Ellen and Dallas star Alice Hirson dies aged 95
The actress' death was confirmed by her son.
Alice Hirson, best known for her sitcom and soap appearances has died at the age of 95.
The actress, born Alice Corinne Thorsell, has died just weeks shy of her 96th birthday which would have been on March 10.
Her son David Hirson told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother died of natural causes on February 14.
The actress was staying at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills at the time of her death.
The star was best known for her role as Miss Ellie Ewing on Dallas and for playing Lois Morgan, the mother of Ellen DeGeneres’ character on the groundbreaking ABC sitcom Ellen.
Hirson also played Claire Tanner on Full House, Stephanie Martin on The Edge of Night, Eileen Siegel in One Life to Live, Marsha Davis on Another World, and its spinoff Somerset.
The actor had a decades-long career (Picture: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) The actress appeared as Claire Tanner in Full House (Picture: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)The actress also notably played Mavis Anderson on 26 episodes of CBS’s soap opera Dallas from 1982 until 1988.
In a sweet coincidence, her real-life husband Stephen Elliott, played lawyer Scotty Demerest on the show.
The star married twice in her life. In 1964 she met Elliot when they both acted in Traveller Without Luggage.They were married from 1980 until his death in 2005.
Hirson was also previously married to Roger O Hirston, a dramatist with whom she shares two sons.
David Hirson, a Broadway playwright, told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother ‘considered herself a stage actress first and foremost, and he marvelled how she was able to raise a family while working all those hours on all those soaps.’
General Hospital star Chris McKenna paid tribute to the last star on social media: ‘We lost a radiant soul and a daytime legend yesterday. Alice Hirson shone her light on this world for 95 glorious years.
‘My family and I were so blessed to have her in our lives however briefly. Unforgettable woman. Her final words were “It’s nice to have an audience.” Thank you, Alice. Good night. Legend.’
The actress played Ellen’s mother in the 90s sitcom (Picture: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)Before starting her acting career in the 50s she graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1948.
The actor began working in the 1950s, appearing in the Starlight Theatre in 1951.
Although her career wound down in later life, she appeared in various TV shows in her 80s and 90s, including Will & Grace, the Disney teen film Starstruck, and Men of A Certain Age.
Hirson is survived by her sons David and Christopher and a grandson, Daniel.
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