
In 2019, the year before her death, Linda Lavin joined the cast of the Netflix horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet. Lavin, an award-winning actress and singer, was known for her roles on stage and screen, including the title role in the CBS sitcom Alice, which ran from 1976 to 1985. In Santa Clarita Diet, Lavin played the character Jean, a woman who Sheila delivers meals on wheels to and who is later turned into a zombie.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of actress | Linda Lavin |
| TV series | Santa Clarita Diet |
| Year of joining the cast | 2019 |
| Character played | Jean |
| Other cast members | Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo, Ricardo Chavira, Mary Elizabeth Ellis |
| Genre | Horror sitcom |
| Streaming service | Netflix |
| Awards | Three Drama Desk Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Obie Awards, and a Tony Award |
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What You'll Learn

Linda Lavin's character in Santa Clarita Diet
In 2019, American actress and singer Linda Lavin joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-horror series *Santa Clarita Diet*. The show was created by Victor Fresco and starred Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as husband and wife realtors, Joel and Sheila Hammond.
Lavin played the character of Jean, a woman to whom Sheila delivers Meals on Wheels. Jean is later turned into a zombie by Sheila.
Santa Clarita Diet centres on the Hammond family, whose lives are turned upside down when Sheila begins to show symptoms of being a zombie. The family must deal with Sheila's new craving for human flesh and her radically altered, more primal and impulsive personality. At the same time, they must navigate their neighbours and cultural norms while trying to find a cure for Sheila's condition.
Lavin was already a well-known actress by the time she joined the cast of *Santa Clarita Diet*. She had made her television debut in *Rhoda* and gained fame for her title role in the CBS sitcom *Alice* (1976-1985), for which she won two consecutive Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. She also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the role.
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Other TV shows Linda Lavin has starred in
Linda Lavin, the American actress and singer, has had a prolific career on both stage and screen. She has won several awards, including three Drama Desk Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Obie Awards, and a Tony Award. She made her television debut in Rhoda and had a recurring role in Barney Miller (1975–1976).
One of her most notable roles was in the CBS sitcom Alice (1976–1985), where she played the title role of a waitress at a roadside diner. This role earned her two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Lavin has also appeared in several other TV shows, including:
- Room for Two (1992–1993): where she played a mother who moves in with her daughter, a local television station employee.
- Conrad Bloom (1998)
- The Muppet Show (1979)
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- The O.C.
- Touched by an Angel (1999)
- The Sopranos (2002)
- Sean Saves the World (2013)
- 9JKL (2017)
- Yvette Slosch, Agent (2020): where she played the title role.
- B Positive (2020–2022): as Norma, a senior citizen in a retirement home.
- Mid-Century Modern (2024): as Sybil Schneiderman, Bunny Schneiderman's mother.
Lavin has also had a successful career in Broadway shows and cabaret performances, showcasing her versatility as a performer.
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Awards Linda Lavin has won
The late actress Linda Lavin received numerous awards and nominations throughout her career. She won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for her role in the sitcom *Alice*, in which she played a widowed mother working as a waitress at a roadside diner. She also received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for this role.
Lavin won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role in the 1987 play *Broadway Bound*, and was Tony-nominated for her performances in: *Last of the Red Hot Lovers* (1970); *The Diary of Anne Frank* (1998); *The Tale of the Allergist's Wife* (2001); *Collected Stories* (2010); and *The Lyons* (2012). She also received a Drama Desk Award nomination and an Obie Award for her performance in *Death-Defying Acts* (1995).
In addition to these accolades, Lavin was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2010, and received a Theatre World Award for *Wet Paint* and a Drama Desk Award for *Little Murders*.
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Linda Lavin's early career
Linda Lavin was an American actress and singer. She began her career on stage, acting as a child before joining the Compass Players in the late 1950s. She made her television debut in Rhoda and had a recurring role in the sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1976), playing Janice Wentworth.
Lavin gained fame for playing the title role of a waitress at a roadside diner in the CBS sitcom Alice (1976–1985). During the show's nine-season run, she won two Golden Globe Awards and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She also played a dual role in Alice as Debbie Walden, the former landlady of the character Vera Louise Gorman-Novak.
Lavin's early career also included numerous television appearances outside of Alice. She hosted her own holiday special for CBS, Linda in Wonderland (1980), and appeared in two sitcoms: Room for Two (1992–93) and Conrad Bloom (1998). She made several television guest appearances, including roles in The Muppet Show (1979), Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The O.C., Touched by an Angel (1999), and HBO's The Sopranos (2002).
On stage, Lavin appeared in several Broadway productions in the 1960s, including the musicals A Family Affair (1962) and It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman (1966), as well as plays such as The Riot Act (1963) and Carl Reiner's Something Different (1967). She received her first Tony Award nomination in 1970 for her role in the Neil Simon play Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969).
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Santa Clarita Diet premise
Santa Clarita Diet is an American horror-comedy sitcom created by Victor Fresco for Netflix. It stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as married real estate agents, Sheila and Joel Hammond, whose lives take a dark turn when Sheila dies and comes back as a zombie.
Sheila and Joel are everyday suburban real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California. Their normal, mundane lives change dramatically when Sheila shows symptoms of having become a zombie, including a craving for human flesh and a more primal and impulsive personality. The bewildered family seeks a cure for her condition while dealing with the consequences, such as getting to the bottom of a potentially mythological mystery, and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy with their daughter, Abby.
The show received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its cast, humour, and engaging premise. However, the level of gore and violence in the show was noted as something that might not be to everyone's taste. The show's second season received an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's critical consensus stating: "Santa Clarita Diet rides the momentum of its freshman season with non-stop comedic gore and a big heart that bleeds – profusely – for its lovable characters."
The show's third season continues to build on the premise, with one review summarising it as: "a generous meal of entrails, morbid humor, and a touching affirmation of marital love – with Barrymore and Olyphant's pitch-perfect chemistry brightening each blood-soaked installment."
Linda Lavin joined the cast of Santa Clarita Diet in 2019, playing the role of Jean, a woman Sheila delivers Meals on Wheels to and later turns into a zombie.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Linda Lavin joined the cast of the Netflix comedy/horror show Santa Clarita Diet in 2019.
Linda Lavin plays the character Jean in Santa Clarita Diet.
Linda Lavin was an American actress and singer. She received several awards for her roles on stage and screen, including two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award.









































