The late actress had a career away from showbiz before making it big in Hollywood.
American actress Kirstie Alley tragically passed away this month in her Florida home but the Madhouse actress will forever be known for her contribution to cinema and TV shows. But there aren't many people who are aware that the late actress previously worked as an interior designer.
According to PEOPLE, the 71-year-old lost her short battle with cancer, leaving behind family and friends to grieve for her. A throwback clip that resurfaced after her demise shows the Cheers actress opening up about her previous stint as an interior designer during an appearance on the Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1996. The show’s host played a clip from Alley’s first television appearance alongside actors like Betty White and Jamie Lee Curtis on another show called Match Game in 1979.
"I live in Wichita, Kansas. I'm an interior designer and I'm out here working," Alley can be seen saying in the clip, talking to the game show's host, Gene Rayburn. Once O'Donnell finished playing the clip, Alley revealed that she "thought she was going to get discovered" with her appearance on the game show.
"I was really poor, I didn't have any money and I was starving and that was one reason I went on," she said. "I also thought Robert Redwood was going to be sitting there at home, eating breakfast or something, and go, 'Woah! We need to put her in Sting 2. She is brilliant!'"
According to PEOPLE, interior designing might have been her first real career choice but the Drop Dead Gorgeous star's first job was as a 16-year-old housekeeper in Witchita. In a video for The Oprah Winfrey Network, Alley went back to her hometown and shared a few cleaning tips from the house she used to work in. The video also shows the star vacuuming rooms, wiping the windows and scrubbing toilets.
"I'm back here in Wichita, Kansas at the actual house where I had my first job as a housekeeper. Today, I'm going to keep some house for you and I'm going to show you the right way to do it," she says in the clip.
The Emmy award-winning actress' children, True and Lillie Parker, posted a picture on Alley's Instagram page on December 5 to announce their mother’s death in a lengthy statement revealing how her cancer was "only recently discovered."
A representative for the actress confirmed to PEOPLE that she was diagnosed with colon cancer prior to her death. Condolences poured in after her passing, and her Look Who's Talking co-star, John Travolta, honored Alley in a post captioned: "Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again."
References:
https://people.com/home/kirstie-alley-had-another-career-before-making-it-big-in-hollywood/
https://people.com/tv/kirstie-alley-dead/
https://www.oprah.com/own-home/kirstie-alleys-housekeeping-tips-video
https://people.com/tv/kirstie-alley-died-of-colon-cancer-her-rep-reveals/
Cover Image Source: Robin Marchant/Getty Images
