Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress, Kirstie Alley, left her legacy in the entertainment industry as one of rich depth and determination. Her roles ranged from period dramas to modern comedies, and from space exploration to lingerie design. Her alluring beauty, sultry voice, and undeniable talent made her one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading ladies.
As the performing arts community mourns her loss after she passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer, the movies and television performances she has left behind will continue to inspire and touch the hearts of many young actors and audience members far into the future. With 42 years in the industry, she has many beloved roles in both television and film. Here are 10 that remain favorites for her many fans.
10 ‘For Richer or Poorer’ (1997)
Appeared as Caroline Sexton
A riches-to-rags-to-romance comedy called For Richer or Poorer stars Kirstie Alley and Tim Allen as Caroline and Brad Sexton. The Sexton’s appear to have it all, but behind their glamour and expensive lifestyle they have hidden lots of debt and marital discord. Their situation takes an unexpected turn when they are forced to go on the run to avoid the IRS because their unscrupulous accountant, Bob (Wayne Knight) has defrauded them out of millions of tax dollars.
As the unhappily wedded couple go into hiding in a rural Amish community, they get a chance to reexamine their lives and marriage. Full of wit, humor, and heart, the film has great onscreen chemistry between Alley and Allen and features a cast of superbly gifted comedic actors. Alley’s performance is glamorous, charming, and surprisingly soulful. It is a hidden gem that deserved higher ratings from critics.
9 ‘Look Who’s Talking’ (1989)
Appeared as Mollie
Kids say the darndest things. The cute and comical Look Who’s Talking features the inner monologue of one of the main characters, who happens to be a baby. Bruce Willis provides narration as the child, Mikey, learns about the world around him and bonds with his single mother, Mollie (Alley).
Alley plays the role to perfection as hormones and moods swing from one end of the emotional spectrum to another. Mollie learns to stand up for herself and her son in the film, and she unwittingly falls for local cab driver, James, played by John Travolta. The film would go on to produce two sequels.
8 ‘It Takes Two’ (1995)
Appeared as Diane Barrows
A 1995 family comedy that is part The Prince and the Pauper, and part The Parent Trap, stars Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen as a set of identical strangers that switch places for a short time to escape their own life situations. One a rich and spoiled only child, and the other a poor orphan. As the two switch places, they end up playing matchmakers as their father and caseworker, respectively, fall in love.
In the film, Alley plays Diane Barrows, who is the caretaker for the orphan girl, Amanda. She is fantastic in the role and plays it with perfect comedic timing. She also has great romantic chemistry with costar Steve Guttenberg, and it is a fun family film to watch.
7 ‘Deadly Pursuit’ aka ‘Shoot to Kill’ (1988)
Appeared as Sarah Rennell
Showing her incredible range as an actress, Alley starred in a suspenseful movie in 1988 called Deadly Pursuit, also known as Shoot to Kill. In the film, her character Sarah Rennell is held hostage by a dangerous jewel thief played by Clancy Brown. FBI agent Warren Stantin (Sidney Poitier) recruits Sarah’s boyfriend, Jonathan (Tom Berenger) to help him rescue her and catch the notorious criminal.
The fantastic catch of the movie is that the rescue team has to cross rugged terrain and face wilderness conditions as they try to rescue Sarah. Through harsh climates, dangerous cliffs, and a homicidal villain, the unlikely odd couple will have to apprehend their suspect before he crosses into Canada and beyond their jurisdiction. Alley is superb in this high-tension thriller, which famous film critic Robert Ebert gave a thumbs up.
Shoot to Kill
An F.B.I. Agent teams up with a tracker to pursue a murderer after he vanishes into the mountains and infiltrates a hiking group.
6 ‘North & South: Book 1, North & South’ (1995)
Appeared as Virgilia Hazard
Based on John Jakes’ novels, the miniseries North & South depicted the trials of life faced by its characters in America as the nation headed toward the Civil War. Alley joined an extremely talented cast as they covered substantial topics like slavery, race relations, and war.
In a memorable scene, Alley’s character Virgilia stands up from a dinner table and addresses Southern soldier Orry Main (Patrick Swayze). She announces with great conviction, “I will not sit down at a table with a man who chooses to keep his fellow human beings in bondage.”
5 ‘Deconstructing Harry’ (1997)
Appeared as Joan
The quirky and neurotic comedy Deconstructing Harry is about author Harry (Woody Allen) who suffers from writer’s block. Needing to continue his book career, he takes inspiration from the only place readily available to him, his family and friends. But, as he prepares to enjoy the accolades his work is gaining, he gets some unwanted attention as those featured in his work begin to voice their disapproval about being depicted without permission.
The star-studded cast includes Demi Moore, Elisabeth Shue, Judy Davis, and Billy Crystal, who plays the Devil. In one fantastically complex scene, Alley plays Harry’s current wife, who has just found out that he has had an affair with one of her psychiatric clients. Alley is marvelous as she has to navigate her character’s rollercoaster of emotions trying to confront her husband and talk to a client who has just arrived at her office simultaneously.
Deconstructing Harry (1997)
Harry Block, a novelist renowned for turning his personal misfortunes into literary successes, faces a crisis when his creative well runs dry. As he struggles with his writer’s block, the boundaries between his fictional creations and real-world experiences start to blur. Harry’s journey becomes a chaotic mix of reality and imagination, populated by characters from his books and the real people they are based on. On the eve of receiving an honorary degree, Harry must confront the repercussions of his actions, both in his writing and personal life.
- Release Date
- December 12, 1997
- Director
- Woody Allen
- Cast
- Caroline Aaron , Woody Allen , Kirstie Alley , Bob Balaban , Richard Benjamin
- Runtime
- 96 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Woody Allen
- Budget
- 20000000.0
- Studio(s)
- Sweetland Films , Jean Doumanian Productions , Magnolia Productions , Fine Line Features
4 ‘Veronica’s Closet’ (1997-2000)
Appeared as Veronica Chase
Kirstie Alley not only starred in, but produced the late ’90s, and early ’00s sitcom Veronica’s Closet. In the show, she portrayed Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, a hugely successful lingerie and self-help novel mogul. However, Ronnie’s success in romance seems to be largely limited to her professional career and not her personal life. As she is joined by her helpful and loyal staff, she continues to be successful, if not lucky, in love.
Alley’s performance in the series was comedic, entertaining, and fun to watch. Coupled with costars Kathy Najimy, Dan Cortese, Wallace Langham, and Daryl Mitchell, the ensemble worked well together and got up to some pretty hilarious situations in the series. It ran for three seasons and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
Veronica’s Closet
Veronica Chase is the ultimate romance expert. Unfortunately, her expertise only works on others. After leaving her philandering husband, she must rebuild her life and her image through her company and with the help of her employees.
3 ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ (1999)
Appeared as Gladys Leeman
If you’ve ever heard the expression that “looks can kill”, you may be a fan of the 1999 comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous. The movie notes the many nuances that take place both on and off the stage of small-town beauty pageants, with great comedic writing that is perfect for the genre.
Alley plays the mother of a young participant who hopes to win the local competition (Denise Richards). Her unwavering enthusiasm for her daughter’s pageant career is only matched by her tough-love style of coaching and unsympathetic demeanor (being a former pageant contestant herself). Hilarity and hijinks ensue in this clever and highly entertaining film.
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Set in the fictional small town of Mount Rose, Minnesota, the film follows the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose American Teen Princess Pageant. The story is presented in a mockumentary style, highlighting the absurd and deadly lengths contestants and their families will go to in order to win. The movie revolves around the rivalry between the sweet and hardworking Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst) and the privileged, manipulative Becky Leeman (Denise Richards), whose mother Gladys (Kirstie Alley) will stop at nothing to secure her daughter’s victory.
2 ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (1982)
Appeared as Lieutenant Saavik
Not many people can say that they’ve had their likeness made into an action figure, but Kirstie Alley can. A huge fan of the TV series Star Trek, it must have been a dream come true for Alley to star in the 1982 full-length motion picture Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Her character of Lieutenant Savvik was made into an action figure after the film debuted.
The role would be her first and breakout performance, which soon opened more doors for her in Hollywood. She candidly told an audience at a convention in Las Vegas in 2016 that she fibbed on her resume to make it seem more impressive so she could get the part. The role came at a particularly meaningful time in her life, as her father had just been seriously injured and her mother killed in a car accident. She credits director Nicholas Meyer for being the driving force that got her into the film and, as a result, the larger film industry.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.
1 ‘Cheers’ (1982-1993)
Appeared as Rebecca Howe
Kirstie Alley’s role as Rebecca Howe on the hugely successful and iconic TV series Cheers would earn her a Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe Award, along with many other notices and nominations. The show, which centered around a quaint and easy-going bar in Boston where “everybody knows your name,” would launch the careers of industry juggernauts such as Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, and Shelley Long.
In the show, Alley’s character Rebecca is in charge of running the bar, which includes putting up with the very charismatic and very stubborn bartender, Sam (Ted Danson). The duo of Alley and Danson made for fantastic quips and comedic sexual-tension banter that audiences everywhere enjoyed. In one of her character’s early episodes on the show, Sam says, regarding compromises, “I want to sleep with you 25 times, but you don’t want to sleep with me at all. Am I right?” To which she replies, “Right.” Sam comes back with, “Alright, so what’s half of 25?” To which Rebecca razzes, “Your IQ.” Kirstie Alley proved that she could be captivating on the big and small screens. Her incomparable proficiency, heart, and openness will undoubtedly still be treasured for many years to come.
Cheers
The regulars of the Boston bar “Cheers” share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.