Share

Kirstie Alley biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

Best Known For

Emmy Award-winning actress Kirstie Alley played Rebecca Howe on the TV series Cheers and has struggled with weight problems in the public eye. She's also competed on the dance-competition show Dancing with the Stars.

Videos see all videos

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now
Kirstie Alley - Preview watch more videos (2)

Synopsis

Kirstie Alley was born on January 12, 1951, in Wichita,

Kansas. Her career breakthrough came when she landed her feature-film debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). She followed the part with a major role in the TV miniseries North and South. But it wasn't until she was selected to replace Shelly Long in the popular sitcom Cheers in the late 1980s that Alley's rise to stardom began.

Early Life

Emmy Award-winning actress Kirstie Alley was born Kirstie Louise Alley on January 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas. After studying drama for a time at Kansas State University, Alley moved to California and became an interior decorator. Lured by the party lifestyle, she entered a wild period in which she abused drugs and hung out with an alternative crowd. In 1981, tragedy struck when her parents' car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her mother and seriously injuring her father.

Career Highlights

Once Alley decided to abandon her reckless lifestyle, she underwent drug rehabilitation and embraced Scientology, a religious belief created by the writer L. Ron Hubbard. She struggled to get acting parts, first appearing on such television game shows as Match Game and Password Plus. Her career breakthrough came when she landed her feature-film debut as Saavik, a Vulcan student, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). She followed the part with a major role in the television miniseries North and South. But it wasn't until she was selected to replace Shelly Long in the popular sitcom Cheers in the late 1980s that her rise to stardom began.

The combination of Alley's voluptuous beauty, throaty voice and comic timing earned her both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of the neurotic and high-strung Rebecca Howe in 1990. During her years on Cheers, Alley's film career also took off. She showcased her dramatic talent in the 1988 thriller Shoot to Kill and had her first box-office hit with the comedy Look Who's Talking in 1989.

After Cheers bid farewell in 1993, Alley experienced some career highs and lows. She won an Emmy Award for the television movie David's Mother in 1994. Alley starred in the NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet in 1997, but the show received mixed reviews. That same year, however, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her supporting role on the dramatic miniseries The Last Don.

Struggle with Weight Loss

In 2005, the actress starred in Showtime's Fat Actress, an unscripted comedy about the media's obsession with celebrity weight.

ADVERTISEMENT
9542556 9542556
profile id: 9542556
profile name: Kirstie Alley
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9542556
related profile name: Kirstie Alley
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/A/Kirstie-Alley-9542556-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/kirstie-alley-9542556
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups
      23 others

      Weight Loss Winners

      It's hard to face weight gain—but it's even harder to face it when the whole world is commenting on your expanding waistline. Here are a group of stars who got in shape despite the scrutiny of the press. Their efforts serve as an inspiration to the millions out there trying to live a healthier lifestyle.

      View group

      Weight Loss Winners 26 people in this group

      88 others

      Cast of Dancing with the Stars

      The famous dance-competition show Dancing with the Stars has seen more than a dozen seasons and a gamut of stars, including Apolo Anton Ohno, Kirstie Alley, Joey Fatone, Jennifer Grey, David Hasselhoff, Buzz Aldrin, Brandy, Wynonna Judd, Dorothy Hamill, D.L. Hughley and Aly Raisman. Learn more about the show's contestants, who, for a period, swapped their skills as athletes, actors, musicians, comedians, TV personalities and politicians for a chance to show off their footwork on national TV.

      View group

      Cast of Dancing with the Stars 91 people in this group

      4 others

      Cast of Cheers

      Learn more about the actors who played the beloved barflies of Cheers, America's favorite faux Boston pub. The cast of the television series Cheers, which ran for 11 seasons, included Woody Harrelson, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelsey Grammer, Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Shelley Long and John Ratzenberger.

      View group

      Cast of Cheers 7 people in this group

    See all related groups

    Kirstie Alley's Feed
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!