'Kate & Allie' and 'McMillan & Wife' star Susan Saint James dies at 80

Susan Saint James, 'Kate & Allie' and 'McMillan & Wife' star, dies at 80 Advertisement Updated: 12:14 AM EST Nov 6, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Caitlyn Scott Digital Producer Susan Saint James, 'Kate & Allie' and 'McMillan & Wife' star, dies at 80 Updated: 12:14 AM EST Nov 6, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Caitlyn Scott Digital Producer Susan Saint James, best known for her roles on the TV series "Kate & Allie" and "McMillan & Wife," has died at the age of 80. People Magazine reported the actress died on Oct. 26 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Advertisement Her official cause of death was metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a death certificate obtained by People Magazine on Thursday, Nov. 5. The interval between onset of the cause and her death is listed as months. She was "generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up," family members shared in a statement with People Magazine. "She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people." The Hollywood Reporter, which confirmed James' passing via family, said the actress was 20 years old when she scored a part alongside Franciosa in the 1966 NBC/Universal TV movie "Fame Is the Name of the Game." Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, who would soon helm "Cool Hand Luke," it served as the pilot for "The Name of the Game." Six months after "The Name of the Game's" final episode, she became a part of the 90-minute drama series "McMillan & Wife." James was a part of several other productions, notably in 1984 for her role on the CBS sitcom "Kate & Allie," where two childhood friends raised their kids in a Greenwich Village brownstone they shared. NBC/Jamie McCarthy/NBC via Getty Images Susan Saint James in 2025 When the series was canceled in 1989 after the sixth season — it was nominated three times for the Emmy for outstanding comedy series — James decided to pretty much shut down her acting career, The Hollywood Reporter said. "She never met a stranger," her family said in a statement following her passing. "Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story. Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the November 28, 2004, plane crash, she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, giving them words to heal. Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first. Days after the crash, she sat with Tim Russert to thank the people who had reached out and to tell them the family was okay.” Survivors include her third husband, Dick Ebersol, the former Saturday Night Live executive producer and head of NBC Sports, whom she married in November 1981. Donnie Iris, rock icon and music legend, dies at 83 Make WGAL a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks 'We brought him home': A WWII soldier killed 82 years ago has finally been laid to rest New video shows NTSB investigators recovering Learjet wreckage pieces from Florida crash crater New study links energy drinks to reports of heart attacks and cardiac arrest in young adults 16 midterm races are within 1%. What could happen next?