US television star Susan Saint James dies aged 80 after cancer diagnosis
Susan Saint James, the US actor known for *McMillan & Wife* and *Kate & Allie*, has died of pancreatic cancer aged 80. A major television star for two decades, she became internationally recognised alongside Rock Hudson and later portrayed one of two divorced friends building a life together, a role that helped make female friendship central to the sitcom.
Saint James played Sally McMillan for five years from 1971, until a contractual dispute led her to leave the series; her character was killed off and the show continued briefly as *McMillan*. From 1984 to 1989, she starred with Jane Curtin in *Kate & Allie*, about two single mothers sharing a home and raising three children. She largely retired from acting afterwards, focusing on her family and voluntary work with Special Olympics, and co-owned Connecticut radio station WZBG from its 1992 launch until its sale in 2024.
In short
- Susan Saint James has died aged 80 from pancreatic cancer.
- She starred in *McMillan & Wife* and *Kate & Allie*.
- After acting, she focused on family and voluntary work.
Explained simply
Susan Saint James was an American actor whose television career spanned several decades. She became widely known in the 1970s as Sally McMillan in the detective series McMillan & Wife, alongside Rock Hudson.
In the 1980s, she starred with Jane Curtin in Kate & Allie, a sitcom about two divorced mothers sharing a home and raising their children. The series made the women’s friendship a central part of the story, at a time when television comedies often focused on families or couples.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Susan Saint James obituary”.