Eileen Brennan, the Oscar-nominated actress who starred in the key 1970s films The Last Picture Show and The Sting, has died at age 80.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brennan died at her Burbank home Sunday from bladder cancer, her publicist said.
Brennan is best remembered for playing the waitress in Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 Best Picture nominee The Last Picture Show. She later starred alongside Paul Newman and Robert Redford in 1973’s Best Picture winner, The Sting. She earned her Oscar nomination for her supporting role in the 1980 Goldie Hawn comedy Private Benjamin. She reprised her role on the CBS TV series and won an Emmy for her performance in 1981.
She also played Mrs. Peacock in the cult comedy Clue in 1985 and continued to appear in TV shows and movies until 2011. Recent memorable roles include Mrs. Bink on 7th Heaven and Zandra on Will & Grace.
According to TheWrap, Brennan was born in Los Angeles in 1932 and studied at Georgetown University and American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. She started out on stage, but earned a role in 1967’s Divorce American Style, which brought her to the attention of Bogdanovich.
She is survived by her sons, Sam and Patrick, daughter-in-law Jessica, sister Kate and two grandchildren.
image: Alan Light/WikiMedia Commons
