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Sally Kirkland
American actress and producer (1941–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sally Kirkland Jr. (October 31, 1941 – November 11, 2025) was an American actress and producer.[2][3] A one-time member of Andy Warhol's The Factory, she was a part of 1960s New York avant-garde theater. She appeared in more than 250 film and television productions during a 60-year career. Kirkland was the daughter of Sally Kirkland, fashion editor of Life and Vogue.
Kirkland garnered widespread critical acclaim for her eponymous performance as a former popular actress in the independent comedy-drama Anna (1987), which earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.[4][5]
Kirkland was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her performance in the horror film The Haunted (1991). She was also known for her roles in Best of the Best (1989),[6] JFK (1991),[7] and Bruce Almighty (2003).[8]
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Early life
Kirkland was born in New York City on October 31, 1941,[9] to Sally (née Phinney), an Oklahoma-born fashion editor for Vogue and Life magazines, and Frederic McMichael Kirkland, a scrap metals merchant from Philadelphia.[10]
Standing at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall, Kirkland began her career as a model.[10] She also worked as a go-go dancer at the Peppermint Lounge in Los Angeles before studying acting at the Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen. Notably, Robert De Niro dated one of her roommates.[11][9] Kirkland graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles in 1961.[12]
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Career
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1962–1986: Initial work
Kirkland began acting Off-Broadway in 1963.[13] She joined Andy Warhol's The Factory and appeared nude while tied to a chair for 45 minutes in The 13 Most Beautiful Women., a 1964 drama film.[10] By 1964, she was deeply involved in New York City's avant-garde movement. During that time, she was an active drug user until an attempted suicide frightened her into improving her life via yoga and painting.[9] She returned to film in 1968, appearing in the western Blue[14] and starred in the underground film Coming Apart (1969).[citation needed]
For the 1970s and most of the 1980s Kirkland had secondary roles in such films as Going Home (1971), The Young Nurses (1973), The Way We Were (1973), The Sting (1973), Big Bad Mama (1974), Crazy Mama (1975), Breakheart Pass (1975), Griffin and Phoenix: A Love Story (1976; U.S. made-for-television movie which was also released theatrically overseas), A Star Is Born (1976), and Private Benjamin (1980).[citation needed] She played a leading role in the 1984 horror film Fatal Games.[citation needed] Her television credits include guest-starring roles on Hawaii Five-O, Police Story, The Rookies, Three's Company, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, and Falcon Crest.[15]
1987–1999: Critical acclaim and awards success
In 1987, Kirkland received widespread critical acclaim for her eponymous performance as a former popular actress in the independent comedy-drama Anna.[16] The Washington Post deemed her performance "superb"[17] and the Los Angeles Times rated her as one of the best actresses of the decade.[18] She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[4][5][16][19] In 1989, she appeared in the sports drama Best of the Best.[20]
In 1990s, Kirkland starred in the action-comedy Bullseye! (1990) opposite Michael Caine, and played supporting roles in Revenge (1990), JFK (1991), Gunmen (1994), Excess Baggage (1997), and EDtv (1999).[citation needed] Kirkland also co-starred in the 1989/1990 genre films including Paint It Black, Cold Feet, High Stakes, and Two Evil Eyes, as well as starred in the 1992 erotic thrillers In the Heat of Passion and Double Threat, which were successful as home video releases.[21] Her career shifted to the small screen during this time, appearing in lead roles in several made-for-television movies, and starring in the syndicated soap opera Valley of the Dolls in 1994. In 1990, she also played Truvy Jones in the television adaptation of Steel Magnolias. For her performance in the television film The Haunted (1991), Kirkland received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.[citation needed] She was a guest star on Roseanne, Murder, She Wrote, and The Nanny. In 1999, she had recurring roles in Felicity and Days of Our Lives.[citation needed]
2000–2025: Later career
In 2000s, she played supporting roles in films including Bruce Almighty (2003), Adam & Steve (2005), and Big Stan (2007).[citation needed] She hosted a weekly program on the syndicated HealthyLife Radio Network.[22] In 2019, she starred in the film Cuck.[23][24] In 2020, she had a leading role in Hope For The Holidays on Amazon Prime Video with Robert Lasardo, Doug Hutchison, Alex Cubis, and George Stults.[25]
In 2024, Kirkland starred as herself in the independent comedy film, Sallywood, a parody about a longtime fan of the actress who becomes her assistant and helps her in her quest to return to red-carpet glory.[26]
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Other work and activism
Kirkland was a health activist whose work included advocacy for women harmed by breast implants. She founded the Kirkland Institute for Implant Survival Syndrome in August 1998.[27] She was an ordained minister in the church of Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.[28]
She was a painter[29] and a noted acting teacher whose students included Sandra Bullock, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Dwight Yoakam, and Roseanne Barr, among others.[30][31]
Illness and death
Kirkland later suffered from dementia. According to a fund raiser for her medical care, she had suffered a fall in October 2025 which resulted in injuries to her ribs and foot. She died in hospice care in Palm Springs, California, the following month, on November 11, 2025, aged 84.[32][33][34]
Filmography
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2025) |
Film
Television
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Awards and nominations
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See also
References
External links
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