Markie Post, Night Court Star, Dies at 70

Actress Markie Post has died. The 70-year-old actress received a cancer diagnosis almost four years ago. She continued to work on television throughout her treatment. Post was known for her roles in television shows including Night Court, The Fall Guy, and Hearts Afire. “But for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world,” said Post’s family in a statement. Ellen Lubin Sanisky, Post’s manager, confirmed the news (via Deadline).

Post was a California native. She was born in Palo Alto in 1950. She got into showbusiness by working behind the scenes on game shows like Split Second and Double Dare. She made her on-camera debut dealing cards in Card Sharks on NBC. She began acting in 1979, appearing in classic television shows such as CHiPS, Barnaby Jones, The Incredible Hulk, The Lazarus Project, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Hart to Hart.

Later roles included appearances on The Love Boat, Cheers, Fantasy Island, and The A-Team. Post landed her first recurring role as Terri Michaels, a bail bondswoman on ABC’s The Fall Guy, appearing in 65 episodes between 1982 and 1985.

As a series regular on Night Court, Post played public defender Christine Sullivan in 159 episodes of NBC’s courtroom sitcom from 1985 through 1992. On CBS, she starred as Georgie Anne Lahti Hartman opposite John Ritter in the sitcom Hearts Afire.

Late career roles included playing Dr. Elliot Reid’s (Sarah Chalke) mother on Scrubs, Detective Erin Lindsay’s (Sophia Bush) mother on Chicago P.D., and a turn as herself in an episode of 30 Rock in 2008. Her film credits include playing Mary’s (Cameron Diaz) mother in Peter and Bobby Farrelly’s hit comedy There’s Something About Mary in 1998.

Post continued to work even after receiving her cancer diagnosis. She found time between treatments for appearances in the Lifetime Christmas movie Four Christmases and a Wedding and ABC’s The Kids Are Alright.

Post is survived by her family, including her husband, writer Michael A. Ross; her daughters, actress Kate Armstrong Ross and Daisy Schoenborn; her son-in-law, Bryce Schoenborn; and her five-month-old granddaughter.

Post’s death comes almost a month after her Night Court co-star Charlie Robinson’s death. Robinson played court clerk Mac Robinson on the series. At 75, Robinson died due to complications from cancer.