Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress who became a fixture of American television through “McMillan & Wife” and “Kate & Allie,” died Monday at 80 after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Her family remembered her as generous with her time and energy, and as someone instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up. The Suncoast knows a thing or two about second acts, and hers was a deliberate one: she retired from Hollywood in 1989, well before most stars would consider it, and built a life centered on family.
She was married for 45 years to longtime NBC executive Dick Ebersol. The couple endured the 2004 plane crash in Colorado that killed their 14-year-old son Teddy, a loss that shaped the rest of their lives together. Saint James received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, and later returned to television for guest roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Suits,” proving the craft never left her.
For listeners across Sarasota, Bradenton and the barrier islands, her story lands somewhere between nostalgia and something deeper: the choice to step off the stage and be present for the people in the room. That’s a decision plenty of retirees and snowbirds here have made themselves, trading the spotlight for a porch, a boat, and the people who matter.
Did you grow up watching “Kate & Allie” or “McMillan & Wife”? What role do you remember her best for? Let us know in the comments.
