Jessica Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American stage, film, and television actress from New York City. Born in Brooklyn to Esther and David Walter, she grew up in Queens, then attended Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and graduated from there.
Walter was best known to 21st century audiences because basically, if you needed a bitter, cynical old woman, Jessica Walter was your lady. Her two best-known roles from that era are playing the (hilariously) cold and cruel matriarch Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development, and voicing the similarly cruel and cold (and hilarious) head of ISIS Mallory Archer in Archer. To older generations, she is known to be in a multitude of film and television series, with her best-known role being the Stalker with a Crush Evelyn Draper in Play Misty for Me.
She was married to fellow actor Ron Leibman from 1983 until his death in 2019. Walter eventually died peacefully in her sleep at age 80.
Roles include:
- Lilith (1964): Laura
- Grand Prix (1966): Pat Stoddard
- The Group (1966): Libby
- Bye Bye Braverman (1968): Inez Braverman
- Play Misty for Me (1971): Evelyn Draper (Nominated for a Golden Globe, too!)
- Columbo, episode "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974): Margaret Nicholson
- Amy Prentis (1974): Amy Prentis
- Doctor Strange (1978): Morgan le Fay
- Goldengirl (1979): Melody (Deleted Role)
- Trapper John, M.D. (1979-85): Melanie McIntyre
- The Flamingo Kid (1984): Phyllis Brody
- Wildfire: Lady Diabolyn
- Dinosaurs (1991-94): Frances "Fran" Sinclair, the only time Walter ever played a traditional TV mom (read: one who is loving and understanding to her husband and children and only narcissistic and cold to others if the plot called for it, as seen in the episode where Baby Sinclair becomes the spokesman for a brand of frying pans that he uses to bash Earl's head in all the time and Fran becomes a Stage Mom).
- Tapeheads (1988): Kay Mart
- Ghost in the Machine (1993): Elaine
- PCU (1994): President Garcia Thompson
- One Life to Live (1996-97): Eleanor Armitage
- Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013-19): Lucille Bluth
- The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (2007): Cordoth's Daughter
- Saving Grace (2007): Betty Hanadarko
- 90210 (2008): Tabitha Wilson
- Law & Order: SVU (2009): Attorney Petra Gilmartin
- Archer (2009-2020): Malory Archer
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010): Jason's Mom
- The Big Bang Theory (2011): Mrs. Latham
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2015-2018): Miss Heinous/ Meteora Butterfly
- Justice League Action (2017): Athena
- Harley Quinn (2020): Granny Goodness and Wendy Brown
