The family of Tony Award-winner and sitcom actress Ann Wedgeworth has just announced that she passed away at the age of 83 on Thursday, after a long-term illness at a nursing home in the New York Area.
Wedgeworth was likely most recognizable from her role as Merleen Eldridge in Evening Shade. The series ran from 1990 to 1994, at which point she starred in a short-lived spin-off called Harlan & Merleen. She also reached a wide audience as Lana Shields in ABC’s Three’s Company, where she played a beloved divorced seductress in season 4.
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Others may remember her performance as Aunt Fern in Steel Magnolias. She also won a National Society of Film Critics Award for her portrayal of Hilda Hensley in Sweet Dreams (1985,) and earned her Tony for “Best Featured Actress in a Play” in Neil Simon’s 1978 production of Chapter Two.
Younger audiences may be more familiar with Wedgeworth from her role as Audrey Conner, Dan (John Goodman)’s mother in Roseanne. She had the rare staying power that granted her a decades-long career in the entertainment industry. Wedgeworth was working steadily through the 1990’s, and appeared in a feature film as recently as 2006’s The Hawk Is Dying.
Wedgeworth moved from Abilene, Texas to New York City in the late 1950’s, where she quickly joined The Actors Studio. By 1958, she had made it to Broadway — appearing in Make A Million for her debut role. Wedgeworth had a storied career on stage, at the box office, and on TV. Her iconic roles are too numerous to list.
Wedgeworth had a five year marriage to actor Rip Torn from 1956 to 1961, and was later married again to Ernie Martin. She’s survived by her children, Danae Torn and Dianna Martin, as well as her step-son, Michael Martin.
