Frances Sternhagen, the award-winning actress best known for her roles in “Sex and the City” and “Cheers,” has died at 93. In a statement, her family shared, “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear mother, actress Frances Sternhagen, died peacefully of natural causes in New Rochelle, NY, on November 27th, 2023, at the age of 93.”
The statement continued, “She is survived by her 6 children, 9 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. A celebration of her remarkable career and life is planned for mid-January, near her 94th birthday. We continue to be inspired by her love and life.” Her son, John Carlin, also paid tribute to his mother two days after her death on Instagram. He wrote alongside several throwback photos of his mother, “Frannie. Mom. Frances Sternhagen. On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday.”
He continued, “I will post more soon, but for now I just want to give thanks for the remarkable gift of an artist and human being that was Frances Sternhagen. She was beloved by many. I’m very lucky I was able to call her my mom, my friend, my song and dance partner. We were together last week, and we spoke Monday afternoon, saying how much we loved and missed one another.” He concluded his message, “Fly on, Frannie. The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived.”
Frances Hussy Sternhagen was born in Washington, D.C. She studied drama and was head of the drama club at Vassar College before graduating in 1951. She studied at the Perry Mansfield School of the Theatre and with Sanford Meisner at the Group Theater. In an interview with the Vassar alumni magazine in 2001, she said that Burt Lancaster helped her understand the difference between theater acting and movie acting. Sternhagen was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. John Carter, played by Noah Wyle, on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
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She made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife, Virginia, who was part of the search for James Caan’s novelist character. Her other films include “Starting Over,” “Julie and Julia,” “Doc Hollywood,” and “Independence Day.” In a role similar to that of Millicent Carter on “ER,” Sternhagen recurred on “Sex and the City” as Bunny MacDougal, the blue-blood mother of Trey, played by Kyle MacLachlan.
She earned a 2002 Emmy nomination for her performance in an episode in which she discovers her son having sex with his girlfriend and bolts from the room. Sternhagen also appeared from 2006 to 2012 as Willie Rae Johnson, the Southern mother of Kyra Sedgwick’s character on “The Closer.” She had most recently appeared onscreen in Rob Reiner’s 2014 feature film “And So It Goes,” starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton. She was also known for her stint on NBC’s “Another World” as Jane Overstreet in the early 1970s.
Sternhagen was married to actor Thomas Carlin from 1956 until he died in 1991. She is survived by six children: sons Paul, Tony, Peter and John, daughters Amanda and Sarah, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.