Actress Jessica Walter, known to most audiences as Lucille Bluth in Arrested Development and Malory Archer in Archer, passed away in her sleep yesterday at the age of 80. The news was broken by Deadline earlier this afternoon.
Walter had a long and successful career well before her iconic turn as Lucille Bluth. She had memorable roles in films Play Misty for Me and The Flamingo Kid as well as Emmy-nominated turns on Trapper John M..D. and Streets of San Francisco. However, it was her Emmy-nominated role as Lucille that cemented Walter as a comedy legend to the internet generation.
Walter’s performance as the rich, mean, and hopelessly out-of-touch Bluth matriarch has been the inspiration for reaction images and quotable comebacks in the nearly two decades since Arrested Development’s run. Her delivery of lines like “What could a banana cost? $10?”, “Go see a Star War,” and “Good for her” have become ingrained in the cultural lexicon.
Walter is survived by daughter Brooke Bowman and grandson Micah Heymann. Bowman said in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica. A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off. While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre.”
Tributes poured out for Walter on social media, as people celebrated her incredible comedic timing and performances.
The best of Lucille Bluth.
Rest, Jessica Walter. And thanks… pic.twitter.com/3gglTGdhwu
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) March 25, 2021
Jessica Walter was iconic in the only way that really matters to me. Everything she said immediately became a thing nobody else possibly could have said. You will hear her voice when you ask how much things cost for the rest of your life
— Jess Zimmerman (@j_zimms) March 25, 2021
RIP Jessica Walter. I don’t know if any actor ever conveyed more with a wink. Her Lucille Bluth was the best satire of the smug rich ever done. Her voice all transatlantic arrogance, vodka delusion, and charming ignorance. The Motherboy episode alone, my god. A true comic genius. pic.twitter.com/nwMPzfbD6i
— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) March 25, 2021
I think Jessica Walter’s Lucille Bluth was the single funniest TV performance I can think of. The writing and everything put her in a position to succeed and all that, but she just couldn’t have been better in it.
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) March 25, 2021
Walter’s family has asked that people make donations to Guiding Eyes for the Blind instead of sending flowers.
Source: https://news.knowyourmeme.com/news/rip-jessica-walter