Kirstie Louise Alley is an award-winning American actress, comedian, and spokesmodel best known for her roles in the TV series ‘Cheers’ and films such as ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ and ‘Look Who’s Talking.’ She began her career as an interior designer, but things changed once she appeared on the popular NBC game program ‘Match Game,’ followed by another show called ‘Password Plus.’ ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ a 1982 American science fiction film, was her breakthrough. Following that, he went on to star in a number of additional films and television shows. Her claim to fame, however, came with the NBC sitcom ‘Cheers,’ which not only catapulted her into the spotlight, but also earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award. With the American television film ‘David’s Mother,’ she won her second Emmy Award. Over the years, this versatile actress has starred in films such as ‘Drop-Dead Gorgeous,’ ‘Look Who’s Talking,’ ‘Summer School,’ and ‘Sibling Rivalry,’ as well as TV shows such as ‘Veronica’s Closet,’ and ‘Scream Queens.’ She also gained notoriety for her weight-loss efforts, which included the introduction and application of the Organic Liaison product line.
Childhood and Adolescence
Kirstie Louise Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, to Robert Deal Alley and Lillian Mickie (née Heaton) on January 12, 1951. Her father was the proprietor of a lumber firm, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Craig and Colette are her two siblings.
She was raised as a Methodist and attended Wichita Southeast High School, where she graduated in 1969. In the following year, she enrolled at Kansas State University.
In 1979, she traveled to Los Angeles to study Scientology and seek a profession in interior design, and she joined the Church of Scientology. By that time, Alley had also been drawn to the California party scene and had become a drug addict.
While continuing her Scientology training, she entered a Scientology-affiliated drug treatment program to address drug misuse. She has attained the level of Operating Thetan Level 7 as of 2007. She also gave the Church $5 million in 2007.
In 1981, she lost her mother in an automobile accident caused by a drunk driver. Her father was gravely hurt in the tragedy, but he finally recovered.
Career of Kirstie Alley
She appeared in the popular NBC American television panel game program ‘Match Game’ in 1979, but not in the ‘Match Game ’79’ season. Alley, an interior designer at the time, won both the first and second rounds of the competition, taking home $500 and $5500, respectively.
The next year, she competed as a contestant on NBC’s ‘Password Plus,’ which increased her prominence in the entertainment industry.
‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,’ a science fiction blockbuster released in 1982, was her big-screen debut, grossing $97 million at the box office. She played Lieutenant Saavik, a Vulcan Starfleet officer, in the film, but did not reprise the character in the film’s two sequels.
In the years that followed, she appeared in films such as ‘One More Chance’ (1983), ‘Blind Date’ (1984), ‘Runaway’ (1984), and ‘Summer School’ (1987); TV movies such as ‘A Bunny’s Tale’ (1985), and ‘Prince of Bel Air’ (1986); and TV miniseries such as ‘North and South’ (1985) and ‘North and South II’ (1986); and TV miniseries such as (1986).
In 1987, she took over the role of Rebecca Howe from Shelley Long in the NBC sitcom ‘Cheers,’ which turned out to be one of her most memorable performances. She appeared in a total of 148 episodes of the series, which aired from 1987 until May 20, 1993.
‘Cheers’ not only catapulted her to fame and garnered global acclaim, but it also earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations during its run. She earned the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.
Meanwhile, she rose to stardom in the smash blockbuster romantic comedy picture ‘Look Who’s Talking,’ in which she co-starred with John Travolta. The theatrical office for this 1989 film was a whopping $297 million. She played Mollie in the film and in the sequels ‘Look Who’s Talking Too’ (1990) and ‘Look Who’s Talking Now’ (1991). (1993).
Between 1991 and 1993, she hosted two episodes of ‘Saturday Night Live.’
On April 10, 1994, she starred as Sally Goodson in the American television film ‘David’s Mother,’ which aired on CBS. Apart from a Golden Globe nomination, she earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie for the film, which was also televised internationally and released in home entertainment formats in the UK, the US, and Australia, among other countries.
She received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in 1995.
She continued to serve as an executive producer on the NBC sitcom ‘Veronica’s Closet,’ in which she played the eponymous character of Veronica Chase. She received Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for the three-season series, which ran from September 25, 1997 to December 7, 2000.
From 2000 to 2004, Alley worked as a spokeswoman for Pier One, and from 2005 to 2008, she worked as a spokesperson for Jenny Craig.
She competed in the American dance competition TV series ‘Dancing with the Stars’ twice, each time partnering with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a dancer-choreographer and coach. She was runner-up the first time in 2011, during the show’s 12th season, and was eliminated the second time in 2012, during the show’s 15th season.
‘Sibling Rivalry’ (1990), ‘It Takes Two’ (1995), ‘Deconstructing Harry’ (1997), and ‘Drop-Dead Gorgeous’ (1999) are among Alley’s other famous works; TV movies such as ‘Suddenly’ (1996) and ‘Write & Wrong’ (2007); and TV series such as ‘Hot in Cleveland’ (2013–2014), ‘Kirstie’ (2013–2014), and ‘ (2016).
Problems with Weight Loss
Her efforts to lose weight, which she claims began growing in late 2003, attracted a lot of attention. She also starred in the American reality television series ‘Kirstie Alley’s Big Life’ (2010), which followed her life as a single mother and focused on her weight loss efforts.
She founded ‘Organic Liaison’ in 2010 and declared in September 2011 that she had dropped 100 pounds using the company’s weight loss products (45 kg). In 2012, she was hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging deceptive advertising.
The lawsuit was finally settled in 2013 after she agreed to remove the word “Proven Products” off the product’s label and place a notice on the brand’s website stating that it is a “calorie-based weight-loss product,” in addition to paying a $130,000 compensation. The Organic Liaison product line was later incorporated into Jenny Craig’s product range.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1970, she married Bob Alley, a distant relative, but the marriage only lasted seven years.
Parker Stevenson, an American television and film actor, was her husband from December 1983 to 1997. William True and Lillie Price, their two children, were born to them.
On June 21, 2016, she welcomed her grandson Waylon Tripp Parker, who was born to her through William True.
Estimated Net Worth
Kirstie Alley has a net worth of $40 million as an actress, model, and producer in the United States. Kirstie’s breakthrough role on NBC’s “Cheers” earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. She was nominated for Emmys for her roles in the sitcom “Veronica’s Closet” and the crime drama “The Last Don,” and she won one for the television film “David’s Mother.”