Mary Pat Gleason, ‘Mom’ and ‘A Cinderella Story’ Star, Dead at 70

Hollywood is currently mourning the loss of one of their own. On Wednesday, Variety reported that Mary Pat Gleason, who boasted an extensive list of film and television credits, died on Tuesday. Gleason passed away after a battle with cancer, according to her manager, who said that the actor “was a fighter to the end.” She was 70.

Gleason’s career began back in 1982, which is when she first appeared in an episode of the NBC soap opera Texas. She wasn’t just an onscreen talent; she was also a successful writer. According to Variety, Gleason received a daytime Emmy award as part of the writing team on Guiding Light. In addition to lending her writing skills to the show, she also starred on the program as Jane Horgan.

Gleason may be best known to audiences for her performance in A Cinderella Story, the 2005 film starring Hilary Duff. In the movie, Gleason played waitress Eleanor, who worked alongside Regina King’s restaurant manager Rhoda. The actor also recently had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom Mom, during which she played Mary, an AA member who was frequently interrupted by Allison Janney’s Bonnie when she tried to share stories. Her character ultimately died of a brain aneurysm during the show’s seventh season, which recently wrapped in April.

Gleason’s official Facebook page announced the sad news on Wednesday afternoon, as TV Line noted. The page featured a post from Ron Fassler, who wrote that Gleason passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. In his message, he shared that the late actor was more than a successful entertainer; she was also “one of a kind.” Fassler’s moving message began, “Mary Pat Gleason, one of the dearest and sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure to know, passed away last night at age seventy.”

Fassler continued, “She has 174 credits on her IMDB page (with one unreleased film still to come), but she was so much more than a wonderful actress: she was one of a kind. So caring, so funny, and so delicious to be around, that I find it hard to imagine a world without her shining presence and smiling face. My heart goes out to all who knew and loved her (all one million of you). Let’s all raise a glass to her this evening as one and offer a final toast and a fond farewell in her memory.”