Emmy-nominated actor Louise Lasser, best known for her role as the title character in the 1970s satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” has died at age 87.
Lasser passed away on Monday from natural causes, according to multiple reports. Her friend Susan Charlotte confirmed the death to several sources.
A defining moment in Lasser’s career came with her work on Norman Lear’s 1976-77 cult classic “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” where she portrayed a pigtail-wearing Ohio housewife navigating bizarre circumstances alongside Greg Mullavey, Mary Kay Place, and Graham Jarvis.
In a 2013 interview with Interview Magazine, Lasser reflected on the series: “I think it’s a really good show. I always thought it was a really good show because it touches so many aspects of everything.”
“It’s sort of up and down and in and out,” she added. “Before you know it, you’re there. And then it touched such rich subjects—do you know what I mean? People always say it’s way ahead of its time. I never thought it was ahead of its time. I always thought it was of its time.”
Lasser maintained a steady presence on television for decades after the show. She hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in 1976 and appeared on “The Bob Newhart Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Taxi,” and “St. Elsewhere.” Later, she secured a three-episode guest role on HBO’s “Girls” in 2014 as the character Beadie.
Her professional life was deeply intertwined with filmmaker Woody Allen, whom she married from 1966 to 1970. Lasser met Allen in the early 1960s and appeared in his unaired television pilot “The Laughmakers,” alongside Alan Alda and Sandy Baron. She went on to appear in several of Allen’s early films, including a voice role in 1966’s “What’s Up, Tiger Lily?” and starring roles in “Take the Money and Run” (1969), “Bananas” (1971), and “Everything You Always Wanted to Know…” (1972).
Beyond television, Lasser appeared in films such as the 2000 drama “Requiem for a Dream” and the 2022 comedy-drama “Funny Pages.”
Born in Manhattan on April 11, 1939, Lasser was raised in the Bronx. She was the daughter of finance author Sol Jay Lasser and designer Paula Eisenreich Lasser. She attended Brandeis University but dropped out to study acting under legendary coach Sanford Meisner.
Lasser faced real-life media scrutiny during her peak career following a drug arrest. In May 1976, she caused a public disturbance while shopping at an antiques boutique in Beverly Hills. Responding officers discovered 80 milligrams of cocaine in her purse. She claimed a fan had given the drug and that she had forgotten it was there. The incident resulted in six months of probation and mandated psychiatric treatment.
Lasser is survived by her partner, Michael Citriniti.
By Zoe Papadakis
