Lynda Obst (1950–2024), film producer who boosted women

Lynda Obst was a film producer who helped boost women’s role in Hollywood, best known for movies like “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Interstellar,” “Flashdance,” and “Adventures in Babysitting.”

Gena Rowlands (1930–2024), A Woman Under the Influence star

Gena Rowlands was an actress known for roles in such films as “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), both of which earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.

Janis Paige (1922–2024), The Pajama Game star on Broadway

Janis Paige was an actress, singer, and dancer who originated the role of Babe in “The Pajama Game” on Broadway and starred in movies and on television.

Lynn Loring (1943–2023), Search for Tomorrow actress

Lynn Loring was an actress in such TV shows as “Search for Tomorrow” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis,” as well as a notable television executive.

Cass Warner (1948–2024), granddaughter of Warner Bros. co-founder 

Cass Warner was a filmmaker, author, the granddaughter of Warner Bros. co-founder Harry Warner, and mother of actor Cole Hauser.

Glynis Johns (1923–2024), Mary Poppins actress

Glynis Johns was a British actress known for her roles in “Mary Poppins” and Broadway's “A Little Night Music.”

Cari Beauchamp (1949–2023), feminist Hollywood historian

Cari Beauchamp was an author and Hollywood historian whose works, such as “Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood,” often spotlighted the overlooked influence of women on the film industry.

Marisa Pavan (1932–2023), star of The Rose Tattoo 

Marisa Pavan was an actress whose work garnered an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award win for her role in the 1955 film “The Rose Tattoo,” starring Burt Lancaster and Anna Magnani.

Suzanne Shepherd (1934–2023), actress from GoodFellas, the Sopranos

Suzanne Shepherd was an actress, teacher, and stage director who appeared in “The Sopranos,” “Mystic Pizza,” “Uncle Buck,” and “Requiem for a Dream,” and is perhaps best known for playing Karen’s mother in the gangster classic, “GoodFellas.” 

Piper Laurie (1932–2023), Carrie, Twin Peaks actress

Piper Laurie was an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress known for her work in “Carrie,” “Twin Peaks,” “The Hustler,” and “Children of a Lesser God.” 

Nancy Frangione (1953–2023), soap opera star villain

Nancy Frangione was a soap opera star whose 20-year-long career included shows like “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” and is best known for playing the villainous Cecile de Poulignac on “Another World.”

Linda Haynes (1947–2023), Rolling Thunder star

Linda Haynes was an actress who starred in such movies as “Rolling Thunder,” “Coffy,” and “The Nickel Ride.”

Lelia Goldoni (1936–2023), star of Shadows 

Lelia Goldoni was an actress who starred in classic indie film “Shadows.”

Josephine Chaplin (1949–2023), actress and Charlie Chaplin’s daughter 

Josephine Chaplin was an actress with roles in “The Canterbury Tales” and “Escape to the Sun,” as well as the daughter of actor and filmmaker . 

Pamela Blair (1949–2023), actress in A Chorus Line, Loving 

Pamela Blair was an actress, singer, and dancer who originated the role of Val in “A Chorus Line” on Broadway and appeared on such soap operas as “Loving.” 

Carlin Glynn (1940–2023), singer and Sixteen Candles actress

Carlin Glynn was a Tony Award-winning singer and actress with appearances in “Sixteen Candles,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and others. She was also the mother of actress Mary Stuart Masterson. 

Betta St. John (1929–2023), actress in The Robe, Dream Wife 

Betta St. John was an actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood who starred opposite in “Dream Wife.” 

Margia Dean (1922–2023), The Quatermass Xperiment star 

Margia Dean was an actress known for such films as “The Quatermass Xperiment” and “The Big Show.”  

Carmen Sevilla (1930–2023), Golden Age of Hollywood star

Carmen Sevilla, a Spanish-born actress from the Golden Age of Hollywood, portrayed characters in major epics like “King of Kings” and “Antony and Cleopatra.” 

Noreen Nash (1924–2023), actress in The Big Fix, Giant 

Noreen Nash was an actress who starred in movies including “The Bix Fix” and “The Red Stallion” and had a small role in the film “Giant.”

Lisa Montell (1933–2023), actress in TV westerns 

Lisa Montell was an actress known for roles in early TV westerns and in such movies as “World Without End.” 

Raquel Welch (1940–2023), Hollywood icon

Raquel Welch was an iconic Hollywood actress of the 1960s and '70s who starred in “The Three Musketeers” and “Fantastic Voyage."

Melinda Dillon (1939–2023), A Christmas Story mom

Melinda Dillon was an actress known for roles in movies including “A Christmas Story” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Jean Veloz (1924–2023), 1940s swing dancer

Jean Veloz was a dancer known for the Lindy Hop, which she performed in movies including “Swing Fever.”

Gina Lollobrigida (1927–2023), Italian film star of Hollywood's Golden Age

Gina Lollobrigida, one of the world's most renowned movie actresses of the 1950s and '60s, died Jan 16, according to authorities in her home country of Italy.

Miiko Taka (1925–2023), star of “Sayonara”

Miiko Taka was an actress who starred opposite in “Sayonara” and appeared in “Shōgun.”

Carole Cook (1924–2023), “Sixteen Candles” and Broadway star

Carole Cook was an actress known for roles in movies and TV shows including “Sixteen Candles,” “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” and “The Lucy Show.”

Kirstie Alley (1951–2022), star of “Cheers,” “Veronica’s Closet”

Kirstie Alley was an actress who starred on TV in “Cheers” and “Veronica’s Closet” as well as in movies including “Look Who’s Talking” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous.”

Angela Lansbury (1925–2022), “Murder, She Wrote” star

Angela Lansbury was an actress whose career spanned stage, screen and television and included a long-running star turn on TV's “Murder, She Wrote.” She was a five-time Tony Award winner who was nominated for three Academy Awards and won six Golden Globes.

Joan Hotchkis (1927–2022), “The Odd Couple” costar

Joan Hotchkis was an actress and writer who played Oscar’s girlfriend, Dr. Nancy Cunningham, on TV's “The Odd Couple.”

Irene Papas (1926–2022), actress known for “Zorba the Greek”

Irene Papas was a Greek actress known for movies including “Zorba the Greek,” “The Guns of Navarone,” and “Z.”

Marsha Hunt (1917–2022), 1940s Hollywood star who was blacklisted

Marsha Hunt was an actress whose career was on the rise in the 1930s and ‘40s before she was blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s.

Anne Heche (1969–2022), longtime movie and TV star

Anne Heche was a popular actress whose many TV and film credits included “Cedar Rapids,” “Donnie Brasco,” and “Hung.” 

Pat Carroll (1927–2022), voice of Ursula in “The Little Mermaid”

Pat Carroll was an Emmy Award-winning actress who provided the voice of villain Ursula in the Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid.”

Nichelle Nichols (1932–2022), starred as Uhura on “Star Trek”

Nichelle Nichols , the actress whose portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on TV's “Star Trek” inspired countless science fiction fans to envision a peacefully multicultural future, died Saturday night, her son announced on her official website.

Tanya Kersey (1961–2022), Hollywood Black Film Festival founder

Tanya Kersey was the founder of the Hollywood Black Film Festival.

Mary Mara (1960–2022), actress in “ER,” “Nash Bridges”

Mary Mara was an actress known for roles in TV shows including known for roles in “ER,” “Nash Bridges,” and “Star Trek: Enterprise.”

Linda Lawson (1936–2022), star of “Night Tide”

Linda Lawson was an actress and singer known for TV shows and movies including “Night Tide.”

Sally Kellerman (1937–2022), actor played “Hot Lips” Houlihan in “M*A*S*H”

Sally Kellerman was an Oscar-nominated actor for her role as “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the movie “M*A*S*H” and starred in “Back to School.”

Carol Speed (1945–2022), star of blaxploitation classics “The Mack” and “Abby”

Carol Speed was an actress known for roles in films of the blaxploitation era, including “Abby” and “The Mack.”

Watch Legacy's Heartfelt Tribute to the Celebs Who Died in 2021

We had to say goodbye to so many people in 2021 -- more than usual, both in our communities and in the headlines. In Legacy's memorial video, we pay tribute to the beloved artists, leaders, and other well-known public figures who died in 2021.

Betty White (1922–2021), beloved star of “The Golden Girls”

Betty White was a beloved American actress who starred in "The Golden Girls" and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Cara Williams (1925–2021), Oscar nominee for “The Defiant Ones”

Cara Williams was an actress known for her roles in movies including “The Defiant Ones” and on TV in “Pete and Gladys.”

Arlene Dahl (1925–2021), 1950s Hollywood star

Arlene Dahl was an actress known for 1950s movies including “Slightly Scarlet” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” as well as the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas.

Dorothy Steel (1926–2021), “Black Panther” actress

Dorothy Steel was an actress best known for playing a tribal elder in Marvel’s “Black Panther.”

Halyna Hutchins (1979–2021), rising star of cinematography

Halyna Hutchins was a cinematographer who worked on films including “Archenemy” and “Darlin’.”

Joanna Cameron (1948–2021), star of “The Secrets of Isis”

Joanna Cameron was an actress best known for starring in the 1970s TV show “The Secrets of Isis.”

Juli Reding (1935–2021), actress known for “Tormented”

Juli Reding was an actress known for movies and TV shows including the 1960 horror film “Tormented.”

Jane Powell (1929–2021), star of Hollywood’s Golden Age musicals

Jane Powell was an actress and singer who starred in musicals of Hollywood’s Golden Age, including “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”