Markie Post, the fan-favorite actress best known for her role as Christine Sullivan on the hit NBC sitcom Night Court and Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet, has died. Post reportedly passed away at the age of 70, following a years-long battle with cancer. According to reports, the star died Saturday at her home in Los Angeles.
Markie Post’s death was confirmed to Deadline by her manager, Ellen Lubin Sanitsky. Post’s family has since released a statement on her passing, which remembers her for far more than her acting career:
But for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world.
Unfortunately, this marks the second loss for the cast of Night Court in less than a month. Back in July, veteran actor Charles Robinson, known for his role as Macintosh "Mac" Robinson" died at the age of 75 following his own battle with cancer.
Born in Palo Alto, California on November 4, 1950, Markie Post began her career working on various game shows such as Double Dare (with Alex Trebek), Super Password and The (New) $25,000 Pyramid. Post wouldn’t find her way into the world of acting until the late ‘70s and, by the early ‘80s, she had appeared on shows like The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero and The Love Boat.
However, Markie Post’s biggest break would come in 1985 when she joined the cast of Night Court. Post’s Christine Sullivan was the third character to serve as the public defender at the Manhattan-based municipal court by the time she joined during the third season. And ultimately, her character would prove popular enough to remain with the show until it ended its nine-season run in 1992.
In the years following Night Court’s conclusion, Post appeared on a number of other TV shows, including 30 Rock, Chicago P.D. and the aforementioned Santa Clarita Diet, which aired on Netflix. And in the realm of film, she’s likely known for her role in classic comedy There’s Something About Mary, in which she played the mother of Cameron Diaz’s titular character.
Though Markie Post battled cancer in the last years of her life, the actress still continued to work as often as she could. And in during her later career, she forged friendships with stars like Melissa Joan Hart, who worked with Post on the ABC Family TV movie Holiday in Handcuffs. Hart paid tribute to her on Instagram with a sweet photo and message:
Markie Post certainly holds a special place in pop culture for her work on both the big and small screens. However, it would seem that she’ll be remembered even more fondly by the ones she loved for being a kind person who helped make the world a bit brighter. And while she’s no longer with us, we as a public can find comfort in our TV memories of her.
We here at CinemaBlend extend our thoughts and condolences to the family and loved ones of Markie Post during this time.
