When Alice Hyatt’s husband was killed, the new widow and her young son left New Jersey for Los Angeles for a fresh start. When their station wagon broke down in Phoenix, Arizona, though, their plans were quickly derailed. Alice sought employment at Mel’s Diner, and the rest, as they say, is history.
From 1976 to 1985, viewers escaped to the greasy spoon to watch the antics of the quirky cast, which included Mel (Vic Tayback), Vera (Beth Rowland), Flo (Polly Holliday), Alice (Linda Lavin), and a motley crew of recurring characters. When the show wrapped after nine endearing seasons, the cast split to pursue new endeavors. (Click here for a list of the best sitcoms of all time.)
Let’s take a look at what became of the cast of “Alice.”
Linda Lavin
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Linda Lavin attends Netflix's 'Santa Clarita Diet' Season 3 Premiere at Hollywood Post 43 on March 28, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachel Luna/Getty Images)
As the show’s theme song went, Alice was early to bed, early to rise. This hard-working blue-collar character set a high bar for single moms everywhere. After nine seasons as the lead on this CBS sitcom, Linda Lavin returned to her first love: stage performance. She spent the following decades on Broadway, earning a Tony Award for Broadway Bound, and doing a few TV roles as well. Most recently, she’s provided the voice of Gertie on “Bob’s Burgers.” The 86-year-old lives in New York.
Vic Tayback
Vic Tayback, 1980s. (Photo by Film Favorites/Getty Images)
Vic Tayback had a turn in the United States Navy prior to embarking on his acting career. Before his role on “Alice,” he played Mel the first time in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the film on which the “Alice” TV show is based. He also had a string of appearances on shows like “Bewitched,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Bonanza.” After “Alice” wrapped, Tayback appeared on a variety of shows, including “The Love Boat,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “MacGuyver.” The Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner met an untimely death at age 60 when he succumbed to a heart attack.
Beth Howland
Beth Howland, 1960s. (Photo by Film Favorites/Getty Images)
Beth Howland played waitress Vera on “Alice,” though Mel frequently called her “Dingy” because of her aloofness. Prior to her time on the hit sitcom, Howland enjoyed modest success on stage as both a singer and dancer. After “Alice,” on which she appeared for the full nine seasons, she made only a handful of appearances on the small screen on shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Murder, She Wrote.” Howland was married twice, and had one daughter. She died on December 31, 2015, of lung cancer, though her death wasn’t reported to the media until May 2016.
Polly Holliday
Actress Polly Holliday poses for a portrait in circa 1985. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Played by Polly Holliday, Flo suffered no fools and could chew a piece of gum for hours — taking a break to stash the wad behind her ear before retrieving it to begin chewing again. An Alabama native, Holliday headed north to New York City in her mid-30s to pursue a stage career. “Alice” was her big break, and she was on the first four seasons of the show before she got the lead on “Flo,” an ill-fated spin-off, which was canceled after two seasons. After the “Alice” era, Holliday returned to the stage and also made appearances on several TV shows. The 86-year-old has retired from acting.
Philip McKeon
American actor Philip McKeon (1964 - 2019) at an Actors and Others for Animals celebrity fair at the Columbia Ranch (later the Warner Bros Ranch) in Burbank, Los Angeles, California, July 1979. His name tag is spelt 'Phillip McKeon'. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Actor Philip McKeon played the role of Tommy Hyatt, Alice’s son, for the entirety of the show’s run. Along with his sister, Nancy, the McKeons both enjoyed long-time runs on some of the most popular TV shows of the ’70s and ’80s. (See where Nancy McKeon is now.)
After “Alice,” Philip McKeon made only a scant few appearances on the small screen. He dabbled in directing and producing films as well as some on-air radio work. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 55 following a prolonged illness.
Diane Ladd
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 16: Diane Ladd attends the premiere of Roadside Attractions The Last Full Measure at ArcLight Hollywood on January 16, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
Dianne Ladd had the original role of Flo in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award and won a BAFTA award for her supporting role. When Polly Holliday left “Alice” for her spin-off, Ladd took on the role of Belle Dupree and took over Flo’s shift at Mel’s Diner. Belle worked at Mel’s Diner for a scant two seasons, nabbing a Golden Globe win for best supporting actress while there. After “Alice,” Ladd appeared in a lengthy list of TV shows, and in 2010, she — along with her daughter Laura Dern and ex-husband Bruce Dern — received stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Celia Weston
PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 23: Celia Weston attends the 2023 Sundance Film Festival A Little Prayer Premiere at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
Once Belle Dupree left the diner, Jolene Hunnicut showed up, played by Celia Watson. Watson, whose acting career began on stage, did a quick stint on daytime soap “Ryan’s Hope” before snagging the role on “Alice,” which she held till the show ended in 1985. Following the sitcom, Watson’s career has been long and varied, appearing in more than 40 films as well as some TV shows and on-stage. She lives in New York.
Marvin Kaplan
HOLLYWOOD - OCTOBER 16: Actor Marvin Kaplan arrives at the Arclight Cinema for the 40th Anniversary screening of the movie 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' on October 16, 2003 in Hollywood. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Marvin Kaplan had a vast TV career prior to landing his recurring role of Henry Beesmeyer on “Alice,” when he played a diner patron and phone company employee. After the sitcom came to a close, Kaplan continued to work in film and television, though no role as iconic as Henry. He also did voiceover work on shows like “The Garfield Show,” “Garfield and Friends,” and “Johnny Bravo.” Kaplan died of natural causes in 2016. He was 89 years old.
Dave Madden
Dave Madden, circa 1970. (Photo by Getty Images)
Dave Madden had already made a name for himself in Hollywood on the hit show “The Partridge Family” — among others — by the time he showed up playing Earl Hicks, Tommy’s high school teacher and basketball coach, on “Alice.” He appeared in 35 episodes throughout the show’s run. Once the show wrapped, he continued making appearances on many of the subsequent TV hits like “The Love Boat,” “The Ben Stiller Show,” and “Married With Children.” Madden was twice married and had two kids. He died at the age of 82 in Jacksonville, FL, of myelodysplastic syndrome.
Martha Raye
circa 1944: Martha Raye (1916 - 1994) the stage name of Maggie O'Reed, the American comedienne and vocalist who made a number of films in the 40's. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Martha Raye, also known worldwide as “The Big Mouth” due to the disproportionate size of her mouth to the rest of her facial features, was a legendary comic and actor, one of the earliest in the age of television. On “Alice,” she played Mel’s mom, making several appearances each season to step into the character. After the show, she made appearances on a handful of hit shows at the time, including “Murder She Wrote.” Married an impressive seven times, Raye had only one child — a daughter. Martha Raye died in 1994 at the age of 78 of pneumonia.