LOUISE LASSER, ACTRESS AND WOODY ALLEN'S SECOND WIFE, DIES AGED 87

Louise Lasser, an actress best known for her lead role in the 1976-77 television series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, has died aged 87 at her home in Manhattan, New York. She died on 6 July of natural causes, according to her friend Susan Charlotte. Lasser's career began on Broadway in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962. She earned an Emmy nomination for her role in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in the "Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement" category.

Lasser met Woody Allen in 1962 on a double date with different partners and married him in 1966. The couple divorced four years later, though Lasser continued to appear in films he produced and directed. Allen later stated that both parties had been unfaithful during their relationship. Lasser appeared in subsequent television roles, including a recurring part in seasons 3 and 4 of HBO's Girls as the character Beadie. Her final credited film role came in the 2022 dark comedy Funny Pages, produced by the Safdie brothers.

Tributes have emerged from viewers online, with some recalling Lasser's work in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman as a landmark television programme. The series was a parody of soap operas that commented on American consumerism. Lasser's death marks the end of a career spanning six decades in theatre, television and film.