Arrested Development star Jessica Walter dies at 80

Jessica Walter in Arrested Development.
(Image credit: Netflix)

Hollywood legend Jessica Walter has died at age 80. The actor's daughter, Fox executive Brooke Bowman, made the announcement on Thursday, 26 March. 

"It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom, Jessica," Bowman said. "A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on-screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class, and overall joie de vivre."

The legacy Walter left behind is unquestionable. In her six-decade career, she appeared on both the big and small screen in a whole host of memorable roles including Pat in the Hollywood classic Grand Prix, Mallory Archer in FX's Archer, and a long list of lesser-known geek-universe voiceover roles including Granny Goodness in the smash-hit Harley Quinn, Athena in Justice League Action, Meteora Heinous in Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and many more.

Actors and co-stars joined the chorus of those showering praise on the late actress, noting her contributions to the entertainment world and her unbeatable comic delivery. “She was a force, and her talent and timing were unmatched,” Arrested Development co-star Tony Hale, said. “Rest In Peace Mama Bluth.”

“Jessica Walter never missed,” said John Levenstein, a producer on Arrested Development. “If she didn’t get a laugh there was a problem with the script.”

Archer co-star Aisha Tyler went to Twitter to say, "Jessica Walter was a queen in every way: kind, classy, incredibly talented, generous with love & support. And so insanely funny. She was the brilliant center of our Archer universe. Sweet flight to you, dear Jessica. You were so loved, and we were so lucky to know you."

The studio 20th Television also joined in on the acknowledgment of the loss, releasing a statement reading: “Jessica Walter’s spectacular turn as the devilish Lucille Bluth is one of the great comedic performances of television history, and we loved working with her as much as audiences loved her on Arrested Development. Our hearts go out to her family and friends, particularly her daughter, and our former colleague, Brooke. We know that heaven just got a whole lot funnier with Jessica now in residence.”

In her life, Walter earned a considerable number of awards including an Emmy for her performance in Amy Prentiss, a Satellite Award for her role in Arrested Development and more. Her list of overall nominations is too long to list here, but they include 2 Golden Globes, 3 additional Emmys, 2 Annies, and over thirty more.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Streaming Editor at IGN

Amelia is now the Streaming Editor for IGN, but formerly worked for What To Watch, and GamesRadar. She writes about all things TV and movies. 

Read more
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast pays tribute to the late Michelle Trachtenberg: "Our Buffy family lost a little sister today"
David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan
Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan pays heartfelt tribute to "dear friend" David Lynch, while Nicolas Cage, Steven Spielberg, and more remember "brave, brilliant" filmmaker
Debra Jo Rupp as Sharon in Agatha All Along
A quickly killed off Agatha All Along star thought she'd be a witch: "I get there and no one is really looking me in the eye"
Kevin Conroy
Devil May Cry TV show creator calls Kevin Conroy's posthumous role in the Netflix series an "amazingly nuanced performance" and confirms "no AI" was used
Natasha Rothwell and Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus
The White Lotus star couldn't believe that HBO killed off fan-favorite Tanya in season 2: "There's no way, it's Jennifer f*cking Coolidge"
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
A Star Wars comic killed off a minor prequels character and the internet is in mourning
Latest in Comedy Shows
25 years after Malcolm in the Middle first aired, the revival series starts filming in just "a few days" – and Frankie Muniz is rewatching the original to prepare
Seth Rogen in The Studio
New Apple TV show with 97% on Rotten Tomatoes teases all its cameos, including Martin Scorsese and Zac Efron
Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso season 4 is recasting a key character for the show’s return, but for a good reason
The Simpsons
Disney Plus is adding a channel that plays The Simpsons 24/7 - and this is exactly what the world needs right now
Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso season 4 confirmed with Jason Sudeikis returning, but with one major change
Matt LeBlanc as Joey in Friends
21 years later, the Friends spin-off nobody asked for is streaming for free
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"