Susan Saint James, Emmy winner and star of McMillan & Wife, dies at 80

Death and diagnosis

US actress Susan Saint James died at the age of 80, according to a representative who spoke to People magazine. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before her death. Reports from 27 October 2026 say she died on Monday, 26 October.

Career on television

Saint James became known for playing Sally McMillan opposite Rock Hudson in McMillan & Wife, which began in 1971. She left the series before its final season after a contract dispute, and her character was killed off in a plane crash. The show was cancelled after one more season.

She won an Emmy in 1969 for her role as research assistant Peggy Maxwell in The Name of the Game. In the 1980s she starred with Jane Curtin in the sitcom Kate & Allie, which ended in 1989. Afterwards she took only occasional roles, and in 2008 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Family and tragedy

In 2004 her youngest son, Teddy, died when a private jet carrying him, her husband Dick Ebersol and another son crashed on takeoff. Her family said in a statement to People that she was generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money. They described her as someone who taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people.

"For her there were no strangers. Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment."

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute on Instagram, recalling that Saint James had been compared to her when Curtis began working in Hollywood.

Tributes

In a post Curtis said she had admired Saint James as an actress with extraordinary comic timing. Saint James was born Susan Lee Miller in Los Angeles in 1946, according to RTE, and her first screen appearance was in the 1966 TV movie Fame Is The Name Of The Game.