Louise Lasser, Star of ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,’ Dies at 87

Louise Lasser, the star of Norman Lear’s short-lived satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” has died. She was 87.

Lasser died of natural causes on Monday at her home in Manhattan.

Lasser’s reserved and soft-spoken demeanor was flipped on its head in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” in which she played a frazzled, materialistic Midwestern homemaker. The show involved bizarre, absurdist comedy premises — in one episode, a man drowns in a bowl of Mary’s chicken soup — and satirized the effects of consumerism on the American housewife.

Lasser started her career on Broadway, debuting in the musical “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” in 1962. In 1966, she married Woody Allen and became his first leading lady, starring in his early films such as “Take the Money and Run” and “Bananas.” The pair divorced in 1970.

A celebrated comedian, Lasser hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1976 and guest starred in TV shows including “The Bob Newhart Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Taxi,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “St. Elsewhere.”

Later in her career, Lasser took on roles in black comedy films, including Todd Solondz’s 1998 dramedy “Happiness” and Owen Kline’s 2022 coming-of-age movie “Funny Pages.”

She also had a recurring role in Seasons 3 and 4 of Lena Dunham’s HBO comedy “Girls,” playing the wheelchair-bound artist Beadie. Lasser’s character hires Jemima Kirke’s Jessa as her personal assistant, eventually asking her to help her commit suicide by overdosing on pills. In a darkly comedic twist, Beadie changes her mind after swallowing a lethal dose, and Jessa frantically calls the paramedics to save her life.

Lasser is survived by her partner, Michael Citriniti.