Yahoo Lifestyle Linda Lavin Remembered By Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Sarah Paulson & More: “She Was Just So Funny”
Celebrities, producers and just plain old fans are remembering actress Linda Lavin, who died December 29 at 87.
Matt Bomer and Nathan Lane reacted Monday to the loss of their co-star Lavin in the upcoming Hulu comedy series Mid-Century Modern. The multi-camera comedy from Max Mutchnick and David Kohan filmed seven episodes of its 10-episode order before the holiday break. It is unclear how the show will proceed without one of its leads.
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“I am heartbroken at the loss of the great Linda Lavin, a brilliant, one-of-a-kind actress who could do comedy and drama with equal aplomb and who made each day a joy to go to work,” Lane said. “I feel so very lucky and grateful I finally got to act with her and that she went out doing what she loved and still at the top of her game. I called her Mom on camera and off and will treasure the memory of sharing this happy time with such a beautiful and loving soul.”
Added Bomer: “I am deeply grateful to have been touched by the brilliance of Linda Lavin. She is an icon, a phenomenal artist, and a deeply caring human being who will remain an inspiration to me, and be greatly missed by all of us. She was doing incredible work her entire adult life, and touched everyone lucky enough to know her. My heart goes out to her husband Steve, and all of her loved ones. Thank you, Ms. Lavin, for showing us all the way to do it.”
Several of Lavin’s former TV and Broadway co-stars such as Ever Carradine and Catherine Paulson recalled what it was like to work with the veteran stage and TV actress known for her Emmy-nominated role in the 1976 sitcom Alice and for her Tony-winning performance in the 1986 play Broadway Bound.
“Linda Lavin played my mom on Conrad Bloom,” wrote Carradine on Instagram. “While the show was sort of forgettable (sorry!!), she was not.”
Paulson recalled an awkward moment on stage while she starred opposite Lavin, who ultimately saved the day by calling for a re-set of the play.
“I remember the night when the stuck window, the STUCK WINDOW that the first 5 minutes of the play was centered around, closed ALL BY ITSELF,” Paulson wrote on IG. “I was facing Linda, she facing the window- while I heard and she saw the window slowly close. With my heart racing, I stared at her… what the fuck were we supposed to do?? She looked at me, cool as could be and said, “why don’t you come back in and we will start this again?” she went over to the sill, got the window up and re-jammed and I scurried off stage and we started the play from the beginning.”
In 2014, The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King cast Lavin as Joy Grubick, a humorless pretrial officer that ultimately kept Cary Agos (Matt Czuchry) out of prison.
Oh, that’s so sad to hear. She was so good to work with. Such a voice. Such reality. And, yet, great comic instincts. https://t.co/xl3sJU7jTu
— Robert King (@RKing618) December 30, 2024
Here are other tributes to Lavin, who died unexpectedly due to complications from recently discovered lung cancer.
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