Kirstie Alley is an actress, model, and producer best known for her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning role on the NBC sitcom “Cheers.” She went on to get Emmy nominations for her roles in the sitcom “Veronica’s Closet” and the crime drama “The Last Don,” as well as winning an Emmy for her work in the television film “David’s Mother.” Alley has been in films such as “Shoot to Kill,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Village of the Damned,” “It Takes Two,” “Deconstructing Harry,” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous” on the big screen.
Beginnings of Life and Work
Kirstie Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1951, to Lillian and Robert Alley, the proprietor of a timber firm. Craig, a brother, and Colette, a sister, are her two siblings. Wichita Southeast High School was her alma mater when she was a teen. She attended Kansas State University after graduating in 1969 but dropped out after only two years. She later relocated to Los Angeles to study Scientology and work in the interior design industry. Alley competed on both “Match Game” and “Password Plus” while in Los Angeles, winning both rounds. Her mother was killed and her father was seriously injured in a car accident involving a drunk driver in 1981.
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Beginnings in Television
Alley was cast in a major part in the short-lived ABC espionage series “Masquerade” after starring in an episode of “The Love Boat” in 1983. She went on to star in the television movies “Sins of the Past” and “A Bunny’s Tale,” as well as two episodes of the anthology series “The Hitchhiker” and the Civil War miniseries “North and South,” which also starred Patrick Swayze and James Read. In 1987, Alley landed her greatest role yet, as Rebecca Howe on the iconic NBC comedy “Cheers.” She stayed on the show until its 11th and final season in 1993, replacing departing star Shelley Long. Alley’s performance earned her an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1991. She also participated in the TV movies “Infidelity,” “Mickey’s 60th Birthday,” and “Masquerade” while remaining on the show, and hosted two episodes of “Saturday Night Live.” “David’s Mother,” “Peter and the Wolf,” “Radiant City,” and “Suddenly,” all of which she wrote, were among her subsequent credits.
Continued Work in Television
Alley’s next major television involvement occurred in 1997 when she co-produced the NBC sitcom “Veronica’s Closet.” Alley was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her portrayal of Veronica Chase, the owner of a New York City lingerie company. In 1997, the actress starred in the television film “Toothless” and appeared in the crime miniseries “The Last Don” as part of the main cast. The television films “Salem Witch Trials,” “Profoundly Normal,” “Family Sins,” “While I Was Gone,” “Write & Wrong,” and “The Minister of Divine” are among his credits from the 2000s. In 2005, Alley participated in the Showtime series “Fat Actress,” in which she played a fictitious version of herself, and in 2010, she starred in the reality show “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life,” which chronicled her weight-loss journey.
Alley appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2011 with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She was runner-up to NFL player Hines Ward in the tournament. “The Manzanis,” “Baby Sellers,” and “You Can’t Take My Daughter” are just a few of her subsequent television appearances. In 2014, Alley played the lead in the short-lived TV Land sitcom “Kirstie,” and in 2016, she was a member of the main cast of the comedy slasher series “Scream Queens” for its second season.
Life in General
Alley married her high school sweetheart Bob Alley in 1970, but the couple separated in 1977. She married Parker Stevenson, an actor, in 1983. Following a miscarriage, the couple adopted William and then Lillie. In 1997, Stevenson and Alley separated. Parker received a $6 million settlement from Kirstie when they split.
Alley was a Jenny Craig representative from 2004 to 2007, and she shed 75 pounds during that time. She returned to work for the company in 2014 as a spokesman.
Property Development
Kirstie paid $2.988 million for an 8,800-square-foot Los Angeles property in 2000. She put the house on the market for $11.97 million in November of 2018. She also paid $1.5 million in 2000 for Lisa Marie Presley’s mansion in Clearwater, Florida.