Hollywood Mourns Sally Kirkland: Oscar-Nominated Golden Globe Winner Dies at 84

Tough news today: Sally Kirkland has died at 84. If you know her from 'Anna' or from popping up seemingly everywhere for decades, you know what a singular presence she was onscreen.

What happened

Kirkland passed away after a long run of health issues. Just days ago she had checked into a hospice in Palm Springs. Her rep, Michael Greene, confirmed the news to TMZ this morning.

Over the last year, she had been dealing with dementia and a string of scary medical setbacks after a series of falls. A GoFundMe set up to help cover her care spelled out how rough it had gotten, especially after SAG-AFTRA ended supplemental health insurance for members 65 and older in 2021.

Per the fundraiser, she fractured four bones in her neck, broke her right wrist and left hip, and developed two separate life-threatening infections in the past year.

How she broke through

Kirkland came up through the downtown art world, spending time at Andy Warhol's Factory and doing avant-garde theater long before that was a resume line. Her big onscreen moment came with 1987's indie dramedy 'Anna,' where she played a Czech actress who lands in New York and goes searching for a legendary star from back home. The performance won her the Golden Globe for Best Actress and an Oscar nomination, and it is still the role people bring up first when they talk about her.

The work (there was a lot of it)

Across more than 250 film and TV credits, Kirkland made a career out of being unpredictable in the best way. She could swoop in for a memorable scene or hold down a story by sheer force of will. Here are some quick hits to give you the scope:

• TV: Starred in 'Days of Our Lives' and 'Valley of the Dolls,' with guest spots on 'Kojak,' 'Starsky and Hutch,' and the original 'Charlie's Angels' series.
• Movies: Rolled through studio fare and cult favorites alike, including the 'Charlie's Angels' big-screen adaptation, Oliver Stone's 'JFK,' and 'Bruce Almighty.'
• A personal favorite: 'Best of the Best' (1989), where she plays the spiritual coach of the U.S. national taekwondo team alongside Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee. Yes, she even got to show off some physical chops.
• Later projects: Work slowed in the 2000s, but she kept going with titles like 'The Agency' (2010), 'Extinction' (2017), 'Invincible' (2020), and, just last year, 'Sallywood,' a project that dives into director Xaque Gruber's relationship with her.

Why she mattered

Kirkland was one of those actors people in the industry notice immediately: fearless, a little wild, and completely committed. Even when the roles got smaller, she made them count. The circumstances around her final years are tough to read, but the work she left behind is all over film and TV history. If you only know a couple of the titles above, go watch 'Anna' and 'Best of the Best' back to back. You'll get the range pretty fast.