From Star Trek to Scream Queens: A glimpse at Kirstie Alley’s remarkable film and TV career

The Hollywood community is in mourning on Monday, with news that beloved actress Kirstie Alley has passed away at 71 years of age, following a cancer battle.

The actress leaves behind an incredible legacy, forging her career throughout the film and TV industry after growing up in Wichita, Kansas, and originally wanting to become an interior designer.

She also made headlines later in life, claiming last year that she had become ‘blackballed’ by Hollywood after vocally supporting Donald Trump.

Mourning: The Hollywood community is in mourning on Monday, with news that beloved actress Kirstie Alley has passed away at 71 years of age, following a cancer battle

Legacy: The actress leaves behind an incredible legacy, forging her career throughout the film and TV industry after growing up in Wichita, Kansas, and originally wanting to become an interior designer

Blackballed: She also made headlines later in life, claiming last year that she had become ‘blackballed’ by Hollywood after vocally supporting Donald Trump

Alley was born to the owner of a lumber company and a homemaker, leaving the Midwest for Los Angeles to pursue a career in interior design and also to explore Scientology.

Her first brush with fame came on the small screen, when she appeared in a 1979 episode of Match Game and a 1980 episode of Password Plus.

She had an uncredited appearance on a 1979 episode of Quark and made her indie feature film debut with 1981’s One More Chance.

Early: Alley was born to the owner of a lumber company and a homemaker, leaving the Midwest for Los Angeles to pursue a career in interior design and also to explore Scientology

Alley landed her first major movie role in 1982, playing Vulcan Starfleet officer Saavik in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, which was the eighth-highest-grossing movie that year. 

She was offered to return for the next two sequels, though she reportedly turned them down, claiming Paramount offered her less for the sequels than she was paid for Wrath of Khan.

The actress continued to work regularly on both the small and big screen, guest-starring in a 1983 episode of The Love Boat alongside her husband Parker Stevenson, and a slew of movies in 1984 including Runaway with Tom Selleck and Blind Date.

Major role: Alley landed her first major movie role in 1982, playing Vulcan Starfleet officer Saavik in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, which was the eighth-highest-grossing movie that year

Sequels: She was offered to return for the next two sequels, though she reportedly turned them down, claiming Paramount offered her less for the sequels than she was paid for Wrath of Khan

Continued: The actress continued to work regularly on both the small and big screen, guest-starring in a 1983 episode of The Love Boat alongside her husband Parker Stevenson, and a slew of movies in 1984 including Runaway with Tom Selleck and Blind Date

She also got her first taste of a starring TV role with the 1983-1984 series Masquerade, for legendary TV writer Glen A. Larson, starring alongside Greg Evigan and Rod Taylor, though it only lasted one season.

Alley went on to play noted feminist Gloria Steinem in the 1985 TV movie A Bunny’s Tale, chronicling Steinem’s undercover investigation of Playboy clubs.

1987 would ultimately be a breakthrough year for Alley, when she landed the coveted role of Rebecca Howe on the hit series Cheers, taking over for the departing Shelley Long.

Taking over: 1987 would ultimately be a breakthrough year for Alley, when she landed the coveted role of Rebecca Howe on the hit series Cheers, taking over for the departing Shelley Long

She earned five Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Rebecca Howe on Cheers, winning her first Emmy in 1991.

She also starred in the hit 1987 movie Look Who’s Talking alongside John Travolta, which was the 5th highest grossing movie of the year. 

She went on to star in the 1990 film Madhouse with John Larroquette and returned as Mollie for Look Who’s Talking Too that same year.

Emmy win: She earned five Emmy nominations for her portrayal of Rebecca Howe on Cheers, winning her first Emmy in 1991

Talking: She also starred in the hit 1987 movie Look Who’s Talking alongside John Travolta, which was the 5th highest grossing movie of the year

Madhouse: She went on to star in the 1990 film Madhouse with John Larroquette and returned as Mollie for Look Who’s Talking Too that same year

She returned as Mollie once again for the 1993 sequel Look Who’s Talking Now, the same year that Cheers ended it’s iconic 11-season run.

Alley starred alongside Steve Guttenberg and Full House stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson in the 1995 family rom-com It Takes Two and the 1995 John Carpenter thriller Village of the Damned.

The actress continued to work regularly on both the big screen and small throughout the late 90s, with roles in The Last Don mini-series, movies Deconstructing Harry and Drop Dead Gorgeous while also starring on Veronica’s Closet, which ran three seasons from 1997 to 2000. 

Steve and Kirstie: Alley starred alongside Steve Guttenberg and Full House stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson in the 1995 family rom-com It Takes Two

Village: Kirstie Alley in the 1995 John Carpenter thriller Village of the Damned

After Veronica’s Closet went off the air, she appeared in a few guest-starring roles in the early 2000s before returning in the 2005 Showtime series Fat Actress.

Alley co-created the series and played a version of herself – an actress who struggles to lose weight so she can revive her career, though the show only lasted one seven-episode season.

The actress was also a spokesperson for weight-loss company Jenny Craig between 2004 and 2007, losing 75 pounds during her time there 

Fat Actress: After Veronica’s Closet went off the air, she appeared in a few guest-starring roles in the early 2000s before returning in the 2005 Showtime series Fat Actress

Though, just two years later, Alley revealed that she gained 83 pounds after leaving Jenny Craig and weighed as much as 228 pounds.

She founded the weight loss company Organic Liaison in 2010, though she faced a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising that was ultimately settled in 2013.

The company was acquired by Jenny Craig in 2014 and she returned as a spokesperson, revealing in 2015 that she had lost 50 pounds on the program. 

weight loss: Though, just two years later, Alley revealed that she gained 83 pounds after leaving Jenny Craig and weighed as much as 228 pounds

Company: The company was acquired by Jenny Craig in 2014 and she returned as a spokesperson, revealing in 2015 that she had lost 50 pounds on the program

After Kirstie went off the air in 2014, she would appear sporadically on the big and small screen, with a guest-starring spot on The Middle in 2015, Flaked in 2016 and a role in the 2015 movie Accidental Love.

Her last major role was on the second season of Fox’s Scream Queens, playing Ingrid Hoffell.

Her last two roles were a guest-starring spot in a 2019 episode of The Middle and a role in the 2020 TV movie You Can’t Take My Daughter.

Scream: Her last major role was on the second season of Fox’s Scream Queens, playing Ingrid Hoffell

Alley appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program in May 2021, claiming she had been ‘blackballed’ from Hollywood for vocally supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election… after voting for Barack Obama in both of his terms as U.S. President.

‘You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers, as long as apparently you didn’t vote for Trump. I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone a bit, with the whole concept of it,’ Alley admitted.

She added many celebrities unfollowed her for lending her support to Trump, stating, ‘I’m going, “I’m the same person. I’m the girl who voted for Obama twice… You liked me when I voted for Obama and now you’re this?” It’s made me have to rethink, weirdly, my whole friendships.’

Claim: Alley appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program in May 2021, claiming she had been ‘blackballed’ from Hollywood for vocally supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election… after voting for Barack Obama in both of his terms as U.S. President