Louise Lasser, an actress best known for her role in the TV series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, has passed away at the age of 87.
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Lasser’s best known, Susan Charlotte, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she died on Monday at her home in New York City. Charlotte said the late actress died of natural causes. She was survived by her longtime partner, film producer Michael Citriniti.
Born on April 11, 1939, Lasser started her acting career in the early 1960s. After performing improv at coffee shops and bars, she became an understudy for Barbra Streisand as “Miss Marmelstein” in the Broadway musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale. The actress also appeared in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, McCloud, and Medical Center.
She went on to appear in the soap opera The Doctors and infomercials before teaming up with famed filmmaker Woody Allen. She appeared in his early work Take the Money And Run, Bananas, and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (But Were Afraid to Ask).
In 1966, Lasser and Allen got married. However, the marriage was short-lived, with the former couple divorcing in 1970. Although their marriage didn’t work out, Lasser and Allen continued working together. She ended up being in five of his films between 1966 and 1980.
In the late 1970s, Lasser made headlines over a legal incident. She was arrested at a charity boutique in Los Angeles. Law enforcement was called to the scene after Lasser’s credit card was denied and she refused to leave without a $150 dollhouse.
However, the incident led the police to discover multiple unpaid traffic tickets. A bag full of drugs was also found in her purse.
A fictionalized version of the incident was done in the first season of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Lasser Previously Praised Her Ex-Husband Allen
During a 2013 interview with Interview Magazine, Lasser opened up about her marriage to ex-husband Allen.
“I love his work. That relationship was a very influential relationship, on every level,” she said. “It’s interesting to see that. I’ll forever be influenced by his work.”
She further pointed out, “A lot of my best work comes from his work. Some meaning and some not even meaning to.”
When asked whether it was intimidating to be married to someone who had influenced her so much, Lasser replied, “No, I loved it.”
“I always thought it’s so great when people meet someone they can stretch with,” she added. “That you want to be better than you are, and they can stretch you.”