Sally Kirkland, ‘Anna’ Star, Passes Away at 84/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Sally Kirkland, a Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated actress best known for her powerful role in Anna, has died at 84. Her decades-long career spanned major films, TV shows, theater, and activism. She passed away Tuesday in Palm Springs after battling multiple injuries and infections.
Sally Kirkland’s Storied Career and Legacy: Hollywood Quick Looks
- Kirkland died at 84 in a Palm Springs hospice
- Starred in Anna, earning Oscar and Golden Globe recognition
- Acted alongside legends like Paul Newman and Barbra Streisand
- Early student of Lee Strasberg and Method acting
- Known for artistic boldness and social activism
Sally Kirkland, ‘Anna’ Star, Passes Away at 84
Deep Look
Sally Kirkland, a fiercely independent actress with a decades-spanning career in film, television, and theater, died Tuesday at the age of 84. Known for her fearless performances and bohemian spirit, Kirkland’s death marks the end of an era in American stage and screen storytelling.
Her representative, Michael Greene, confirmed that she passed away at a hospice in Palm Springs after a long period of declining health. Earlier this year, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help cover her mounting medical expenses following a series of serious injuries, including multiple fractures and infections.
Kirkland earned critical acclaim — and a lasting place in film history — for her lead performance in the 1987 drama Anna, where she portrayed a once-renowned Czech actress struggling to adjust to life in America while mentoring a rising star. The role won her a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination, placing her among acting greats like Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Cher, and Holly Hunter in one of the most competitive Best Actress fields in Oscar history.
A familiar face in both iconic films and offbeat projects, Kirkland appeared in The Sting alongside Paul Newman and Robert Redford, The Way We Were with Barbra Streisand, and JFK under the direction of Oliver Stone. Her resume also included roles in Revenge, Bruce Almighty, Heatwave, Cold Feet, and EDtv. Her television credits ranged from guest appearances on Criminal Minds, Roseanne, and Head Case to recurring roles on Charlie’s Angels and Valley of the Dolls.
Despite her Hollywood credentials, Kirkland was deeply rooted in theater. She trained under acting luminaries like Philip Burton and Lee Strasberg and believed that no acting career was complete without Shakespeare. She once played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Miranda in The Tempest, believing Shakespeare endowed actors with discipline, power, and a poetic grasp of language.
“I don’t think any actor can really call him or herself an actor unless he or she puts in time with Shakespeare,” Kirkland told the Los Angeles Times in a 1991 interview.
She made her artistic mark early with a performance in Andy Warhol’s 13 Most Beautiful Women and gained notoriety with her nude role in Terrence McNally’s off-Broadway play Sweet Eros. Her daring continued into the avant-garde 1969 film Futz, in which she rode a pig nude — a decision widely criticized but emblematic of her fearlessness. Critics were divided, with one UK reviewer calling it “the worst film” he’d ever seen.
Still, Kirkland never shied away from pushing boundaries, both onscreen and off. She became known for frequent nudity in roles and performances, earning the title “the latter-day Isadora Duncan of nudothespianism” from Time magazine.
Her eclectic life included strong spiritual commitments. She taught at Insight Transformational Seminars and was a longtime member of the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, a group focused on soul transcendence and spiritual evolution.
Beyond the spotlight, Kirkland was a devoted activist. She worked with AIDS, cancer, and heart disease patients, volunteered for the American Red Cross to feed the homeless, supported youth in prisons, and participated in fundraising telethons for hospice care. Her advocacy, like her acting, was personal, passionate, and deeply human.
Born in New York City in 1941, Kirkland grew up immersed in fashion and media. Her mother, also named Sally Kirkland, was a fashion editor for Vogue and Life and encouraged her daughter to model from a young age. She later pursued acting seriously, graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and studying under some of the most influential teachers of her time.
Kirkland’s career was a tapestry of courage, controversy, acclaim, and authenticity. From Shakespeare to Warhol, Oscar nominations to cult classics, she followed her own path with artistic integrity and emotional intensity.
Her death leaves a legacy of fearless creativity and humanitarian service that will continue to inspire generations of actors and artists to come.
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