Sally Kirkland Dies: Oscar-Nominated Star Of ‘Anna’ Was 84

Lead: Oscar‑nominated actress Sally Kirkland died at age 84 on the morning of Nov. 10, 2025, in hospice care in Palm Springs, her representative confirmed. She had suffered a period of declining health in recent years, including dementia and multiple falls, and had been in hospice for about a year. A fundraiser and public statements by her team said she endured fractures and two life‑threatening infections in the past year. Her death at 1:50 a.m. PT closes a long career that included an Academy Award nomination for her lead role in Anna.

• Key Takeaways:
• Sally Kirkland, born Oct. 31, 1941, died at age 84 at 1:50 a.m. PT in Palm Springs after a period of ill health.
• The actress had been in hospice care for roughly a year and had documented struggles with dementia, multiple falls and infections.
• A public GoFundMe linked to her care said she fractured four bones across her neck, right wrist and left hip in the past year and developed two separate life‑threatening infections.
• Kirkland earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Anna and later another Golden Globe nomination for The Haunted (1991).
• Her career spanned stage and screen, including Blue (1968), The Way We Were (1973), The Sting (1973), A Star Is Born (1976) and later films such as Bruce Almighty (2003) and 80 for Brady (2023).
• She worked as an acting teacher and was associated with the Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen, and earlier with Andy Warhol’s Factory scene.
• The GoFundMe and reporting noted financial pressure after SAG‑AFTRA changed supplemental coverage for members over 65 in 2021.

Background: Sally Kirkland was born in New York City on Oct. 31, 1941, and named for her mother, who worked as an editor at Vogue and LIFE. She modeled for Vogue before training at the Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen and graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Early in her career she became involved with Andy Warhol’s Factory and participated in avant‑garde theater, appearing off‑Broadway and in Warhol projects in the 1960s. Those early, experimental ties helped shape a distinctive persona that moved between mainstream studio work and independent art projects.

Across the 1970s and 1980s Kirkland built a steady film and television résumé, taking character parts in high‑profile films and guest roles on popular series. She later achieved widespread recognition for Anna, the mid‑1980s lead that brought her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe win. In subsequent decades she continued to act in television and film—sometimes in smaller or B‑movie roles—to maintain a long, working career. Parallel to performing, she taught acting and influenced younger performers, reinforcing her reputation as both a character actor and mentor.

Main Event: According to her representative, Michael Greene, Kirkland died at 1:50 a.m. PT on Nov. 10, 2025, after a span of deteriorating health. Public materials assembled to assist with her care outlined a year marked by serious medical incidents: multiple falls that produced fractures across her neck, right wrist and left hip, plus two severe infections. Those documents and interviews say she had been living with dementia and had entered hospice care in Palm Springs roughly a year before her death.

Her obituary notices and a fundraising page noted that the cost of ongoing care became a public concern after changes to supplemental insurance for older union members in 2021, which organizers said reduced support for performers over 65. Friends, former students and collaborators described ongoing attempts to secure care and manage medical bills while she remained in and out of treatment. Industry colleagues confirmed she continued to contribute artistically into her later years, appearing in projects as recently as 2024 and 2025.

Kirkland’s career highlights were reiterated by colleagues and in archival coverage: indie and studio films from the late 1960s through the 1990s, television appearances on long‑running series, and teaching roles that connected her to later stars. In the last year she co‑starred in Sallywood, a film examining director Xaque Gruber’s relationship with her; the film was released on Prime Video on Nov. 10, 2024. Her representative provided timing and context to news outlets while family or a private circle managed funeral and memorial plans.

Analysis & Implications: Kirkland’s passing highlights several intersecting issues in the entertainment industry: the long careers of character actors, the precariousness of health coverage for aging performers, and how public fundraising has become a fallback for medical costs. Her case illustrates that even visible working actors can face financial strain tied to insurance changes—an outcome industry advocates warned about when benefits were altered in 2021. The situation will likely renew attention from unions, advocates and lawmakers about safety nets for older creatives.

Artistically, Kirkland’s trajectory—from Warhol’s Factory to mainstream Hollywood and then to mentoring—underscores a model of sustained working artistry rather than stardom defined solely by leading‑lady years. Her own account that she became a “star” later in life after mentorship and persistence speaks to how age and typecasting shape career arcs for many women in film. That narrative may influence casting discourse and conversations about roles for older actresses.

On the cultural side, Kirkland’s work in Anna and subsequent films leaves a footprint in both independent and commercial cinema. Her willingness to take a mix of high‑profile and lower‑budget parts to continue working raises questions about the valuation of labor in film production and residual structures that affect long‑term earnings. Industry observers may revisit how pensions, residuals and supplemental health programs operate for performers who maintain careers across decades.

The table above is a concise snapshot that places Kirkland’s Oscar‑nominated peak within a decades‑long career of varied parts. It shows how character actors often move between independent work, studio films and television, which affects income stability and visibility differently than for top‑tier stars.

Reactions & Quotes:

Colleagues, former students and press outlets recalled Kirkland’s blend of independence and persistence. She had been open in past interviews about early mentors and her path to recognition.

“It was really great being with Andy Warhol in 1964 and being one of The 13 Most Beautiful Women… he let me and Paulina Porizkova come on the show and interview each other.”

Sally Kirkland, recalling Warhol era (interview with Deadline)

On mentorship and career advice she credited David O. Selznick for shaping expectations about longevity in the industry.

“You’re not going to make it as an ingénue… you’re going to have to wait until you’re middle aged and then they’re going to let you be a star.”

Sally Kirkland (past interview)

Friends and collaborators also emphasized her devotion to work and teaching.

“I’m lucky in that I’ve always worked, and I’ve always wanted to work… whether it was a great script or a not‑so‑great script that I could do something with, I took it.”

Sally Kirkland (past remarks)

• Unconfirmed:
• Any single, definitive medical cause of death beyond the reported infections and overall decline has not been publicly released by family or physician.
• The precise impact and timing of the 2021 SAG‑AFTRA supplemental insurance changes on Kirkland’s individual coverage remain described in fundraiser materials but not independently documented in a public union statement about her case.
• Details of funeral or memorial services and whether a public tribute will be scheduled have not been confirmed by an immediate family representative.

Bottom Line: Sally Kirkland’s death at 84 marks the end of a long, sometimes unconventional career that bridged avant‑garde art scenes, studio pictures and television. Her Oscar‑nominated turn in Anna remains the most widely cited peak, but her ongoing work and teaching shaped generations of performers and reflected a sustained commitment to the craft. The circumstances around her final years—dementia, serious injuries, hospice care and public fundraising—also highlight gaps in the safety net for aging performers and are likely to renew conversations about benefits and protections for industry veterans.

Readers and industry stakeholders are likely to watch for statements from family, SAG‑AFTRA, and collaborators in the coming days for additional details about memorial arrangements and any plans to honor her legacy. In the meantime, Kirkland’s film and television work provides a durable record of a career that persisted through changing eras of American cinema.

• Deadline (news) — initial reporting and representative statements
• SAG‑AFTRA (official union) — union policies and member benefit information
• Wikipedia (encyclopedic) — filmography and biographical overview