McMillan and Wife star Susan Saint James passed away on Monday (26.10.26) at the age of 80.
McMillan and Wife star Susan Saint James has died at the age of 80.
The Emmy-winning actress, who played Sally McMillan in NBC’s 1970s police procedural series, lost her battle with pancreatic cancer on Monday (26.10.26).
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Susan’s family described her as “generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up”.
They continued: “She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people.
“She never met a stranger. 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 28 November 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.”
The statement concluded: “She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it.
“She is survived by her husband, Dick Ebersol, her four children – Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol – her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey, as well as her beloved service dog, Lola.”
Tributes have poured in for Susan, who was also well known for playing Katherine “Kate” McArdle alongside Jane Curtin (Allison “Allie” Lowell) in CBS’ 1980s sitcom Kate and Allie.
Taking to Instagram, playwright Peter Zachari penned: “So sad to hear that Susan Saint James has passed away. I loved her so much.
“I was actually rewatching episodes of Kate and Allie not too long ago and was reminded of just how special that show was.
“It always felt like a quiet, unique little sitcom, filmed right in NYC, which gave it such an authentic vibe.
“Susan was always so charming and effortlessly funny.
“She’ll be dearly missed. (sic)”
A supporter on Facebook typed: “So naturally beautiful and effortless as an actor. She and Rock Hudson were a dynamic duo as McMillan and Wife.”
And a fan on X wrote: “Such a lovely soul. Reunited in the heavens above with her precious son. God’s peace be with her grieving family.”
Born Susan Jane Miller in Los Angeles on 14 August 1946, the entertainer was raised in Rockford, Illinois, by her parents, Constance, a teacher, and Charles, who worked for Mitchell Camera, a motion picture manufacturing firm.
Susan began modelling as a teenager and worked in both the US and France before moving to California at the age of 20, where she landed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.
One of her earliest screen roles was in the 1968 family comedy Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows, in which she played Rosabelle.
Also that year, Susan starred in the NBC series The Name of the Game, playing Peggy Maxwell, a role which earned her an Emmy Award in 1969.
In 1971, the star began playing Sally McMillan in McMillan and Wife, opposite Rock Hudson as Stewart “Mac” McMillan.
Her performance earned her multiple Emmy nominations, as well as three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.
Susan married aspiring writer-director Richard Neubert in 1967, but they divorced in 1968. She then tied the knot with make-up artist Tom Lucas in 1971, and welcomed daughter Sunshine and son Harmony in 1972 and 1974, respectively.
Tom was Susan’s manager until their marriage ended in 1977.
While guest-hosting NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1981, Susan and the sketch comedy show’s executive producer Dick Ebersol fell head over heels for each other, and they got married that same year.
The couple went on to welcome sons Charles, Willie and Edward “Teddy” in 1982, 1986 and 1990, respectively.
Teddy was 14 when he was killed after a private jet carrying him, Dick and Charles crashed in Montrose, Colorado, in November 2004.
In 1984, Susan and Jane played divorced pals Kate McArdle and Allie Lowell in the CBS sitcom Kate and Allie.
Susan’s performance in the show earned her Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1984 and 1985.
Before Kate and Allie, she and Jane starred in the 1980 comedy heist film How to Beat the High Cost of Living.
Susan, who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, also appeared in the 1979 horror-comedy film Love at First Bite and the 1977 action-comedy movie Outlaw Blues.
After Kate and Allie ended in 1989, Susan largely retired from acting to focus on raising her children and her charitable work, although she made occasional screen appearances in later years.
McMillan and Wife’s Susan Saint James dead at 80
