Kirsten Louise "Kirstie" Alley (born January 12, 1951) is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for 1991.

Alley is a long standing member of the Church of Scientology and spokesperson for its anti-psychiatry front group the CCHR.

Early life

Kirstie Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas, where she was raised, the daughter of Lillian Mickie (née Heaton), a homemaker, and Robert Deal Alley, who owned a lumber company. She has two siblings, Colette and Craig. Her mother died in a car accident caused by a drunk driver in 1981, which left her father seriously injured. Alley attended Wichita Southeast High School and became a cheerleader. She attended college at Kansas State University and the University of Kansas, but dropped out in her sophomore year to pursue acting. She was first seen as a contestant on the game shows Match Game in 1979 (winning $6,000) and Password Plus in 1980. On both shows she stated her occupation as an interior designer.

Career

Alley received a supporting role in the 1982 movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, playing Romulan-Vulcan officer Lieutenant Saavik. Alley turned down the role of Saavik in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock because the producers would not meet her salary demands and because she didn't want to be typecast as a science fiction actress. Therefore, Robin Curtis assumed the role. Alley also co-starred in a short-lived secret agent television series, Masquerade, and in the acclaimed miniseries North and South.

In 1984, Alley starred in the low budget theatrical film Blind Date. Although the movie was a critical and commercial failure at the time, it has become a minor cult classic due primarily to the only on-screen nude scene of Alley's career.

She rose to prominence in her 1987–1993 role as the neurotic corporate executive Rebecca Howe on the long-running hit TV sitcom Cheers. While Cheers was the launching pad for the successful spin-off Frasier, Alley was the only living regular cast member from that show who did not appear on Frasier. She later starred in the movie Look Who's Talking (1989) with John Travolta, which earned more than $100 million at the box office. This film was followed by two sequels — 1990s Look Who's Talking Too and 1993's Look Who's Talking Now. In 1992, she played a TV news reporter in Prince's video for "My Name Is Prince." Her second NBC sitcom, the critically panned Veronica's Closet, ran for three seasons in the late 1990s. Alley reportedly received $2 million in up-front fees for her work on that series and $150,000 per episode.

Alley has won two Emmy Awards during her career. Her first two nominations for her work on Cheers did not earn her the award, but her third, in 1991, garnered her the statuette for that series. In her speech, she thanked then-husband Parker Stevenson "for giving me the big one for the last eight years". Talk show hosts, as well as the creators of Cheers, poked fun at the quip for weeks afterward. Alley won her second Emmy for her portrayal of the title role in the made-for-TV movie drama David's Mother (1994). In 1997, Alley's career took a different turn when she appeared in Woody Allen's movie Deconstructing Harry. In this movie, Alley, who was then primarily known as a comedic actress, displayed a strong talent for being a serious dramatic actress by playing a psychiatrist who is married to Woody Allen's character. She is angered upon learning that he has had an affair with one of her patients.