Jessica Walter, award-winning actress andArrested Developmentstar, has died. She was 80.
Her daughter, Brooke Bowman, confirms to PEOPLE. Walter died in her sleep on Wednesday while staying at her home in New York City.
Deadlinewas the first to report the news.
For more on Jessica Walter, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day.
Walter’s impressive career spanned nearly five decades and featured in a variety of roles including a turn in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut,Play Misty for MetoThe Flamingo Kid. She also earned Emmy nominations for her work in bothTrapper John M..D.andStreets of San Francisco. Walter won later won the coveted award for her role inAmy Prentiss.
Netflix
But the actress was perhaps best known as Lucille Bluth in the Fox-turned Netflix hitArrested Development. Her role as the eccentric matriarch earned her an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress and two Screen Actors Guild Award nods.
Along with her work on screen, Walter was also a veteran stage performer, appearing in several shows includingTartuffeandPhoto Finish, and picking up Tony Awards for her turn inAnything Goes.
Most recently, since 2009, Walter provided the voice for sharp-tongued matriarch Malory Archer on FX and FXX’sArcher.She also made an appearance in an episode ofAmerican Housewife.
Archer’s creator and executive producer Adam Reed said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, “TheArcherfamily is heartbroken to lose Jessica Walter, our beloved colleague and friend. Jessica was a consummate professional, an actor’s actor, and the exact opposite of Malory Archer – warm, caring, and kind, with an absolutely cracking sense of humor – and it was both a privilege and a true honor to work with her over these many years. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
FX said in a statement: “We are utterly heartbroken to learn of the passing of Jessica Walter. She was a comedic genius and a brilliant actor who personified wit, grace and elegance. Jessica’s ‘Malory Archer’ served as the bedrock character for the series and we were always honored to have her as member of our FX family. Words cannot describe the monumental loss we and theArcherproducers and cast feel. We extend our love, appreciation and condolences to Jessica’s family.”
source: people.com
