Sally Kirkland, a former model turned actress, has died at age 84. Known for her roles in “The Sting” and the Oscar-nominated “Anna,” Kirkland passed away on Tuesday. Her friends set up a GoFundMe for her medical care after she suffered multiple fractures and infections. Kirkland’s career spanned films like “The Way We Were” and “JFK,” and TV shows like “Criminal Minds” and “Roseanne.” She studied acting with renowned mentors and appeared in Shakespearean plays. Kirkland was also active in New Age groups and volunteered for various causes, including AIDS and cancer support.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sally Kirkland, a one-time model who became a regular on stage, film and TV, best known for sharing the screen with Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “The Sting” and her Oscar-nominated title role in the 1987 movie “Anna,” has died. She was 84.
Her representative, Michael Greene, said Kirkland died Tuesday morning at a Palm Springs hospice.
Friends established a GoFundMe account this fall for her medical care. They said she had fractured four bones in her neck, right wrist and left hip. While recovering, she also developed infections, requiring hospitalization and rehab.
Kirkland acted in such films as “The Way We Were” with Barbra Streisand, “Revenge” with Kevin Costner, “Cold Feet” with Keith Carradine and Tom Waits, Ron Howard's “EDtv,” Oliver Stone's “JFK,” “Heatwave” with Cicely Tyson, “High Stakes” with Kathy Bates, “Bruce Almighty” with Jim Carrey and the 1991 TV movie “The Haunted,” about a family dealing with paranormal activity. She had a cameo in Mel Brooks' “Blazing Saddles.”
Her biggest role was in 1987's “Anna” as a fading Czech movie star remaking her life in the United States and mentoring to a younger actor, Paulina Porizkova. Kirkland won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination along with Cher in “Moonstruck,” Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction, Holly Hunter in ”Broadcast News" and Meryl Streep in “Ironweed.”
