From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/louise-lasser-dead-mary- hartman-mary-hartman-star-1236639950/
Louise Lasser, Star of rCyMary Hartman, Mary Hartman,rCO Dies at 87
She was Woody Allen's second wife and his leading lady in 'Take the Money
and Run,' 'Bananas' and 'Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex.'
By Chris Koseluk
July 7, 2026 8:29am
Louise Lasser, the demure, soft-spoken comedienne best known as Woody AllenrCys first leading lady and as the title character on the television satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, has died. She was 87.
Lasser died Monday of natural causes at her home in Manhattan on the Upper East Side, her best friend, Susan Charlotte, told The Hollywood Reporter.
With her reserved demeanor, calming voice and toothy smile, Lasser, who
was married to Allen from 1966-70, proved to be a perfect balance to his neurotic, nebbish film persona.
She was with him at the start of his movie career for the 1966 quirky cult classic WhatrCOs Up Tiger Lily?, when Allen took an obscure Japanese spy thriller, tossed the soundtrack and recorded all new dialogue that nonsensically told of the quest for the worldrCOs best egg-salad recipe. Lasser provided the voice for the heroine Suki Yaki.
Lasser next played her husbandrCOs love interest in Take the Money and Run (1969) and Bananas (1971). Their final film together was Everything You
Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) rCo AllenrCOs comic take on the best-selling 1960s how-to guide.
But what cemented LasserrCOs stardom was her lead role on the groundbreaking 1976-77 series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Produced and developed by
Norman Lear and created by Jerry Adelman, Daniel Gregory Browne, Ann
Marcus and Gail Parent, the show was a low-key yet cutting parody of soap operas that skewered American consumerism. The joke started with its
title, to mock the notion that everything in daytime dramas is repeated
twice.
Released in syndication, the comedy ran five nights a week rCo unheard of at that time. In general, the industry didnrCOt know what to make of the
program. When Lasser was nominated for an Emmy in 1976, her category was rCLSpecial Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement.rCY
What everyone did know was that it was funny. With a droll, understated approach, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman pushed the envelope, tackling such
topics as adultery, homosexuality, venereal disease, exhibitionism, serial killing, religious cults and UFOs. In the midst of it all was Lasser as
Mary. With girlish pigtails, a white Peter Pan collared blouse and a blue smock dress, she embodied a mockingly innocent version of an American housewife.
Consumed with such mundane matters as Swanson TV dinners and waxy yellow buildup on the floor of her home in Fernwood, Ohio, Mary conveyed the
naivete of the 1970s suburban woman, victimized by the ideals of a commercialized culture. Lasser instilled the character with a noble
dignity and a quiet sense of desperation that slowly continued to build
during the seriesrCO 325 episodes, highlighted by MaryrCOs meltdown at the end of season one on The David Susskind Show.
rCLI always thought it was a really good show because it touched so many aspects of everything,rCY Lasser said in a 2013 interview for Interview magazine. rCLItrCOs sort of up and down and in and out, and before you know it, there you are. And then it itched such rich subjects, do you know what
I mean? People always say itrCOs way ahead of its time. I never thought it
was ahead of its time. I always thought it was of its time.rCY
Decades later, she took on a recurring role as a suicidal artist on HBOrCOs Girls.
Louise Jane Lasser was born on April 11, 1939, in New York. Her father, S.
Jay Lasser, was a renowned tax expert who wrote the book EverybodyrCOs
Income Tax Guide. Though Lasser studied political science at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, she couldnrCOt resist the lure of the stage, joining the schoolrCOs musical productions alongside the likes of
Margo Howard and Stuart Damon.
After three years of college, Lasser took what she described as a rCLpsychological leaverCY and returned to New York. At 21, she began studying acting with Sanford Meisner and performing in Greenwich Village
coffeehouses and bars. Around that time, she was introduced to Allen.
rCLWhen we met, I was seeing a friend of his. It was one of those things, rCyWell, if you think yourCOre complicated, you should meet so-and-so.rCO And it
was Woody,rCY Lasser recalled in a 2013 interview on The Toast website. rCLWe immediately, immediately, just were meant to be in the same playpen. We
just connected. He was with somebody rCa oh, he was married [to Harlene Rosen], thatrCOs right. And I was with his friend. And we went out like once or twice. And I donrCOt know who I am or where I am, I donrCOt know. So, I met him, and it was so clear the whole night the four of us were there, and neither of us are talking to anyone else.rCY
Lasser gained attention in 1962 when she was tapped to replace Barbra Streisand on Broadway in the musical comedy I Can Get It for You Wholesale (she was her understudy). The same year, she appeared on the TV show The Laughmakers, written by Allen. She popped up in a 1964 episode of The
Doctors and made an uncredited appearance in 1965 in the Allen-scripted
film WhatrCOs New Pussycat? When AllenrCOs career ignited in 1966, so did LasserrCOs.
In 1976, she told Lois Armstrong of People magazine that she and Allen
were still phone pals and that she considered him rCLthe major relationshiprCY and rCLa major, major influencerCY during her life. She also said the name on her driverrCOs license read Louise Jane Allen. Lasser never married again.
Before being cast as Hartman, Lasser keep busy through the 1970s with memorable TV stints on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show,
Love Story, McCloud and Medical Center. She also was seen in 1973 in the feature Slither and in the telefilms Coffee, Tea or Me? and IsnrCOt It Shocking?
In spring 1976, Lasser was arrested after an incident in a Beverly Hills
store that led to the discovery of cocaine in her purse. The actress told People it was a minuscule amount given to her by a fan months earlier. rCLIrCOm not a coke user, and I hadnrCOt used that stuff,rCY she said. rCLBut you
canrCOt plead innocent if yourCOve got it on you.rCY
Shortly after the arrest, she hosted the final episode of the first season
of Saturday Night Live. Her behavior was so erratic, reportedly fueled by
a substance-abuse problem, she became the first performer banned by
producer Lorne Michaels from ever hosting again.
But instead of letting her anxiety take her down, Lasser funneled it into
her TV persona. The plotline for Mary Hartman to suffer a mental breakdown
was her idea. And the process proved cathartic.
As Armstrong wrote in People. rCLAs for Louise? rCyI felt wonderful,rCO Lasser admitted. rCyIrCOd had a nervous breakdown in playtime, with no consequences.rCO
She laughs edgily, then adds, rCyFor a while there, I wasnrCOt sure.rCO One of LasserrCOs friends elaborates, rCyShe totally broke down after that scene, because she had to finish it for herself.rCO rCY
After Mary Hartman ended its run in 1977, Lasser kept busy with recurring roles on Taxi and ItrCOs a Living. She wrote and starred in the 1978
telefilm Just Me and You. She popped up in an uncredited cameo in AllenrCOs 1980 film Stardust Memories.
Other feature appearances included Simon (1980), In God We Tru$t (1980), Crimewave (1985), Blood Rage (1987), Surrender (1989), Rude Awakening
(1989), Sing (1989), Frankenhooker (1990), Modern Love (1990), The Night
We Never Met (1993), Happiness (1998) and Mystery Men (1999).
More recently, she was seen in Requiem for a Dream (2000), Queenie in Love (2001), Wolves of Wall Street (2002), National LampoonrCOs Gold Diggers
(2003) and Driving Me Crazy (2012).
Lasser is survived by partner Michael Citriniti.
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