A Look Back at the Life of Actress Beth Howland (From TV's 'Alice'): 8 Years After Her Tragic Death

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She was like an intriguing cross between Charlie's Angels actress Kate Jackson and Popeye movie star Shelley Duvall. Her name was Beth Howland, and it's been 8 years since her tragic death from lung cancer on May 24, 2016, just four days before what would have been her 75th birthday.

However, the actress made her mark in the world of entertainment, specifically by playing ditzy waitress Vera Gorman on the classic TV sitcom, Alice (CBS, 1976-1985).

Based on the 1974 Martin Scorsese feature film, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, (starring Ellen Burstyn), the Alice TV series (starring Linda Lavin), gained a strong following and brought Howland along for the ride.

A Closer Look

Beth Howland was born May 28, 1941, in Boston. At 16, she was cast as a dancer on Broadway, alongside the legendary Dick Van Dyke, in the stage musical, Bye Bye Birdie.

CBS TV executives later noticed her in a Stephen Sondheim stage production, titled, Company. From there, Holland won a small role on The Mary Tyler More Show.

Additional TV spots followed including those on shows such as The Love Boat and Little House on the Prairie, all of which ultimately led to her being cast as Vera Louise Gorman on Alice.

As Holland told the Los Angeles Times in 1987. "I would walk into a restaurant and people would stare," she said. She hung on to her television role in Alice, saying, "...it's crazy to leave a popular rated television series."

Behind the Camera

Beth Holland was the mother, with first husband actor Michael J. Pollard, of daughter Holly Pollard.

Holland's second husband was Broadway and TV actor Charles Kimbrough, from another TV sitcom, Murphy Brown (1988-1998, with a reboot in 2018).

Sadly, too, Kimbrough died on January 11, 2023.

Conclusion

Beth Howland earned four Golden Globe nominations during the original 1976-1985 of Alice. Both she and her performance as the naive but lovable Vera will remain forever cherished by countless TV fans around the world.

With an innate likability about her, Howland possessed a unique comedic/dramatic mystique right up until the end.