Diane Delano, known for her roles in the popular Nineties series Northern Exposure, has died aged 67.
The actor died at her home in Los Angeles, California, on Friday (December 13) after a brief illness, her agent Dennis Sevier confirmed.
Her cause of death has not been publicly announced, though Deadline reports it was cancer.
Delano is best known for playing Officer Barvara Semanski on CBS’s Northern Exposure, which ran for six seasons from 1990 to 1995. Her other film and TV credits included Nurse Roberta “Bobbi” Glass on Ryan Murphy’s WB Network series Popular, which aired from 1999 to 2001, and as Sister Beech in the 2006 movie The Wicker Man.
Born in Los Angeles on January 29, 1957, Delano begin acting at age 6.
Throughout her decades-long career, Delano also appeared in popular shows such as Mom, Mike & Molly, Everwood, Days of Our Lives, Desperate Housewives, Six Feet Under, Monk, Good Girls, Zoey 101, 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men and General Hospital.
As a voice actor, her credits included Rugrats, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Teen Titans, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, American Dad!, and Ben 10.
“When Diane entered any room you knew she was there! She was full of life and loved being an actor. She will be missed,” Sevier told People.
Delano won an Indie Series Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the made-for-TV film, Fumbling Through Pieces. She was also awarded the Best Ensemble Prize for her work in Relish at the Los Angeles Film Awards in 2019.
Her friend, Stepfanie Kramer, said of Delano in a statement to Deadline: “She was big and bold and brought her sharp wit and perfect comic timing to every role. Her earthy and raucous presence enabled her to always own the room. She was one of a kind.”
“Diane was destined to thrive within the entertainment industry,” said her cousin Rick Sparks. “Our grandfather, Myrtland Vivian LaVarre, was a New York stage actor who was convinced by Cecil B. DeMille to change his name to ‘John Merton’ and move his wife Esther and their six children out to Hollywood. Eventually, the entire family became working professionals in various aspects of the studio system. Uncle Lane Bradford would take Diane and cousins often to watch him film.
“Although it was in her DNA, I believe those early studio visits cemented Diane’s love for a life within the industry.”
