Barbara Bosson, Emmy-Nominated Actress on Hill Street Blues, Dead at 83
Actress Barbara Bosson, who earned five Emmy nominations for her work on Hill Street Blues, has died. She was 83.
Bosson’s son, Jesse Bochco, announced her passing via Instagram on Sunday. “More spirit and zest than you could shake a stick at,” he wrote. “When she loved you, you felt it without a doubt. If she didn’t, you may well have also known that too. Forever in our hearts. I love you Mama.”
On NBC’s police drama Hill Street Blues, co-created by Bosson’s then-husband Steven Bochco, Bosson co-starred for six seasons as Fay Furillo, the ex-wife of Daniel J. Travanti’s protagonist, Frank Furillo. For five consecutive years, she received a Primetime Emmy nod for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work in the role.
Bosson also scored an Emmy nod for the ABC legal drama Murder One — another collaboration with Bochco; the pair ultimately divorced in 1997 — where she played Deputy District Attorney Miriam Grasso. She and Bochco also worked together on the ABC dramedy Hooperman (where she portrayed the boss of John Ritter’s title character) and on the short-lived musical police drama Cop Rock (where she played Mayor Louise Plank).
The actress’ TV credits also included episodes of L.A. Law, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, NYPD Blue and Murder, She Wrote, among others.
This year is being really bad regarding actors deaths
Cop Rock is a total guilty pleasure show of mine and she was terrific in the first season of Murder One (I stopped watching season 2 after a couple episodes because that reboot didn’t work). Rest in peace.
Rest in peace.
R.I. P.
Dead at 83. the wording of that seems strange. Cold. Maybe its just me. Passes away is a bit warmer way to phrash.
That is the wording this site almost always uses. I agree that it’s very cold. In every headline, the word “dies” could be uses, which gives the person, IMO, more dignity.
My goodness, we’ve lost a lot of icons early this year. RIP to a talented actress.
She was Richie Brockelman’s secretary, too.
Loved her on Hill Street, loved her on Murder One, loved her on Cop Rock — in short, she was wonderful. RIP.
I always felt a little sorry for her because she was playing the less-sexy demanding ex-wife, opposite Veronica Hamel’s super-hot lawyer. (Both actresses were very good in their roles, imo)