Actress Who Appeared on ‘JAG,’ ‘X-Files’ and ‘Matlock’ Dies Suddenly: Elyse Donalson Was 78

Elyse Donalson has died.

The actress, who has credits on JAG, The X-Files, and the original Matlock, passed away unexpectedly at her Studio City home on Wednesday, her sister, Harriette Meyer, told The Hollywood Reporter. She was 78.

Born Mary Elise Donalson on Oct. 5, 1947 in Victoria, Texas, she graduated from Southwest Texas State University, where she acted in plays. While in college, she met her future husband, Joe Houde, and they moved to Arlington, Texas, and later, Los Angeles. After taking acting classes, Donalson landed a role in 1983 on the CBS fantasy series Wizards and Warriors.

Throughout her career, Donalson appeared in notable shows such as St. Elsewhere, Our House, Matlock, Quantum Leap, Doogie Howser, M.D., Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Chicago Hope, The X-Files, Beverly Hills, 90210, and JAG. On the movie side, Donalson can be seen in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Carpool, Policewoman Centerfold, Words by Heart, Man Against the Mob, Locked Up: A Mother’s Rage, Children of the Dark, andThe Real Thing. Her final acting credit, according to IMDb, was an episode of Medical Investigation in 2004 as Dr. Eckhart.

Donalson is a longtime member of SAG-ATRA, but acting is not all that she would do. When she wasn’t acting, Donalson made money elsewhere by working at law firms such as De Castro, West, Chodorow, Mendler & Glickfeld in Westwood and Hahn & Hahn in Pasadena.

Elyse Donalson is survived by her sister; her nieces, Kellie and Kate; her brother-in-law, Jimmie; her great-nieces, Madison, Macy and Piper; and her great-nephew, Clay. As of now, a cause of death has not been revealed, and it’s unknown if one will be shared once one is determined. Donalson appeared in quite a lot of notable projects, making her mark on the industry. And that won’t be going away any time soon.