Acting world mourns Kathryn Kates, a long-time actress and character actor who died Tuesday at the age of 73.
Headline Talent Agency reps confirmed the actress died from cancer this Saturday via Deadline.
Although it is not clear what type of cancer she was suffering from, her statement suggests that she has beaten it before this year’s return.
R.I.P.: The acting world is in mourning on Tuesday, with word that longtime character actress Kathryn Kates passed away at 73 years of age
The statement started, “Kathryn was our client for many, long years and we have become much closer to each other in the last year, since she learned of her cancer returning,”.
“She was incredibly courageous and wise, and she approached each role with passion. They said she would be deeply missed.
Kates was the daughter of Louis Kates and Madlyn Kates. She was born in New York City.
Client: ‘Kathryn has been our client for many years, and we have grown much closer to her in this last year since she knew of her cancer returning,’ the statement began
Her roots are in New York but her real career began in Los Angeles. There she was also one of 25 founders of The Colony Theater alongside John Larroquette.
Along with Barbara Beckley she co-produced all the plays of the company in its first six year period, 1975-1981.
With small roles in the Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice Jinxed, The Taming of the Shrew and the Story of Beatrice she started to explore television and film in the 1980s.
Career: Despite her New York roots, her career began in earnest in Los Angeles, where she was one of the 25 founding members of The Colony Theater, alongside John Larroquette
In the 1990s, Kates began guest-starring on television shows like Thunder Alley and Matlock. She also played a memorable part as a “counter woman” in Seinfeld episodes, in which George (Jason Alexander), is trying to get a marble rye.
The Nurse, Asylum and Lizzie McGuire were also starred in the actress’s roles. She was guest star on Lizzie McGuire, Judging Amy and Rescue Me as well as Small Miracles.
In Shades of Blue, she was Mrs. Saperstein and Amy Kanter Bloom. She is also the mother of Larry Biggs on Orange Is the New Black.
Shades: She also played Mrs. Saperstein on Shades of Blue and Amy Kanter-Bloom, the mother of Jason Biggs’ Larry on Orange Is the New Black
She also guest starred in five episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Judge Marlene Simmons and most recently played Angie DeCarlo on The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark.
Actress moved to New York City from Los Angeles in 2006. She appeared in more than 20 Off Broadway and Off Broadway productions, as well as touring Europe.
Her sister Mallory, and her brother Joshua are still with her.
Judge: She also guest starred in five episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Judge Marlene Simmons and most recently played Angie DeCarlo on The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark