Alice Hirson Dies: ‘Dallas’, ‘Ellen’, ‘One Life To Live’ Actor Was 95

Alice Hirson, who had long-running roles on soaps Another World and One Life To Live in the 1970s before becoming a busy and familiar presence in primetime on Dallas, Full House, 7th Heaven and the Ellen DeGeneres sitcom Ellen, died Friday, February 14, at Los Angeles’ Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. She was 95.

General Hospital actor and friend of Hirson Chris McKenna shared the news on Instagram, writing, “Alice Hirson shone her light on this world for 95 glorious years. My family and I were so blessed to have her in our lives however briefly. Unforgettable woman. Her final words were ‘It’s nice to have an audience.’ Thank you, Alice. Good night. Legend.”

As Lois Morgan, mother of DeGeneres’ character Ellen Morgan, Hirson was part of one of the 1990s most controversial TV stories. After Ellen came out as gay in the April 1997 episode “The Puppy Episode,” the title character in the May 7 episode “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” shared the news with her parents including Hirson’s Lois, who reacted disapprovingly. Later in the episode, Ellen convinces her mom to attend a PFLAG-like support group. “Is that one of those dipstick lesbians?,” an uncomfortable and “heartbroken” Lois asks Ellen upon enter the gay community center.

In all, Hirson appeared on 28 episodes of the 1994-98 sitcom.

In addition to her role on Ellen, Hirson is perhaps best known for her recurring role of Mavis Anderson, best friend of Barbara Bel Geddes’ Miss Ellie, on Dallas (1982-88). By the time of her role on Dallas, Hirson was already a recognizable character actor from guest appearances on many shows including Maude, TV-movie Alexander: The Other Side Of Dawn, The Waltons, Family, Barnaby Jones, The Ropers, Barney Miller, Taxi, and Quincy: M.E., among many others.

After Dallas, in addition to Ellen, Hirson appeared on Murphy Brown, St. Elsewhere, and NYPD Blue. In several early episodes of the sitcom Full House, she played Claire Tanner, mother of Bob Saget’s Danny Tanner.

Film credits include movies of the 1970s (The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Being There) and the ’80s (Mass Appeal, The Big Picture, Private Benjamin, Revenge of the Nerds). In the early 2000s she had roles in films The Glass House and The Lost and on TV in Just Shoot Me, Cold Case and eight episodes of 7th Heaven.

Hirson appeared on numerous soap operas in the 1960s and ’70s, including The Edge of Night and Somerset. In 1970 she played Marsha Davis on 43 episodes of Another World, and from 1971 to 1976 she portrayed Eileen Siegel on 65 episodes of One Life To Live.

Born in Brooklyn on March 10, 1929, and raised on Long Island, Hirson would go on to attend and graduate from New York City’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1964 she appeared on Broadway in Traveller Without Luggage starring Mildred Dunnock and Ben Gazzara, and in 1966 she appeared in the Peter Weiss play about the Auschwitz trials The Investigation. She returned to Broadway in 1971 with a role in Robert Anderson’s Solitaire/Double Solitaire.

Hirson is survived by sons David Hirson, author of the Broadway play La Bête, and composer Christopher Hirson, as well as a grandson.