Kirstie Alley's most memorable TV and movie roles: Cheers, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and more

Remembering Kirstie Alley's TV and movie roles

Emmy-winning actress Kirstie Alley died Dec. 5 after a brief and private battle with cancer. The 71-year-old leaves behind a legacy of critical success, cult hits, and plenty of nostalgia fare on both the small and big screens. One of her first big breaks came in 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, portraying Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik. She soon cemented her place in sitcom history with her breakout role as Rebecca Howe on Cheers, taking over as Ted Danson's potential love interest in 1987 after the departure of Shelley Long. For many millennials, she is best known for her more motherly roles in the Look Who's Talking franchise, the early Olsen twins movie It Takes Two, or the dark comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous. Alley also dove into reality TV, popping up on Celebrity Big Brother, The Masked Singer, and taking two different spins in the ballroom on Dancing With the Stars.

Read on to see some of Alley's most memorable film and television roles.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

For her first feature role, Alley boarded the Enterprise and made a big impression on Star Trek fans. As Vulcan Saavik, she brought something different from the Vulcans of Spock's family in the 1982 film. Saavik was a Vulcan who showed emotion, including frustration when she couldn't beat the Kobayashi Maru and tears during Spock's funeral. Her character wasn't much different from the Vulcans fans knew because she questioned Kirk as a result of her commitment to a by-the-book approach, just a far enough departure to expand what it meant to be Vulcan in the universe. It was revealed in the audio commentary for the film that Alley was such a fan of her Vulcan ears that she took them home with her. In the end, fans wanted her to return to the franchise after loving Saavik, but Alley did not return and the character was recast. —Alamin Yohannes

Summer School (1987)

Alley put her sexy, cocked-eyebrow skepticism to good use in this endearing Carl Reiner comedy. As no-nonsense history teacher Robin Bishop, Alley kept slacker/substitute summer school teacher Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) at bay with her razor-sharp wit and determination — until finally giving into his charms at the end. (Hey, it was the '80s.) —Kristen Baldwin

Look Who's Talking (1989)

Alley was one half of a rom-com duo that had audiences talking and flocking to the theater. In 1989's Look Who's Talking, she played accountant Mollie who gets pregnant during an affair with her very selfish boss. Enter taxi driver James, played by John Travolta, who becomes a friend and tentative love interest. Mollie's baby, voiced by Bruce Willis, begins voice-over commentary from her womb and uses it to communicate with other babies after his birth as Mollie fights to create a stable home for her son. The Amy Heckerling comedy was a box office smash, revitalizing Travolta's career and giving an early boost to Alley's. It launced two sequels, Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993) and led to Alley's long lasting friendship and platonic love affair with Travolta, who she later called "the greatest love" of her life. —Alamin Yohannes

Cheers (1987-93)

When Alley joined Cheers in 1987 as Rebecca Howe she had the daunting goal of filling the gap left by original series star Shelley Long. Rebecca was brought in to run the bar by the corporate owner. While womanizer Sam Malone (Ted Danson) tries to seduce her, the new bar manager dislikes him initially and instead is interested in boss Evan (Tom Skerritt). What follows is a will-they-won't-they storyline between Rebecca and Sam that included them bickering, working together, and dating, but they did not end up together. Alley won a Golden Globe and Emmy for her role in 1991. —Alamin Yohannes

It Takes Two (1995)

Three years before Lindsay Lohan remade The Parent Trap, Alley starred opposite the Olsen twins and Steve Guttenberg in this comedy about two girls who look alike (but, to be clear, aren't long-lost twins) and switch lives in an effort to play matchmaker. The kids' movie introduced Alley to a whole new generation of fans, winning them over as a social worker any kid would love to have as a maternal figure in their life. —Patrick Gomez

For Richer or Poorer (1997)

Alley teamed up with Tim Allen for 1997's For Richer or Poorer as unhappy New York socialites who try to dodge the I.R.S. by fleeing to Amish country where they pretend to be visiting relatives. The role is maybe more memorable for being a box office flop and earning negative reviews for the onscreen pair, although Alley and Allen were praised by famed film critic Roger Ebert for "bringing a certain charm to their scenes, and they never miss with a laugh line." —Jillian Sederholm

Veronica's Closet (1997-2000)

Three years after Cheers signed off, Alley headlined her own sitcom, NBC's Veronica's Closet. Set behind the scenes at the titular company specializing in lingerie and her romance books, Alley — as Veronica "Ronnie" Chase — brought a sass and fervor that drove the appeal and personality of the show (created by Friends' masterminds David Crane and Marta Kauffman). Surrounded by a cast of characters played by Kathy Najimy, Dan Cortese, Wallace Langham, and Robert Prosky (as her dad-turned-chauffeur), it was "Alley's bleep-'em-all blitheness" and "gift for turning a tantrum into operatic hilarity," according to Ken Tucker in his B+ review of the 1997 pilot, that made this show shine — work that earned Alley her eighth career nomination for the show's first season. —Gerrad Hall

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

"The swan ate my baby!" It takes a skilled comedian to pull off dialogue like that with the right balance of ridiculousness and believability — and all with a Minnesotan accent that makes Fargo seem subtle. As aging beauty queen Gladys Leeman — now married to the richest man in Mt. Rose and running the pageant organizing committee — Alley chews up the scenery, and the young cast of misfits competing against her daughter. (Though off screen she was a mentor, telling a local hire named Amy Adams she had what it took to move to Hollywood.) —Patrick Gomez

Fat Actress (2005)

Alley channeled her own life experience into Showtime series Fat Actress, which she created and wrote alongside Brenda Hampton. The actress played a version of herself in a heightened depiction of her experiences as she tries to breathe new life into her career after gaining weight in an unforgiving Hollywood. Each episode was generally unscripted with a general outline and the actors improvised the dialogue. Rachael Harris and Bryan Callen played Alley's hair stylist and personal assistant, respectively, in the series that included cameos from Travolta, Rhea Perlman, Mayim Bialik, and more celebrities who played themselves. —Alamin Yohannes

Kirstie Alley's Big Life (2010)

In 2010, Alley turned the camera on her personal struggles with her weight loss journey and body image even more intimately in an A&E reality show that also featured her children, assistants, and handyman. The show focused on Alley and her handyman both striving to lose weight as well as the star's life as a single mother. —Jillian Sederholm

Dancing With the Stars (2011-12)

Alley hit the dance floor on two different seasons of Dancing With the Stars, pairing with Maksim Chmerkovskiy both times. She first entered the competition on season 12 in 2011, coming in second place to NFL star Hines Ward. She returned a year later for the all-star season 15, this time being eliminated seventh. —Jillian Sederholm

Celebrity Big Brother U.K. (2018)

Alley spent four weeks in the Big Brother house across the pond regaling housemates — made up of British soap stars, athletes, and other personalities — with exciting Hollywood stories, like the time Cheers costar Woody Harrelson pranked her, hanging out with Prince Charles at Courtney Love's house, or nearly running off to marry Travolta. The actress landed as runner up on the show, losing to Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas. —Jillian Sederholm

Scream Queens (2016)

Don't mess with Nurse Ingrid Hoffel! In the second season of Scream Queens, Alley played the main antagonist who hated the Chanels because of their actions in season one. Ingrid was nasty and Alley's talent allowed her to revel in her vengeful hospital administrator in the wacky and campy tone of the series. Alley was an incredible rival for the beloved characters played by actors including Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis. —Alamin Yohannes

The Masked Singer (2022)

The star's final onscreen appearance was the surprise reveal that she was Baby Mammoth on The Masked Singer after performing "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" by Cher, her own "Baby Mammoth" song, and demonstrating a hilarious rapport with host Nick Cannon. —Jillian Sederholm