Beth Howland
Elizabeth Howland (May 28, 1939 – December 31, 2015) was an American actress. She worked on stage and television, and was best known for playing Vera Gorman in the sitcom "Alice". Howland originated the role of Amy in the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Company", where she introduced the patter song "Getting Married Today". Early life. Howland was born on May 28, 1939, in Brighton, Massachusetts. At the age of 16, she left home and followed a dancer friend to New York City. After a time of struggling, Howland made her Broadway debut in 1959 as Lady  Beth in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress", which transferred from off-Broadway. She went on to have roles in the musicals "Bye Bye Birdie", "High Spirits", "Drat! The Cat!" and "Darling of the Day". Career. Howland can be seen dancing and singing in the chorus of the movie "Li'l Abner" (1959) as Clem's wife, alongside future television star Valerie Harper. After appearing in "Company", she left New York to relocate to California, where she made guest appearances on television series such as "Love, American Style"; "Cannon"; "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"; "Little House on the Prairie"; "Eight Is  Enough"; and "The Love Boat". For her work on "Alice", Howland received four Golden Globe Award nominations. She later took on numerous telefilm roles, including "You Can't Take It with You" (as Essie) and "A Caribbean Mystery". She remained on "Alice" throughout its nine seasons. After the sitcom ended in 1985, Howland went into semi-retirement. She made occasional guest appearances (including "Murder, She Wrote"; "Chicken Soup for the Soul"; "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"; and "The Tick") and starred in the "ABC Afterschool Special", "Terrible Things My Mother Told Me". Personal life. From 1961 to 1969, Howland was married  to actor Michael J. Pollard, with whom she had a daughter. In 2002, she wed actor Charles Kimbrough and remained married to him until her death in 2015. Kimbrough and Howland had appeared together in "Company". Death. Howland died of lung cancer on December 31, 2015, at age 76. Per her request, her death was not reported to the media until May 24, 2016, four days before her 77th birthday.