Born in Portland, Maine, Linda Lavin graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1959 with a theatre degree, and debuted on Broadway in 1962. In 1963 she appeared in episodes of The Doctors and the Nurses, and The Doctors. In a made for TV movie she showcased her singing talent in the 1967 version of Damn Yankees!
Linda Lavin died of complications from lung cancer at age 87