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Susan Saint James, the Emmy-winning actress who charmed television audiences for decades as the sparkling co-star of the crime series "McMillan & Wife" and the sitcom "Kate & Allie," has died. She was 80.
The actress died after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a representative said in a statement to People magazine.
She became a household name in the 1970s as the wife of Rock Hudson’s character in "McMillan & Wife," a popular crime series.
She left the show after a contract dispute and moved into film, starring in comedies such as "Outlaw Blues" and "Love at First Bite," with co-stars including Peter Fonda and Jessica Lange.
She returned to television in the 1980s in "Kate & Allie," a comedy in which she and co-star Jane Curtin played two friends raising their children together.
She won an Emmy for the first season of "The Name of the Game," where she played a magazine research assistant. She earned two more nominations for that role and several others for "McMillan & Wife" and "Kate & Allie."
Saint James often spoke with humor about stepping away from the spotlight. In an interview with the "Today" show, she recalled that Teddy used to joke that he had ruined her career by being born. She said she told him that actors are never really allowed to retire and that her name still appeared as "actress Susan Saint James."
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