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{{Short description|American actress (1929–2025)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alice Hirson
| image = Cropped_Photo_of_Alice_Hirson.jpg
| birth_name = Alice Corinne Thorsell
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|3|10}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|2|14|1929|3|10}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1951–2021
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* [[Roger O. Hirson]] (divorced)
* {{marriage|[[Stephen Elliott (actor)|Stephen Elliott]]|1980|2005|reason=his death}}
}}
| children = 2
}}
'''Alice Corinne Hirson''' ([[née]] '''Thorsell'''; March 10, 1929 – February 14, 2025) was an American actress best known for her roles on television. She began her career on stage, before roles on daytime soap operas. She was best known for her roles as Mavis Anderson in the CBS prime time soap opera ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' and as Lois Morgan, the mother of the title character on the ABC sitcom ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]''.
==Background==
Hirson was born Alice Corinne Thorsell in New York City on March 10, 1929, and was raised on Long Island. She graduated from the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] in 1948.<ref name=THR>{{cite web |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Alice Hirson, Actress on ‘Dallas,’ ‘Ellen’ and Lots of Soaps, Dies at 95 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/alice-hirson-dead-dallas-ellen-1236142439/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=February 20, 2025}}</ref>
In 1964, Hirson met actor [[Stephen Elliott (actor)|Stephen Elliott]]. They were married from 1980 until Elliott's death in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 May 2005 |title=Stephen Elliott, 86; Veteran Stage, Film and TV Actor Known for Role in 'Arthur' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-may-24-me-elliott24-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625035706/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/24/local/me-elliott24 |archive-date=June 25, 2017 |access-date=2 November 2015 |url-status=live |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> She was previously married to dramatist [[Roger O. Hirson]], with whom she had two sons.<ref name=THR/><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/obituaries/roger-hirson-dead.html Roger Hirson, Who Wrote the Book for ‘Pippin,’ Dies at 93]</ref>
Hirson died at the [[Motion Picture & Television Fund|Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital]] on February 14, 2025, at the age of 95.<ref name=THR/>
== Career ==
Hirson began her career on off-Broadway stage, before roles in 1960s plays ''[[Traveller Without Luggage]]'' and ''[[The Investigation (play)|The Investigation]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibdb.com/Person/View/104133|title=Alice Hirson – IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information|author=The Broadway League|publisher=|accessdate=2 November 2015}}</ref>
===Television===
Hirson began her television career appearing on the classic anthology series ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]'' and ''[[Starlight Theatre (TV series)|Starlight Theatre]]''. From 1969 to 1970, she was a regular cast member on the CBS daytime soap opera ''[[The Edge of Night]]'', playing the role of Stephanie Martin. She played the role of Marcia Davis on ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' and its spin-off ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'' from 1970 to 1972. From 1972 to 1976, Hirson starred as [[Eileen Riley Siegel]] on ABC's ''[[One Life to Live]]''.<ref name="Eileen exit">{{cite news|last=Hirsch|first=Lynda|title=Lynda Answers Soap Queries|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NApJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B4MMAAAAIBAJ&dq=eileen-siegel%20one-life-to-live&pg=1210%2C3737418|accessdate=December 27, 2012|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator|date=March 26, 1978}}</ref> She also had a recurring role on ''[[General Hospital]]'' in 1982.
After leaving daytime television, Hirson began playing supporting roles on prime time. In 1977, she appeared in made-for-television movies ''[[The Death of Richie]]'', ''[[Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn]]'', and ''[[Julie Farr, M.D.|Having Babies II]]'', and the following year co-starred opposite [[Cicely Tyson]] in ''[[A Woman Called Moses]]''. Hirson also guest-starred on ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'', ''[[The Waltons]]'', ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]'', ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'', ''[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|Flamingo Road]]'', ''[[Barney Miller]]'', ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'', ''[[St. Elsewhere]]'', ''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]'', and ''[[Full House]]''. From 1982 to 1988, Hirson played the recurring role of Mavis Anderson, friend and confidante of [[Miss Ellie Ewing]] ([[Barbara Bel Geddes]]) in the CBS prime time soap opera, ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]''.
In 1992, Hirson was a regular cast member on the short-lived NBC sitcom ''Home Fires'' starring [[Kate Burton (actress)|Kate Burton]]. From 1994 to 1998, she played the role of Lois Morgan, the mother of [[Ellen DeGeneres]]' character on the ABC comedy series, ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/alice-hirson-57316583/|title=Alice Hirson|work=Hollywood.com|accessdate=2 November 2015}}</ref> From 1996 to 2006, she appeared in eight episodes of [[The WB]] family drama series, ''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'' playing Jenny Jackson, mother of Annie Camden ([[Catherine Hicks]]), whose illness and death occurred as the series began in 1996. She also had recurring roles on ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' and ''[[The Secret Life of the American Teenager]]'', and guest-starred on ''[[Law & Order]]'', ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'', ''[[NYPD Blue]]'', ''[[Judging Amy]]'', ''[[Just Shoot Me!]]'', and ''[[Cold Case]]''.
===Film===
Hirson made her film debut in the 1971 crime comedy ''[[The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (film)|The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight]]''. In 1979, she appeared in the horror film ''[[Nightwing (film)|Nightwing]]'' and played the First Lady of the United States in the comedy-drama ''[[Being There]]''. She also appeared in ''[[Private Benjamin (1980 film)|Private Benjamin]]'', ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'', ''[[Mass Appeal (film)|Mass Appeal]]'', ''[[Blind Date (1987 film)|Blind Date]]'', ''[[Bride of Boogedy]]'', ''[[The Big Picture (1989 film)|The Big Picture]]'', ''[[The Glass House (2001 film)|The Glass House]]'', and ''[[The Lost (2006 film)|The Lost]]''.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1971
|''[[The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight]]''
|The Mayor's Wife
|
|-
|1979
|[[Nightwing (film)|''Nightwing'']]
|Claire Franklin
|
|-
|1979
|''[[Being There]]''
|First Lady
|
|-
|1980
|[[Private Benjamin (1980 film)|''Private Benjamin'']]
|Mrs. Thornbush
|
|-
|1984
|''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]''
|Mrs. Lowe
|
|-
|1984
|[[Mass Appeal (film)|''Mass Appeal'']]
|Mrs. Hart
|
|-
|1987
|[[Blind Date (1987 film)|''Blind Date'']]
|Muriel Bedford
|
|-
|1989
|[[The Big Picture (1989 film)|''The Big Picture'']]
|Mrs. Chapman
|
|-
|1993
|''[[Stepmonster]]''
|Shirley
|
|-
|2001
|[[The Glass House (2001 film)|''The Glass House'']]
|Mrs. Morgan
|
|-
|2006
|[[The Lost (2006 film)|''The Lost'']]
|Mrs. Griffith
|
|}
=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1951
|[[Starlight Theatre (TV series)|''Starlight Theatre'']]
|Alice
|Episode: "Miss Buell"
|-
|1952
|''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''
|Lucy
|Episode: "Anne Bradstreet, Puritan Poetess"
|-
|1968
|[[N.Y.P.D. (TV series)|''N.Y.P.D.'']]
|The 2nd Nurse
|Episode: "Encounter on a Rooftop"
|-
|1970
|[[Another World (TV series)|''Another World'']]
|Marsha Davis
|43 episodes
|-
|1972
|''Particular Men''
|Louisa Rayner
|Television film
|-
|1972–1976
|''[[One Life to Live]]''
|[[Eileen Riley Siegel]]
|59 episodes
|-
|1977
|''[[The Death of Richie]]''
|Mrs. Blair
|Television film
|-
|1977
|[[Maude (TV series)|''Maude'']]
|Ed's Wife
|Episode: "Maude's Reunion"
|-
|1977
|''[[Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn]]''
|Judge White
| rowspan="2" |Television film
|-
|1977
|''Having Babies II''
|Mimi
|-
|1977
|''[[The Waltons]]''
|Jane Stephens
|2 episodes
|-
|1977–1983
|''[[Quincy, M.E.]]''
|Various roles
|3 episodes
|-
|1978
|''Loose Change''
|Rosemary
|Miniseries
|-
|1978
|[[Family (1976 TV series)|''Family'']]
|Ruth Green
|Episode: "Fear of Shadows"
|-
|1978
|''[[Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid]]''
|Beth Dozier
|Television film
|-
|1978
|''[[Barnaby Jones]]''
|Emily Warren
|Episode: "Nest of Scorpions"
|-
|1978
|''[[A Woman Called Moses]]''
|Miss Rodham
|2 episodes
|-
|1979
|''[[The Ropers]]''
|Mrs. Eastham
|Episode: "The Doris Letters"
|-
|1979
|[[Paris (1979 TV series)|''Paris'']]
|Mrs. Dalton
|Episode: "Friends and Enemies"
|-
|1979
|''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''
|Grace Harris
|Episode: "A Special Guest"
|-
|1979
|''[[Julie Farr, M.D.]]''
|Emily
|Episode: "Captive"
|-
|1980
|''If Things Were Different''
|Karen Evans
|Television film
|-
|1980
|''[[When the Whistle Blows]]''
|Dottie Jenkins
|4 episodes
|-
|1981
|[[Flamingo Road (TV series)|''Flamingo Road'']]
|Mary Troy
|Episode: "A Mother's Revenge"
|-
|1981
|[[Taxi (TV series)|''Taxi'']]
|Woman Customer
|Episode: "On the Job: Part 1"
|-
|1981
|''[[Barney Miller]]''
|Dorothy St. Clair
|Episode: "The Vests"
|-
|1982
|''The Rules of Marriage''
|Eva Hewlitt
|Television film
|-
|1982
|''[[General Hospital]]''
|Mrs. Van Gelder
|4 episodes
|-
|1982
|''[[Miss All-American Beauty]]''
|Marjorie Butterfield
|Television film
|-
|1982–1988
|''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]''
|Mavis Anderson
|26 episodes
|-
|1983
|''[[St. Elsewhere]]''
|Anne Overland
|Episode: "Release"
|-
|1983
|''Sitcom''
|Betty Gooseberry
|Television film
|-
|1985
|[[Hotel (American TV series)|''Hotel'']]
|Helen Riley
|Episode: "Skeletons"
|-
|1985
|''Slickers''
|Dear Clinton
|Television film
|-
|1985
|''[[The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo]]''
|Voice
|13 episodes
|-
|1986
|[[Foley Square (TV series)|''Foley Square'']]
|Mrs. Dobbs
|Episode: "The Star"
|-
|1986
|[[Crossings (miniseries)|''Crossings'']]
|[[Eleanor Roosevelt]]
|Episode #1.2
|-
|1986
|[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|''Matlock'']]
|Hazel
|Episode: "Diary of a Perfect Murder"
|-
|1986
|[[If Tomorrow Comes (miniseries)|''If Tomorrow Comes'']]
|Mrs. Stanhope
|Episode #1.1
|-
|1986, 1987
|''[[The Magical World of Disney]]''
|Various roles
|2 episodes
|-
|1987
|[[Starman (TV series)|''Starman'']]
|Ida Schwartzman
|Episode: "Barriers"
|-
|1987
|''[[Full House]]''
|[[List of Full House and Fuller House characters#Claire Tanner|Claire Tanner]]
|3 episodes
|-
|1987, 1988
|''[[Houston Knights]]''
|Beverly / John's Wife
|2 episodes
|-
|1990
|[[Equal Justice (TV series)|''Equal Justice'']]
|Mrs. Williams
|Episode: "The Price of Justice"
|-
|1990
|''[[Psycho IV: The Beginning]]''
|Mother
|Television film
|-
|1990, 1996
|''[[Murphy Brown]]''
|Bootsie Sherwood
|3 episodes
|-
|1991
|[[Dear John (American TV series)|''Dear John'']]
|Mrs. Morris
|Episode: "Brothers"
|-
|1992
|[[Home Fires (Canadian TV series)|''Home Fires'']]
|Grandma
|12 episodes
|-
|1993
|''[[Law & Order]]''
|Jewel
|Episode: "Right to Counsel"
|-
|1993
|[[Loving (TV series)|''Loving'']]
|Dr. Lisa Helman
|4 episodes
|-
|1994–1998
|[[Ellen (TV series)|''Ellen'']]
|Lois Morgan
|28 episodes
|-
|1996–2006
|[[7th Heaven (TV series)|''7th Heaven'']]
|Jenny Jackson
|8 episodes
|-
|1999
|[[ER (TV series)|''ER'']]
|Mrs. Anderson
|Episode: "Last Rites"
|-
|2000
|''[[Godzilla: The Series]]''
|Peg Chapman (voice)
|Episode: "Wedding Bells Blew"
|-
|2000–2002
|[[Baby Blues (American TV series)|''Baby Blues'']]
|Mrs. Johnson (voice)
|3 episodes
|-
|2001
|''[[NYPD Blue]]''
|Karen Redding
|Episode: "In the Wind"
|-
|2001
|''Determination of Death''
|Edith
|Television film
|-
|2001
|''[[Judging Amy]]''
|Alison Loomis
|Episode: "Surprised by Gravity"
|-
|2003
|''[[Just Shoot Me!]]''
|Helen Korsh
|Episode: "The Last Temptation of Elliot"
|-
|2008
|''[[Cold Case]]''
|Judy McShane
|Episode: "Glory Days"
|-
|2008–2011
|''[[The Secret Life of the American Teenager]]''
|Mimsy
|6 episodes
|-
|2010
|[[Starstruck (2010 film)|''Starstruck'']]
|Grandma Olson
|Television film
|-
|2011
|''[[Men of a Certain Age]]''
|Connie
|2 episodes
|-
|2019
|''[[Will & Grace]]''
|[[Ruth Bader Ginsburg|Justice Ginsburg]]
|Episode: "Supreme Courtship"
|-
|2021
|[[Trash Truck (TV series)|''Trash Truck'']]
|Mrs. Perry (voice)
|Episode: "Pranks"
|}
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0386676|Alice Hirson}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirson, Alice}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni]]
[[Category:American soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from New York City]]
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