few bit parts on TV and began a film production company with actress Jennifer Warren called Tiger Rose Productions. The company’s best-known film was the 1988 HBO documentary, "You Don't Have to Die,” which was about a boy's battle against cancer. The film won an Academy Award in 1989 for best short-subject documentary.
Howland is survived by a daughter from her previous marriage to actor Michael J. Pollard.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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