Actress Susan Saint James dies aged 80

Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis has paid tribute to actress Susan Saint James after her death at the age of 80.

Saint James was known for starring alongside Rock Hudson in the detective series McMillan & Wife (1971-76) and with Jane Curtin in the sitcom Kate & Allie (1984-89).

A family representative said the actress died on 26th of October after being diagnosed with cancer, according to People magazine.

Lee Curtis paid tribute to the actress on Instagram, recalling how she was compared to Saint James when she was starting out in Hollywood.

She wrote: "I auditioned for a spot as a Universal Studios 'contract player' which was a remnant of the old studio system from the golden age of Hollywood.

"When Monique James, the woman that ran the programme, announced that she had signed me to a seven-year contract she said, and I remember it, ‘I haven’t felt the same spirit and energy in someone since we signed Susan Saint James’.

"For me that was enormous praise because I LOVED Susan and her free spirit, no nonsense, tongue-in-cheek way as an actress, beautiful, and a little ballsy, quick to crack a joke and she had really extraordinary timing.

"Of course, it was put to great use in many movies including my favourites, The Trouble With Angels and Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows and on TV in McMillan and Wife and later, Kate and Allie.

"She was a beautiful mother and sister and auntie and grandma Gigi and friend and wife to her beloved husband, Dick Ebersol, and together they suffered the unimaginable loss of their son, Teddy, who died at 14 in an airplane accident.

"I always considered her a bit of a spirit guide and good friend through the often turbulent waters of the entertainment business.

"She was a very special woman and will be greatly missed. To her family and friends, My Hand In Yours."

A family member said in a statement to People magazine that Saint James was "generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up.

"She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people."

Saint James was born Susan Lee Miller in Los Angeles in 1946.

Her first screen appearance was in the 1966 TV movie Fame Is The Name Of The Game and she achieved wider fame when it became a TV show called The Name Of The Game (1968-71).

Saint James was nominated for an Emmy three times for her work on the show and won once.

She appeared opposite Hollywood icon Hudson in McMillan & Wife, which she also received three Emmy nominations for.

Saint James also appeared in films including Outlaw Blues (1977), Love At First Bite (1979) and How To Beat The High Cost Of Living (1982) opposite Jessica Lange.

Her final role was in an episode of legal drama Suits in 2011.

Saint James was married to scriptwriter Richard Neubert from 1967 to 1968 and make-up artist Tom Lucas from 1971 to 1977, with whom she had daughter Sunshine and son Harmony.

She met television executive Dick Ebersol in 1981 while hosting Saturday Night Live and they married that same year. They had three children: Charles, William and Edward, known as Teddy.

Teddy died in November 2002 at the age of 14 in a private jet crash which was also carrying Dick and Charles.

Saint James appeared on the Today Show a few days after the crash and thanked fans who sent their condolences.

According to People, Saint James is survived by her husband, four children, seven grandchildren and her sister.

Source: Press Association