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Kirstie Alley has been known to star in films such as ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn’ (which gave her stardom). She’s also been known to star in the television show ‘Cheers.’ However, there is more to the actress than the average fan will know.
Humble Beginnings
Kirstie Louise Alley was born on January 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. She had an ordinary childhood. She had a father named Robert, who owned a lumber company. Kristie also had a mother named Lilian, a homemaker to Kirstie and her two other siblings. She was a cheerleader in high school. While she attempted to go to college, she thought heavily about acting for a living. In the early 1970s, she decided to move to Los Angeles to make her dream come true. While she was in L.A., she worked as an interior decorator. During her free time, she went to auditions in order to jump-start her career. Eventually, she got the opportunity to appear on ‘Match Game’ as well as ‘Password Plus.’
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Her Debut as an Actress and Beyond
She got the attention of the producers and viewers with her fast, witty personality and her beautiful looks, and she made her debut by starring in the ‘Star Trek’ film, ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.’ The film was a financial and critical success. After her breakthrough performance as Lieutenant Saavik in ‘Star Trek II,’ Kirstie Alley got steady work during the 1980s. She was one of the stars in the hit Civil War TV miniseries ‘North and South’ in 1985. She even was cast as the new bar owner who is the love interest of the hit show ‘Cheers’ as soon as Shelley Long (who played Diane Chambers) left. For fans who aren’t familiar with the show ‘Cheers,’ it was a popular sitcom show that focused on Sam Malone (played by Ted Danson), a recovering alcoholic and ex-pitcher for the Red Sox. Now, he’s the owner and operator of a bar called Cheers. The show was famous for having an unstable romantic interaction spawned between Sam and the former waitress, Diane Chambers. The two characters’ romantic strife with each other had drawn a big fanbase, which made the audience return to view the show. However, Shelley Long left the show to star in movies. Kirstie Alley replaced her in the role of Rebecca Howe, who became Sam’s love interest. Alley even won an Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991, as well as winning the Golden Globe during the same year. The show became a hit until it went off the air in 1993.
Since she was successful with television, movie producers still wanted her to be in full-feature films. She starred in the hit comedy movie ‘Look Who’s Talking,’ which was released in 1989. She co-starred with another Scientologist, John Travolta. The film also spawned two sequels: ‘Look Who’s Talking Too’ (1990) and ‘Look Who’s Talking Now’ (1993). Kirstie Alley hit a stride by winning another Emmy for the made-for-TV film, ‘David’s Mother.’ She plays the mother of an autistic boy. A year later, she appeared in ‘It Takes Two,’ as a social worker. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson made their debut in the film. In 1997, she starred in ‘Deconstructing Harry’ (1997). The film earned positive reviews since Alley plays a psychiatrist who is married to Woody Allen’s writer character in the story. After the film, she starred in more made-for-TV films that were low-maintenance or too underrated to be appreciated by the fans. However, Alley’s career took a surprise turn when she collaborated with Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane, who are the creators of the hit TV sitcom ‘Friends.’ They created the show ‘Veronica’s Closet’ in which she played Veronica Chase, a divorcée who owns a lingerie company called Veronica’s Closet.
The creators intended for Kirstie to play the character. The show lasted for three seasons. At one point, because of her weight gain, she played herself in the movie ‘Fat Actress.’ It was not well received in general, but it was a favorite for her fans and other audiences that understood her because they empathized with her situation, and because her feeling of despair is universal. Eventually, she made guest appearances on the hit comedy show ‘Ugly Betty’ and then showed up as a celebrity judge on the show ‘The Marriage Ref,’ a reality show that was produced by Jerry Seinfeld and focused on marriage as a game show. In February 2011, Alley had gotten in shape to appear in ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ which astonished her fans even more.
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Her Private Life
Throughout her life, Kirstie was part of the Church of Scientology. Scientology is a religion that was based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, who wrote science-fiction books. She was married to the actor Parker Stevenson from 1983 to 1997. They had two adopted children. At one point in her career, she received a spotlight on the cover of magazines and tabloids that focused on her weight gain. However, that didn’t stop Kirstie from getting work in Hollywood. She took advantage of her scenario by writing her memoir, “How to Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life,” because she wanted to make light of the depressive state in her life since it was caused by her miscarriages and how she wasn’t able to have a baby. This also led her to binge eat since it was a coping mechanism for her. After battling with cancer, Kirstie Alley died at age 71 on December 5, 2022.
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In Conclusion
She will be remembered as an actress who was vulnerable, but, at the same time, she was fierce. She was brave enough to become an actress who had suffered through depression because of her infertility and her succumbing to binge eating. Regardless of her struggles, she decided to make light of it and reach out to as many audiences as she could who feel the exact same way.
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I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
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