Emmy Nominee Suzanne Pleshette Dies

Bob Newhart Show's "Emily" appeared in Hitchcock classic The Birds

Suzanne Pleshette

Los Angeles, CA – Actress Suzanne Pleshette, widely remembered as Bob Newhart's wife "Emily" on top-rated 1970s sitcom The Bob Newhart Show, died of respiratory failure Saturday at her home in Los Angeles.

Pleshette, widow of actor Tom Poston, was 70. She underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer in 2006.

The New York native, who made her big screen debut in the Jerry Lewis' 1958 comedy The Geisha Boy, appeared in a number of dramatic films and comedies throughout her career such as Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Youngblood Hawke and Support Your Local Gunfighter.

Pleshette's television work includes Have Gun, Will Travel, Playhouse 90 and much more. She landed on the Bob Newhart series in 1972, where she earned two Emmy nominations.

The Broadway stage veteran garned an another Emmy nomination for her title role in the 1991 television movie Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean and most recently appeared on sitcom Will & Grace.

Archive of American Television talks with Suzanne Pleshette

In February 2006, Suzanne Pleshette granted the the Archive of American Television in in-depth interview.

She spoke in great detail of her career, from her earliest years to The Bob Newhart Show to more recent roles. With her trademark wit and candor, she recounted the many personalities she worked with along her journey.

The complete interview is available for viewing at the AAT office, located on the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences plaza in North Hollywood. You may also view this four-part interview here at Google Video. Contact the Television Archive at (818) 754-2800 for more information.

To learn more about this life and works of this American Archive of Television personality online, please visit the Archive of American Television Update blog.