Oscar-nominated actress Sally Kirkland passes away at 84 after a remarkable six-decade career

Sally Kirkland passes away at 84

Oscar-nominated actress Sally Kirkland, known for her fearless performances and magnetic screen presence, has passed away at the age of 84.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the veteran star, whose career spanned more than six decades, died peacefully in hospice care in Palm Springs, her representative Michael Greene confirmed.

A year earlier, friends had set up a GoFundMe to help cover her medical expenses after she suffered two “life-threatening infections” and multiple fractures in her neck, wrist, and hip, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Born on October 31, 1941, in New York City, Sally was destined for a life in the spotlight. Her mother, also named Sally Kirkland, was a celebrated fashion editor for Vogue and Life magazines, known for featuring icons like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Jacqueline Kennedy.

Surrounded by glamour and creativity, young Sally was drawn to the arts from an early age.

Her path, however, was anything but ordinary. In the 1960s, Kirkland made waves for her bold choices, appearing nude on stage in Terrence McNally’s Sweet Eros — a groundbreaking move for the time. “It was a political statement. You can’t carry a gun on a naked body,” she explained years later.

She also appeared in Andy Warhol’s avant-garde film The 13 Most Beautiful Women, cementing her reputation as a performer unafraid to take risks.

Her breakthrough came with the 1987 drama Anna, where she played a struggling Czechoslovakian actress navigating life and heartbreak in New York. The film earned her an Oscar nomination, as well as Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Awards, and remains her most defining performance.

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Reflecting on that night, she said in 2012, “At the Oscars, there were all these movie stars emerging from their limos, and then there was me. I felt like Cinderella.”

Over her long and colourful career, Kirkland appeared in more than 260 films, including The Sting (1973), Private Benjamin (1980), JFK (1991), Edtv (1999), and Bruce Almighty (2003). On television, she played roles in Roseanne, Days of Our Lives, and Felicity, among others.

Off-screen, she was just as dynamic — an ordained minister, yoga instructor, and acting teacher, mentoring students such as Sandra Bullock.

Describing her outlook on life, Kirkland once said, “My attitude is always one of sensuality, aggressive enthusiasm and kind of outrageousness in my expression.”