Shannon Wilcox, best known as a character actor who appeared in 1984’s Songwriter alongside Willie Nelson, as well as in NCIS and Dallas, died Sept. 2 in Los Angeles. She was 80 years old.
The news was announced on Monday, Nov. 6, as confirmed by her talent agent, Peter Young.
After making her onscreen debut on the action series Starsky and Hutch in 1976, she later appeared in guest roles on several series from the late ’70s to ’80s, including sitcoms Sirota’s Court, Dog and Cat, Hawaii Five-O, Hart to Hart, Cagney & Lacey, Magnum, P.I., Remington Steele and Buck James.
In the ’90s, Wilcox had a recurring role as Anita on Dallas, in which she appeared in the 13th and 14th seasons.
Additionally, she gained TV credits on popular medical series Grey’s Anatomy, as well as Truth Be Told, The Resident, NCIS, ER, and Matlock.
Wilcox also had several small roles in a myriad of films, like 1995’s Seven with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, The Border, Criminal Passion, Ready or Not, and Disney’s 2001 movie The Princess Diaries, which starred Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway.
As for her personal life, the actress first found love with plastic surgeon John Williams, whom she married in 1965. The former couple divorced in 1984, and Wilcox moved on with Godfather star and Emmy winner, Alex Rocco. The pair remained married until his death in 2015.
Wilcox is survived by her two children with Williams: daughter, actor Kelli Williams, and son, writer-producer Sean Doyle.