A Golden Girl, a Seinfeld alum, and a sci-fi heartthrob; while NBC's "Blossom" was Mayim
Bialik's breakout role, numerous big-name guest stars appeared on the show as well, some of whom
had their careers cut tragically short.
Those who grew up in the 1990s will no doubt recognize Jonathan Brandis, who became a
teen idol after a string of heartthrob roles. Brandis was six when he made his onscreen debut,
appearing in a 1982 episode of long-running soap opera "One Life to Live" and various
TV commercials. But in 1990 the Connecticut native appeared in "The NeverEnding Story II:
The Next Chapter" and the cult classic TV adaptation of Stephen King's "It."
The following year, he appeared on "Blossom" as Stevie, a boy that both Blossom and her friend
Six, played by Jenna von Oÿ, take a shining to. Brandis was perhaps best known for his role in the
Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi series "SeaQuest DSV." He appeared in all 57 episodes of the show,
which ran for three seasons and garnered him a Young Artists Award in 1993.
His career began to slow when the 2000s arrived. He was cast as Pvt. Lewis P. Wakely in 2002's
"Hart's War," a Bruce Willis-led wartime drama, but his scenes got cut. In November 2003, reports
that the actor had died by suicide emerged. Police later confirmed that this was indeed the case,
devastating his fans. He was 27.
Tributes to veteran TV actor Mary Pat Gleason poured in after her death in 2020. Gleason,
who made memorable appearances on shows like "Friends," and "Sex and the City,"
as well as "Blossom," died of cancer at age 70, Variety confirmed.
Her manager told the Hollywood trade, "She was a fighter to the end."
The actor racked up hundreds of credits during her career, most of them on television. After
appearing in a 1982 episode of NBC's "Texas," in which she would go on to play Doris Hodges
in the long-running soap opera, Gleason became ever-present on TV screens. Her most notable roles
include AA member Mary on the CBS sitcom "Mom" and appearances on both runs of "Will and Grace."
Star Allison Janney said in a tribute Instagram post,
"She was part of our ['Mom'] family and we loved her so much.
She was one of our favorite guest stars. Her kind heart and warm smile will be missed."
Hilary Duff worked with Gleason in "A Cinderella Story," Gleason's most notable film appearance.
In an email to USA Today, Duff called her, "A wonderful woman who was such an industry
veteran and badass."
Veteran actor Ian Abercrombie, who appeared as Mr. Winters in the "Blossom" Season 5 episode
"Hi Diddly Dee," died of kidney failure in 2012. He was 77.
Abercrombie was born in England but moved to the U.S. as a teenager. The actor scored roles
in tons of TV shows and movies, including "Army of Darkness," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park,"
and "Wild Wild West," but he would become best known for his work on the small screen.
Abercrombie appeared in seven episodes of "Seinfeld" as Mr. Pitt,
the "pain in the neck" boss of Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character Elaine Benes.
He told CNN at the time, "I have been around as an actor for 40-odd years,
and this show knocked me out of the ballpark.” "Goody, yes, yes, yes!"
He subsequently showed up on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Star Trek: Voyager," In his final
onscreen role, he played Professor Crumbs in Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place."
Comedian and actor Phyllis Diller,
who appeared in three episodes of "Blossom" as Mrs. Peterson, passed away "peacefully in
her sleep" in 2012, her manager told CNN. The Emmy and Golden Globe nominee was 95.
Born during the First World War, Diller wrote copy for a California newspaper before setting
her sights on comedy. The flamboyant performer did her first show in 1955 and didn't look back.
Hollywood agent Fred Wostbrock told CNN, "She was a true pioneer. She was the first
lady of stand-up comedy. [...] She paved the way for Joan Rivers, Chelsea Handler, Roseanne Barr,
Ellen DeGeneres, and all the women stand-up comics. She was the first and the best."
Joan Rivers said in a tribute tweet, "The only tragedy is that Phyllis
Diller was the last from an era that insisted a woman had to look funny in order to be funny."
“If you’re looking for another bubble girl, I’m ready.”
She had her own variety show in the 1960s, and she would go on to become a prolific
voice actor in later decades. Diller brought her distinctive tone to everything from "A
Bug's Life" to "Family Guy," in which she played Peter's mother, Thelma Griffin.
An award-winning character actor
who plied his trade on stage and screen, Barnard Hughes played WWII vet Buzz Richman on "Blossom,"
grandfather to the eponymous teen. Hughes died in his native New York in 2006 at age 90.
Hughes made headway with his onscreen career in the seventies, scooping an Emmy for his turn as
Judge Felix Rushman in "Lou Grant," and he popped up in several films in the decades that followed,
including "Tron," "The Lost Boys," and "Doc Hollywood." To "Blossom" fans, however, he will
always be grandpa Buzz Richman, who loved cigars and women, one in particular was Phyllis Diller's
character in "Sex, Lies and Mrs. Peterson."
New York native Estelle Getty was an Emmy nominee for seven consecutive years while playing "Sophia
Petrillo" on "The Golden Girls." According to her website, she passed away in 2008 in her own home,
surrounded by family. She was 84. Getty performed in Yiddish theater
in the early years of her career, which she put on hold after tying the knot in 1946
and took time out to raise a family. Decades later she made a return to acting and in 1982,
Getty played Mrs. Beckoff in the Broadway debut of Harvey Fierstein's "Torch Song Trilogy," and
it launched her onscreen career to new heights. The success opened the door to "The Golden
Girls" and Sophia, a career-defining role for her. Getty reprised the role in numerous other shows at
the time, including "Blossom." The sharp-tongued Sophia popped up in the Season 1 episode "I Ain't
Got No Buddy," in which Blossom gets jealous when bestie Six makes a new friend. Notable feature
film credits include "Mask," "Mannequin," and "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot," where Getty played
Sylvester Stallone's gun-toting mother.
Hollywood history is littered with stories of talented actors we lost too soon, but few are
quite as sad as that of Brittany Murphy, who died under unusual circumstances in December 2009,
aged 32. The Los Angeles County coroner's office said the death was accidental,
claiming that a combination of factors, including, quote, "community acquired pneumonia"
and "multiple drug intoxication," was to blame. When a new documentary about Murphy's
death was released in 2020, forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht told Fox News
that he believes it was accidental and that people have to move on, saying,
"Now it's all over. There's no way meaningful scientific studies can be done.
But there's no question about the pneumonia. This was shown and proven."
The Atlanta native was best known for her roles in films like "Clueless," "Just Married," "Sin
City," and "8 Mile," in which she played the love interest of Eminem. Before all of that,
she played Wendy in the "Blossom" Season 4 opener, in which the titular teen moves to Paris to live
with her mom. Other early roles include Molly on "Almost Home," and Abby on "Party of Five."
Ann Morgan Guilbert, best known as
next-door neighbor Millie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 87.
Fran Drescher, who played Guilbert's granddaughter on the '90s sitcom, “The Nanny,” said in a tweet,
"I feel so sad about Annie. She was brilliant [as] my Grandma Yetta. Such a sweet woman too."
The Stanford University graduate plied her trade on numerous sitcoms, beginning in 1961 when she
made her onscreen debut in an episode of ABC's "My Three Sons". She began her five-year stint on "The
Dick Van Dyke Show" in October 1961 and would go on to land roles in everything from "The New
Andy Griffith Show" to '90s hits like "Cheers," "Home Improvement," "Seinfeld," and "The Nanny,"
on which she played the colorful Grandma Yetta. She once told Standford Magazine,
"I got together with the wardrobe lady and we decided she should just dress outrageously.
I just loved playing the character." In 1991, Guilbert guest-starred in the
"Blossom" Season 2 episode "You Can't Go Home," in which Blossom and Six play cupid for their
divorced parents. It seemed fitting her final appearance was also in a sitcom: she recurred
as Shirley "GiGi" Pirkle, mother of Diane Wiest's Dr. Joan Short, on the CBS show "Life in Pieces."
Eileen Brennan, nominated for an Oscar for her
role in the hit 1980 comedy "Private Benjamin," died of bladder cancer in 2013 at age 80,
her publicist confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Goldie Hawn said in a tribute tweet,
"No one ever made me laugh more! Now I cry. Please keep singing darling from on high. Rest."
Speaking to The Associated Press in 1988, Brennan revealed that playing drill Captain Doreen Lewis
in "Private Benjamin," a role she reprised in the '80s TV show of the same name and led to an Emmy
win, was a real blast. She said,
"I love meanies. You know why? Because they have no sense of humor.
People who are mean or unkind or rigid—think about it—cannot laugh at themselves."
Brennan was also known for playing salt-of-the-earth waitress Genevieve
in Peter Bogdanovich's "The Last Picture Show" and brothel madam Billie in the Paul Newman-led crime
caper "The Sting." Other notable feature credits include "Daisy Miller," "At Long Last Love," and
the cult classic board game adaptation, "Clue." In "Blossom," Brennan played the title
character's neighbor and confidante Agnes, appearing in three Season 1 episodes.
She also flexed her chops on the likes of "7th Heaven," "Lizzie McGuire," and "Will & Grace,"
on which she recurred as acting coach Zandra. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal
thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).