Louise Lasser, star of soap satire Mary Hartman, dies aged 87
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Louise Lasser, the American comedienne best known as Woody Allen's first leading lady and as the title character in the 1970s soap-opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, has died at the age of 87. According to her best friend Susan Charlotte, she died of natural causes on Monday at her home on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Married to Allen from 1966 to 1970, Lasser was a fixture of his early career, and her understated performances made her a distinctive figure in 1970s American comedy.
Lasser appeared in several of Allen's early films, including What's Up Tiger Lily? (1966), Take the Money and Run (1969), Bananas (1971) and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972). Her stardom was cemented by the groundbreaking, Norman Lear-produced Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976-77), a cutting parody of soap operas that satirised American consumerism and ran five nights a week in syndication. Across the show's 325 episodes she played a mockingly innocent suburban housewife, earning an unusual 1976 Emmy nomination in a "Special Classification" category, as the industry struggled to categorise the envelope-pushing series.
- Actress Louise Lasser has died aged 87 of natural causes.
- She was Woody Allen's first wife and frequent early co-star.
- She led the acclaimed 1970s soap satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
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Louise Lasser was an American actress and comedienne who first came to prominence through her marriage to, and creative partnership with, film-maker Woody Allen, appearing in several of his early comedies during the late 1960s and early 1970s. She later became widely known for playing the title role in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, an unconventional television series that ran nightly in the mid-1970s and used the format of a soap opera to poke fun at American consumer culture.
The show was notable for its unusual style and its five-nights-a-week broadcast schedule, which set it apart from standard television comedy and drama at the time. It was produced by Norman Lear, a well-known figure in American television, and Lasser's performance as an outwardly naive suburban housewife was considered a key part of its impact, earning her a distinctive form of industry recognition.
Lasser's career reflects a period when American television and film comedy were experimenting with satire and new formats, and her work is often cited as an example of that shift.
More coverage
- Deadline — Louise Lasser, star of soap satire Mary Hartman, dies aged 87
- Variety — Louise Lasser, Star of u2018Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,u2019 Dies at 87
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Originally published by The Hollywood Reporter as “Louise Lasser, Star of ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,’ Dies at 87”.