Frances Sternhagen, Tony winner and “Sex and the City” actress, dies at 93

The two-time Tony winner was remembered by her son, John Carlin, in an emotional social media post.

Frances Sternhagen, the two-time Tony Award winner known for roles in hit TV shows including Sex and the City, has died at age 93.

Her son, John Carlin, confirmed the news on Wednesday with a touching Instagram post.

“Frannie. Mom. Frances Sternhagen,” he wrote beside a carousel of photos. “On Monday night, Nov 27, she died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday. I will post more soon, but for now I just want to give thanks for the remarkable gift of an artist and human being that was Frances Sternhagen. She was beloved by many. I'm very lucky I was able to call her my mom, my friend, my song and dance partner.”

Sternhagen was an acclaimed actress of both stage and screen, whose film and TV credits include the likes of Sex and the City, ER, Cheers, Julie & Julia, and Independence Day.

Born Jan. 13, 1930 in Washington D.C., Sternhagen began her career by teaching acting, singing, and dancing to prep school kids at the Milton Academy. She made her Broadway debut in 1955 as Miss T. Muse in The Skin of Our Teeth, before arriving to the off-Broadway stage that same year in Thieves' Carnival. By the following year, she was a breakout and won her first Obie Award for her role in The Admirable Bashville.

Sternhagen continued her days on the Broadway stage across five decades, during which she was honored with seven Tony nominations and two wins — both for Featured Actress in a Play. Her first win came in 1974 for The Good Doctor, Neil Simon’s take on Chekov that saw her portraying multiple characters through various comedy skits. Two decades later, she won again for the role of Lavinia Penniman in the Broadway revival of The Heiress, based on Henry James’s novel Washington Square. Her additional nods came for The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Equus, Angel, On Golden Pond and Morning's at Seven.

Other notable roles include the titular character in Driving Miss Daisy, Mary in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night, and Mrs. Dowey in the World War I drama, Echoes of the War. As she became one of the New York stage’s most celebrated stars, Sternhagen simultaneously carved a name for herself in Hollywood.

TV lovers will remember the actress for her recurring, twice-Emmy nominated role as Cliff Calvin’s mother on Cheers. She also spent 17 episodes as Millicent Carter on ER, the grandmother of Noah Wyle’s Dr. John Carter. Sternhagen earned her third Emmy-nomination as Bunny MacDougal, the stuffy mother-in-law to Charlotte (Kristin Davis) in Sex and the City. On the big screen, her film credits include Independence Day, Misery, Raising Cain, The Mist, and Julie & Julia.

Sternhagen was married to actor Thomas Carlin from 1956 until his death in 1991. She is survived by her six children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

“Fly on, Frannie.” Sternhagen’s son wrote towards the end of his emotional post. “The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived.”

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