WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.540 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today, we are focusing 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:05.040 our analytical lens on a performer who managed 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:07.839 to be, well, the very definition of a Hollywood 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.800 iconoclast. The actor who walked away from guaranteed 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.619 fame, constantly embraced the eccentric, yet 00:00:13.619 --> 00:00:16.019 almost by accident, delivered one of the most 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:18.760 recognizable and beloved screen performances 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:22.120 of the 20th century. I am talking, of course, 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:24.899 about Sally Kellerman. And while you really can't 00:00:24.899 --> 00:00:27.420 introduce her without instantly citing her signature 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:31.379 role, the tightly wound yet secretly vulnerable 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:35.759 Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan in Robert Altman's 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:39.000 revolutionary 1970 film. Oh, absolutely. The 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.490 definitive role. That performance is really only 00:00:41.490 --> 00:00:44.490 the entry point to a wildly surprising six -decade 00:00:44.490 --> 00:00:46.429 journey. That role certainly launched her into 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:48.369 the stratosphere, didn't it? Securing her an 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:50.649 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting 00:00:50.649 --> 00:00:53.189 Actress. But our deep dive today reveals that 00:00:53.189 --> 00:00:56.030 her career was, well, just a staggering tapestry 00:00:56.030 --> 00:00:58.609 of contradictions. You know, a profound internal 00:00:58.609 --> 00:01:01.149 shyness battled against an imposing physical 00:01:01.149 --> 00:01:04.780 presence. A lifelong talent for singing. that 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:07.900 she constantly sort of suppressed, and maybe 00:01:07.900 --> 00:01:10.579 most interestingly, a willingness to reject the 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:13.239 conventional path. Exactly. We have sources covering 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:15.280 pretty much everything. From her earliest struggles 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.040 in 1960s television, you know, being typecast 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:21.859 as the frigid woman, to her deep, sometimes tumultuous 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:23.959 collaborations with Robert Altman, the decades 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:26.480 -long second act of her singing career, and the 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:29.079 truly profound vulnerability she shared later 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:31.870 in life through her memoir. So our mission today 00:01:31.870 --> 00:01:34.269 is really to dissect the trajectory of this performer 00:01:34.269 --> 00:01:37.909 who had the presence of a leading woman, but 00:01:37.909 --> 00:01:40.450 maybe the soul of a character actor. How did 00:01:40.450 --> 00:01:42.650 she successfully navigate Hollywood for so long, 00:01:42.750 --> 00:01:45.629 moving effortlessly and sometimes quite regretfully 00:01:45.629 --> 00:01:48.670 between high art, cult sci -fi and commercial 00:01:48.670 --> 00:01:51.069 success? Let's begin with a surprising fact that 00:01:51.069 --> 00:01:52.909 I think really captures her incredible range 00:01:52.909 --> 00:01:55.599 and longevity. She earned that prestigious Academy 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.680 Award nomination for MAH in 1971, which, you 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.620 know, places her firmly in the pantheon of cinematic 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:04.200 greats. For sure. A huge moment. Now fast forward 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:08.259 44 years. In 2015, she was nominated for a Daytime 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:11.120 Emmy for her guest role on the soap opera The 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:14.819 Young and the Restless. Wow, 44 years. That's 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:18.060 incredible. At incredible span of time and that 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:21.659 breadth of media, from Oscar bait satire to high 00:02:21.659 --> 00:02:25.000 drama daytime television, it's truly a testament 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.360 to her adaptability, right? Absolutely. Okay, 00:02:27.419 --> 00:02:29.900 let's unpack this. We are looking at a performer 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:32.120 who seemed to make a career out of saying no, 00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:35.199 often marching to the beat of her own drum, which 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:38.180 led to both spectacular wins and, well, some 00:02:38.180 --> 00:02:41.439 pretty spectacular regrets. To understand that 00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:43.599 tension, we really have to start at the beginning, 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:45.740 sort of defining the paradox that was her early 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:48.120 life. Yeah, the foundation of Kellerman's personality 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.960 was certainly built on contrast. She was born 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.139 Sally Claire Kellerman in Long Beach, California, 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:57.120 back in 1937. On paper, her family life sounds 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.379 stable and financially successful. Her father, 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:02.599 John Helm Kellerman, was a Shell Oil executive 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:05.300 who had moved from St. Louis. And her mother, 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:07.879 Edith Bain, was a piano teacher who raised her 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:09.939 in the specific traditions of the Christian science 00:03:09.939 --> 00:03:12.240 faith. So you have this seemingly traditional, 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.180 comfortable, almost corporate background. But 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:18.080 then you look at her personal disposition. The 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.319 family eventually settled in Park La Brea in 00:03:20.319 --> 00:03:22.780 Los Angeles, and she was physically striking. 00:03:22.879 --> 00:03:26.539 I mean, standing five feet, 10 .5 inches. She 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:28.979 would have been an imposing figure in any room, 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:32.300 even as a teenager. Right. Cool. Yet our sources 00:03:32.300 --> 00:03:35.020 detail that despite her height and very visible 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:38.159 presence, she was profoundly shy, which just 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:40.199 seems like a complete contradiction. It is a 00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:42.400 profound irony, isn't it? She attended Hollywood 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:45.199 High. But this shyness was such a barrier that 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.460 she actually recounts receiving poor grades and 00:03:47.460 --> 00:03:49.960 making very few friends. Really? Hollywood high? 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:52.379 Yeah. The only classes where she consistently 00:03:52.379 --> 00:03:55.240 excelled were choir and physical education. So 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:57.240 this immediately establishes the core dichotomy 00:03:57.240 --> 00:03:59.960 of her persona. This large, highly visible body 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:02.340 struggling internally with deep social reticence 00:04:02.340 --> 00:04:05.500 and apparently academic anxiety. She was naturally 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:07.560 expressive through movement and voice, it seems, 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:10.539 but recoiled from personal connection. And this 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.360 internal struggle had major professional consequences 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:15.539 right out of the gate, especially concerning 00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:17.579 her singing. I mean, think about this opportunity. 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:21.000 At the age of 18, she submitted a demo recording 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:23.699 and somehow landed a contract with none other 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:26.120 than Norman Grants. Norman Grants, the Verve 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.459 Records founder, legend. Exactly. This was an 00:04:29.459 --> 00:04:31.779 immediate invitation to professional musical 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:34.680 stardom, a path most aspiring performers would, 00:04:34.759 --> 00:04:37.560 you know, run toward. Oh, absolutely. A golden 00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:39.910 ticket. But she walked away from it. She did. 00:04:40.149 --> 00:04:42.850 The source states she was so daunted by the task 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:44.829 of becoming a recording artist that she just 00:04:44.829 --> 00:04:47.529 quit the contract. It's an incredibly striking, 00:04:47.750 --> 00:04:50.470 almost self -sabotaging decision that really 00:04:50.470 --> 00:04:52.949 sets up a lifelong tension, doesn't it? It really 00:04:52.949 --> 00:04:55.250 does. She excelled in choir. She was clearly 00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:57.889 musically talented. Yet the pressure of becoming 00:04:57.889 --> 00:05:01.529 a singular, exposed star, a performer of music, 00:05:01.689 --> 00:05:05.129 it just paralyzed her. The shyness overpowered 00:05:05.129 --> 00:05:07.670 the ambition. It makes sense then that she pivoted 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:10.050 to acting, which allowed her to maybe inhabit 00:05:10.050 --> 00:05:13.230 characters and use a mask perhaps to overcome 00:05:13.230 --> 00:05:16.189 that reticence. This led her to an acting foundation 00:05:16.189 --> 00:05:19.189 that is, frankly, steeped in Hollywood history. 00:05:19.389 --> 00:05:21.850 She attended Los Angeles City College for a year 00:05:21.850 --> 00:05:24.209 before enrolling in Jeff Corey's legendary acting 00:05:24.209 --> 00:05:26.750 class. Right, Jeff Corey. And you have to name 00:05:26.750 --> 00:05:29.949 drop her classmates here because the group that 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:32.550 coalesced in that room was just an unusually 00:05:32.550 --> 00:05:34.910 prestigious group of rising stars. Okay, who 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:37.279 was there? In Corey's class, she studied alongside 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:40.560 people like Shirley Knight, Jack Nicholson, Dean 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.560 Stockwell, and Robert Blake. This wasn't some 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.120 casual amateur course. It was a deeply intense, 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:49.060 method -influenced environment, kind of a factory 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:51.759 for future Hollywood icons who were all just 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:53.860 scraping by at the time. Yeah, and the reality 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:55.579 of the struggle is really highlighted by how 00:05:55.579 --> 00:05:58.480 she paid those instruction fees. To afford Corey's 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:00.500 demanding instruction, she worked as a waitress 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:02.300 at the Chez Paulette coffeehouse. Oh, right. 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:05.829 The industry hangout. Exactly. A notorious industry 00:06:05.829 --> 00:06:08.709 hangout frequented by established film stars. 00:06:08.970 --> 00:06:11.430 She was literally serving the industry she was 00:06:11.430 --> 00:06:14.029 desperately trying to join, getting her training 00:06:14.029 --> 00:06:16.790 alongside these future greats, all while struggling 00:06:16.790 --> 00:06:19.350 with this profound shyness and intense professional 00:06:19.350 --> 00:06:22.569 pressure. Yeah, that background, the shyness, 00:06:22.610 --> 00:06:25.430 the working class grind, the intense acting cohort. 00:06:25.790 --> 00:06:28.329 It really set the stage for what turned out to 00:06:28.329 --> 00:06:31.550 be a pretty frustrating 1960s for her. Her first 00:06:31.550 --> 00:06:35.199 screen debut, Reform School Group. in 1957 confirmed 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:37.360 she was kind of in the thick of B -movie territory 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:40.019 early on. Right. But the rest of the decade saw 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:43.199 her caught in that painful TV grind. That TV 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:45.740 grind really defined her early professional identity, 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.019 didn't it? It forced her into roles that utterly 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:50.399 suppressed the comedic and eccentric talent we 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:52.519 now associate with her. Her frustration with 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:54.500 this period is perfectly summarized in a quote 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:57.079 from a 1971 Life magazine interview she gave 00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:00.079 immediately after her MAH breakthrough. She said, 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:01.879 and I think this is just heartbreakingly revealing, 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:04.540 it took me eight years to get into TV and six 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:07.360 years to get out. Wow, eight years. Frigid women. 00:07:07.819 --> 00:07:10.060 Alcoholics they gave me. I got beat up, raped, 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:13.160 and never played comedy. Oof. That quote is really 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:14.980 the key to understanding her pivot, isn't it? 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.459 She was a strikingly beautiful, tall, commanding 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:20.560 woman. But Hollywood typecasting in the 1960s 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.180 TV dramatic landscape immediately restricted 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:25.120 her to playing these two -dimensional victims 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.980 or seductresses or villains, the ones who were 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:29.639 sexually or physically assaulted or the ones 00:07:29.639 --> 00:07:31.519 who were just emotionally shut down. Exactly. 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:34.870 And if you look at her extensive resume. During 00:07:34.870 --> 00:07:37.569 that era, I mean, episodes of Burke's Law, Mannix, 00:07:37.730 --> 00:07:41.790 the FBI, the man from UNCLE, she was relentlessly 00:07:41.790 --> 00:07:44.850 cast as the dramatic prop. This detail shows 00:07:44.850 --> 00:07:47.370 exactly how restrictive the roles were for women 00:07:47.370 --> 00:07:50.589 who didn't fit a specific, maybe softer or more 00:07:50.589 --> 00:07:53.370 domestic mold in television back then. It really 00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:55.949 sets up why her comedic breakthrough in MAH wasn't 00:07:55.949 --> 00:07:58.490 just a career win. It felt like an artistic liberation 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:00.529 from years of playing these deeply miserable 00:08:00.529 --> 00:08:03.399 characters. But even within that decade of frustration, 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:06.600 she did secure roles that cemented her in cult 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:09.639 classic status forever, particularly in the realm 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:12.379 of science fiction, which ironically often seemed 00:08:12.379 --> 00:08:15.160 to offer more complex roles than mainstream drama 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.240 at the time. That sci -fi resume is surprisingly 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:21.860 strong and actually highly influential. She appeared 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:24.500 in two episodes of The Outer Limits back in 63 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:28.250 and 64. Oh, yeah. Outer Limits, great show. Including 00:08:28.250 --> 00:08:30.430 the really influential episode, The Bolero Shield, 00:08:30.709 --> 00:08:33.870 where she played Judith Bolero, the manipulative 00:08:33.870 --> 00:08:37.230 and ruthless wife opposite Martin Landau. These 00:08:37.230 --> 00:08:39.450 roles required a certain intellectual sharpness. 00:08:39.570 --> 00:08:42.149 Absolutely. And the role that guarantees her 00:08:42.149 --> 00:08:44.230 perpetual convention attendance for life, of 00:08:44.230 --> 00:08:47.769 course, is Star Trek. In 1966, she played Dr. 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:50.070 Elizabeth Danner, the ship's psychiatrist who 00:08:50.070 --> 00:08:51.830 studied the long -term effects of space on the 00:08:51.830 --> 00:08:54.590 crew in Where No Man Has Gone Before. Ah, yes. 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:57.340 Dr. Daner. That was the second pilot episode 00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:59.220 for the original series, right? Broadcast is 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:01.019 the third episode of the first season. That's 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:03.200 the one. And even though it was just a single 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.899 appearance, her role was absolutely pivotal. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.000 She was the intelligent grounding foil to Kirk 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:12.000 and Spock. It demonstrated her capability to 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:15.039 handle complex intellectual roles, even when 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.320 she was still primarily struggling for recognition 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:19.789 elsewhere. Beyond television, there was also 00:09:19.789 --> 00:09:22.789 this fascinating Broadway blip in 1966 that is 00:09:22.789 --> 00:09:25.629 often cited as sort of a cautionary tale of theatrical 00:09:25.629 --> 00:09:29.429 failure. She was cast as Mag Wildwood in the 00:09:29.429 --> 00:09:31.450 original Broadway production of Breakfast at 00:09:31.450 --> 00:09:34.169 Tiffany's. Oh, that show, yes. A notoriously 00:09:34.169 --> 00:09:36.529 troubled and expensive production. It starred 00:09:36.529 --> 00:09:38.600 Richard Chamberlain. directed by Joseph Anthony, 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:41.600 scored by Bob Merrill. But it suffered from massive 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.179 script issues, constantly changing writers and 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:46.100 directors during previews. Yeah, it famously 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:48.139 closed after only four preview performances, 00:09:48.620 --> 00:09:52.000 costing millions in 1966 dollars. A huge flop. 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.659 A legendary flop. But Kellerman's commitment 00:09:54.659 --> 00:09:57.399 to the musical was documented. Despite the show's 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:00.019 quick demise, she actually recorded three songs 00:10:00.019 --> 00:10:02.139 for the original cast recording. Oh, interesting. 00:10:02.220 --> 00:10:03.960 So there's a record of it. Yeah, it's another 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:06.100 example of her high hopes kind of crashing quickly, 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:08.740 symptomatic of that frustrating decade, but also 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:11.139 demonstrating her unwavering musical ability 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:14.580 even then. As the 60s closed, she started edging 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:17.080 toward bigger film roles, right? She played the 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:20.059 severely beaten and only surviving victim of 00:10:20.059 --> 00:10:22.659 Albert DeSalvo in the harrowing The Boston Strangler 00:10:22.659 --> 00:10:26.080 in 1968. Which showed she could handle intense 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:28.840 dramatic material, definitely. And she played 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:31.519 Phyllis Brubaker, Jack Lemmon's materialistic 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:34.039 wife, in the romantic comedy The April Fools 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:37.759 in 1969. So the comedic promise was sort of there, 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.080 maybe bubbling under. Maybe, but she was still 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:42.340 largely stuck in supporting dramatic or straight 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:45.360 roles, often playing the foil rather than the 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.700 comic engine. She apparently even turned down 00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:50.000 a role in Paul Mazursky's Bob and Carol and Ted 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.539 and Alice around this time. Really? Another big 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:54.879 one potentially missed. Again, showing that tendency 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:57.580 toward caution or maybe just not seeing the potential. 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:00.039 All of this history truly underlines how utterly 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:03.120 transformative Amayesh was, which brings us neatly 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.100 to her zenith in the 1970s and the complex, deeply 00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:08.240 analyzed story of her partnership with director 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:11.259 Robert Altman. Yeah, Amayesh was the seismic 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:14.659 shift in 1970. Her performance as Major Houlihan, 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:17.299 that character whose professional rigidity just 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:21.200 masks a total lack of emotional security. It 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.700 catapulted her to fame. Instantly. It earned 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:25.960 her the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:29.220 Actress, a Golden Globe nomination, and she won 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:32.240 the KCFCC, which is the Kansas City Film Critics 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.279 Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress. So 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.539 the industry finally recognized not only her 00:11:37.539 --> 00:11:40.000 beauty, but her unique ability to blend that 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.240 sharp comedic timing with intense vulnerability. 00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:45.539 She was instantly elevated, featured prominently 00:11:45.539 --> 00:11:47.759 in Life magazine. And maybe most importantly, 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:50.600 she found her true artistic partner in Robert 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:53.639 Altman. Yes, becoming something of his muse for 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:56.440 that era. Their relationship seemed based on 00:11:56.440 --> 00:11:58.960 trust and a shared understanding of kind of irreverent 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:01.830 filmmaking. Altman became central to her professional 00:12:01.830 --> 00:12:04.490 identity largely because he understood how to 00:12:04.490 --> 00:12:07.350 use her unique presence, often with an element 00:12:07.350 --> 00:12:10.110 of satire or absurdity that Hollywood had previously 00:12:10.110 --> 00:12:12.289 just ignored. And their collaborations were frequent, 00:12:12.370 --> 00:12:15.139 weren't they? Oh, yeah. Right after MAH, she 00:12:15.139 --> 00:12:17.740 was in Brewster McLeod in 1970, which is such 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:21.080 a fascinating contrast. In MAH, she's grounded, 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.440 albeit absurdly. In Brewster McLeod, she played 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:27.720 Louise, the almost mythological, aloof guardian 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:30.240 angel to Bedcourt's character. Right, the bird 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.019 man. And she even recorded Rockabye Baby for 00:12:33.019 --> 00:12:35.240 that soundtrack. So Altman immediately used her 00:12:35.240 --> 00:12:38.440 in this surreal, almost mythological way, breaking 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.000 her free from the constraints of realism. And 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.100 this professional relationship spanned decades, 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:45.899 really defining a huge portion of her career. 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:49.299 She was in Welcome to L .A. in 1976, which Altman 00:12:49.299 --> 00:12:52.740 produced. Then she appeared as herself in the 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:55.460 brilliant meta -Hollywood masterpiece The Player 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.940 in 1992, which really highlighted her status 00:12:57.940 --> 00:13:00.519 as a genuine industry icon by then. And later 00:13:00.519 --> 00:13:03.080 she played Sissy Wanamaker, the slightly unhinged 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.399 editor -in -chief of Harper's Bazaar, in Pret 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:08.200 -a -Porter in 1994, that huge, sprawling ensemble 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:10.730 piece. Right, another Altman ensemble. And they 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:12.830 collaborated one last time on an episode of his 00:13:12.830 --> 00:13:16.669 short -lived TV series Gun in 1997. This continuity 00:13:16.669 --> 00:13:19.690 suggests a really powerful artistic bond rooted 00:13:19.690 --> 00:13:22.409 in mutual professional respect. But this bond, 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:25.350 rooted in respect, is also central to one of 00:13:25.350 --> 00:13:27.710 the biggest, most publicized regrets of her entire 00:13:27.710 --> 00:13:30.450 career, the famous Nashville story. Ah, yes. 00:13:30.649 --> 00:13:33.169 This is where her internal contradiction, that 00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:35.330 need for validation colliding with the desire 00:13:35.330 --> 00:13:38.230 for authenticity, really comes into sharp focus. 00:13:38.789 --> 00:13:42.070 Indeed. Altman called her to offer her a part 00:13:42.070 --> 00:13:45.470 in his 1975 film Nashville, which would become 00:13:45.470 --> 00:13:47.429 one of the most iconic films of the decade, a 00:13:47.429 --> 00:13:49.529 true American classic. And the first thing she 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:53.129 did was hesitate. She hesitated. She asked him, 00:13:53.149 --> 00:13:55.730 only if it's a good part. Oh, no, you don't ask 00:13:55.730 --> 00:13:59.549 Altman that. Exactly. And Altman, equally stubborn 00:13:59.549 --> 00:14:02.629 and famous, well, arrogant, promptly hung up 00:14:02.629 --> 00:14:05.110 on her, just clicked off. effectively withdrawing 00:14:05.110 --> 00:14:07.309 the offer. Wow. So she turned down a role in 00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:10.149 an Oscar -nominated masterpiece based on a momentary 00:14:10.149 --> 00:14:12.950 professional peak, a fear that she'd be underutilized 00:14:12.950 --> 00:14:16.549 or, worse, typecast again. It seemed so. And 00:14:16.549 --> 00:14:19.450 she lived to deeply regret that decision. She 00:14:19.450 --> 00:14:21.590 wrote about it later, noting that she cheated 00:14:21.590 --> 00:14:23.549 herself out of working with someone she loved. 00:14:23.809 --> 00:14:26.730 It reveals her need for that professional validation, 00:14:26.870 --> 00:14:30.360 the question, is this part worthy of me? that 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:32.639 cost her the opportunity. And the tragedy, she 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:35.820 realized, was the artistic loss. Precisely. She 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:37.940 noted, in that part, I would have been able to 00:14:37.940 --> 00:14:41.259 sing. Bad choice. That is the crucial connection. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.940 The regret wasn't just about turning down fame. 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:46.759 It was about denying herself the chance to finally 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:49.600 integrate her suppressed singing talent into 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:52.259 a high -profile, non -traditional acting role. 00:14:52.580 --> 00:14:55.039 Exactly the kind of hybrid performance that Altman 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:57.539 specialized in. It echoes her decision to walk 00:14:57.539 --> 00:14:59.659 away from the Verve Records contract years earlier, 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:02.159 doesn't it? Demonstrating that hesitation was 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:04.379 her defining professional hurdle. It really does. 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:06.659 And that wasn't the only massive role she rejected 00:15:06.659 --> 00:15:09.259 during that Zenith period, was it? No. He also 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:12.500 refused the part of Linda Rogo in the 1972 disaster 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:15.539 film The Poseidon Adventure. Another huge hit. 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:18.059 Which became a colossal box office hit. That 00:15:18.059 --> 00:15:20.919 role eventually went to Stella Stevens. So we 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:23.840 see this pattern. A willingness to walk away 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:25.940 from guaranteed commercial success and guaranteed 00:15:25.940 --> 00:15:28.820 fame, almost preferring the eccentric, complex 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:32.500 path. It speaks to a performer guided by highly 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:36.200 specific internal artistic criteria rather than 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:39.340 pure commercial ambition. She wanted the challenge, 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:41.700 maybe, not just the celebrity. I think that's 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:45.159 right. And despite the regrets, the 1970s following 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:47.700 MAH were incredibly busy and creatively diverse 00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:50.480 for her. She deliberately tackled difficult and 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.350 often unlikable roles. that fully utilized her 00:15:53.350 --> 00:15:55.870 comedic and dramatic abilities, reinforcing her 00:15:55.870 --> 00:15:58.629 status as an iconoclast. Right, like her role 00:15:58.629 --> 00:16:01.649 in Last of the Red Hot Lovers from 1972, she 00:16:01.649 --> 00:16:04.889 played a hostile, chain -smoking, sex -addicted 00:16:04.889 --> 00:16:06.690 woman trying to have an afternoon affair with 00:16:06.690 --> 00:16:08.649 Alan Arkin's character. I mean, that was deliberately 00:16:08.649 --> 00:16:11.090 anti -glamour, choosing material that was raw 00:16:11.090 --> 00:16:13.250 and humanly difficult. Absolutely. She followed 00:16:13.250 --> 00:16:15.450 that up by playing Kitty Kopetsky, an eccentric 00:16:15.450 --> 00:16:17.789 woman opposite James Cain in the road movie Slither 00:16:17.789 --> 00:16:20.909 in 1973. And then, showcasing her penchant for 00:16:20.909 --> 00:16:23.769 satire, she parodied the disaster genre she'd 00:16:23.769 --> 00:16:26.250 refused to join by starring in the scoof The 00:16:26.250 --> 00:16:29.529 Big Bus in 1976. The Big Bus, yes. Playing a 00:16:29.529 --> 00:16:32.230 wealthy passenger who becomes the subject of 00:16:32.230 --> 00:16:35.269 a media frenzy. These post -MH roles really demonstrate 00:16:35.269 --> 00:16:37.549 that she had absolutely no interest in chasing 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:40.389 conventional leading lady status. She seemed 00:16:40.389 --> 00:16:42.389 happiest when she was allowed to be strange, 00:16:42.649 --> 00:16:45.789 complex, or satirical, choosing roles that offered 00:16:45.789 --> 00:16:48.669 complexity and texture over simple stardom. And 00:16:48.669 --> 00:16:51.129 that brings us back full circle almost to that 00:16:51.129 --> 00:16:53.970 lifelong tension we identified earlier, her music 00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:55.990 career. She walked away from Verve Records at 00:16:55.990 --> 00:16:59.610 18, but the urge to sing. never truly left her 00:16:59.610 --> 00:17:02.309 did it no it seems it took that major film breakthrough 00:17:02.309 --> 00:17:04.369 for her to finally start recording professionally 00:17:04.369 --> 00:17:07.269 yeah this is truly a story of professional completion 00:17:07.269 --> 00:17:10.210 in a way her first actual album roll of the feeling 00:17:10.210 --> 00:17:13.609 was recorded on the deca label in 1972 shortly 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:15.970 after her film success granted her the necessary 00:17:15.970 --> 00:17:19.170 confidence and platform but then There was another 00:17:19.170 --> 00:17:22.849 huge gap. Right. Decades again. Yes. The hesitation 00:17:22.849 --> 00:17:25.150 resurfaced. Or maybe she just prioritized acting 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:27.069 and family for a time. It took another, what, 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:29.710 three decades plus for her second major release? 00:17:29.930 --> 00:17:32.809 Her second album, simply titled Sally, was released 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:35.950 in 2009. And what's truly fascinating about this 00:17:35.950 --> 00:17:39.809 late career album is the eclecticism of her interpretations, 00:17:40.029 --> 00:17:43.170 isn't it? Totally. It's pure jazz and blues interpretation. 00:17:44.080 --> 00:17:46.799 But the selection of material is iconoclastic 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:50.079 in itself. The album featured her takes on artists 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.500 as disparate as Linda Ronstadt, Garrow Smith, 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:56.309 and James Taylor. She was tackling rock and pop 00:17:56.309 --> 00:17:59.130 standards with a sophisticated, slightly gravelly 00:17:59.130 --> 00:18:01.789 jazz approach. Yeah. It feels like the confident 00:18:01.789 --> 00:18:04.690 sound of an artist who finally stopped apologizing 00:18:04.690 --> 00:18:06.750 for her talent. And her stage work during this 00:18:06.750 --> 00:18:08.750 period reflects this musical calling too, right? 00:18:08.970 --> 00:18:11.430 Yeah, she frequently returned to stage and cabaret, 00:18:11.509 --> 00:18:13.470 including a week -long run of concerts at the 00:18:13.470 --> 00:18:16.750 Grand Finale Club back in 1977. And she played 00:18:16.750 --> 00:18:19.450 the title role in a 1995 production of Mame, 00:18:19.569 --> 00:18:22.009 demonstrating her desire to integrate her musical 00:18:22.009 --> 00:18:24.630 theater roots. And as she moved into the... 2000s, 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:26.650 she performed in shows like Eva Ensler's The 00:18:26.650 --> 00:18:29.890 Vagina Monologues. And what a pair, a benefit 00:18:29.890 --> 00:18:32.670 for breast cancer research. These choices show 00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:35.130 an actor who valued meaningful, often progressive 00:18:35.130 --> 00:18:38.029 theatrical work alongside her commercial ventures. 00:18:38.190 --> 00:18:40.730 What's equally significant, though, perhaps more 00:18:40.730 --> 00:18:43.569 ubiquitous to the average person, is her voiceover 00:18:43.569 --> 00:18:46.430 work. Even if you didn't know her name, you almost 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:48.410 certainly recognized her voice. Oh, absolutely. 00:18:48.650 --> 00:18:52.329 It was so distinctive, deep, slightly smoky, 00:18:52.329 --> 00:18:55.289 and instantly recognizable as conveying a specific, 00:18:55.549 --> 00:18:58.589 non -traditional kind of glamour. Exactly. And 00:18:58.589 --> 00:19:01.049 she leveraged that vocal distinctiveness extensively 00:19:01.049 --> 00:19:03.910 for commercial work. Brands like Hidden Valley 00:19:03.910 --> 00:19:06.549 Ranch Salad Dressing. I remember those. Mercedes 00:19:06.549 --> 00:19:10.069 -Benz and Revlon all used her vocal talents. 00:19:10.369 --> 00:19:13.009 Her voice suggested sophistication and reliability. 00:19:13.829 --> 00:19:15.970 without being overly sweet, making her perfect 00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:18.930 for selling both luxury and everyday items. And 00:19:18.930 --> 00:19:21.170 she used that voice in animation, too, securing 00:19:21.170 --> 00:19:23.529 one of her most significant voice roles in the 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:25.690 mid-'80s, voicing Miss Finch in Sesame Street 00:19:25.690 --> 00:19:29.529 Presents. Follow that bird in 1985. Miss Finch, 00:19:29.529 --> 00:19:31.509 the rather officious social worker bird trying 00:19:31.509 --> 00:19:33.549 to return Big Bird to a flock of his own kind. 00:19:33.630 --> 00:19:35.730 It just shows that her voice could span from 00:19:35.730 --> 00:19:38.509 selling high -end cars to guiding Big Bird on 00:19:38.509 --> 00:19:41.380 his journey home. Quite the range. It really 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:43.819 is. It's a career built on embracing all avenues, 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:47.200 movies, TV, stage, music, and commercial voice 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:50.039 work. But to truly understand her professional 00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:52.339 contradictions and her eventual embrace of her 00:19:52.339 --> 00:19:54.519 authentic self, I think we have to look behind 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:56.839 the curtain into the highly personal struggles 00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.779 detailed so candidly in her 2013 memoir, Read 00:19:59.779 --> 00:20:02.779 My Lips, Stories of a Hollywood Life. Yeah, the 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:04.940 memoir was a critical piece of her later career, 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:07.599 wasn't it? Covering her trials and tribulations 00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:10.240 with remarkable honesty and painting a picture 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:12.500 of a past Hollywood that was far more complex 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:15.619 than the studio myth. It's a really unflinching 00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:17.559 look at her upbringing and personal struggles, 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:19.920 which often contradicted the glamorous image 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:22.819 she projected. And the most specific and profoundly 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.440 moving account relates directly back to her Christian 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:27.960 science upbringing. Just for context for the 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:30.259 listener, Christian science teaches that sickness 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:32.579 and physical ailments can be overcome through 00:20:32.579 --> 00:20:35.099 spiritual means and prayer, often discouraging 00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:37.519 the use of traditional medicine or doctors. Right. 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:40.119 Knowing the context makes this detail from the 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:43.400 memoir incredibly poignant. Her very first hospital 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:47.720 visit ever was in 1961 for a botched home abortion. 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:50.779 For her, raised strictly in a faith that avoided 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:53.220 conventional medicine, her first interaction 00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:55.480 with a hospital was due to a life -threatening, 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:59.400 clandestine procedure. It speaks volumes about 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:01.640 the conflict between her faith and the harsh 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:03.539 realities of her young adult life in Hollywood. 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:07.180 That's incredibly powerful. Moving to her marital 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:10.440 life, she had a brief first marriage to Starsby 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:13.579 & Hutch producer Rick Edelstein from 1970 to 00:21:13.579 --> 00:21:17.059 1972. Yeah, very brief. Which she openly described 00:21:17.059 --> 00:21:20.099 as contentious, noting they fought every day. 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:22.720 They divorced quickly. Her second marriage, however, 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:25.339 was a decades -long commitment to producer Jonathan 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:28.519 D. Crane, starting in 1980. This relationship 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:30.859 seemed to give her the stability and family structure 00:21:30.859 --> 00:21:34.750 she craved. They adopted newborn twins. And in 00:21:34.750 --> 00:21:37.250 1991, they even relocated the family temporarily 00:21:37.250 --> 00:21:40.369 to Jupiter, Florida, trying to escape the Hollywood 00:21:40.369 --> 00:21:42.569 pressure cooker. though they eventually returned 00:21:42.569 --> 00:21:45.009 due to financial constraints. But the stability 00:21:45.009 --> 00:21:47.289 of that marriage was severely tested, though, 00:21:47.349 --> 00:21:50.210 wasn't it? They separated twice, and one separation 00:21:50.210 --> 00:21:53.930 in 1997 -98 became pretty public news, stemming 00:21:53.930 --> 00:21:55.970 from Crane's widely known affair with actress 00:21:55.970 --> 00:21:59.150 Nastasja Kinski. Right. And this is a moment 00:21:59.150 --> 00:22:03.009 where Kellerman's unique, almost non -judgmental 00:22:03.009 --> 00:22:05.690 morality really shines through. She ultimately 00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:07.849 forgave him. She did, after a public affair. 00:22:08.170 --> 00:22:11.019 Yeah. The source details her justification, which 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:14.420 is rooted in her own history. She noted candidly 00:22:14.420 --> 00:22:16.599 that she herself had dated married men in the 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:19.759 past. This perspective is so rare in Hollywood. 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.900 It's rooted in this sense of shared human fallibility 00:22:22.900 --> 00:22:26.079 and a profound capacity for forgiveness rather 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:28.400 than public sanctimony. That's remarkable, actually. 00:22:28.420 --> 00:22:30.920 Beyond her romantic life, she also showed profound 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:34.339 personal commitment to family and advocacy, particularly 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:37.720 concerning the LGBTQ plus community, which she 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:40.140 felt a close connection to. This is a truly heroic 00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:42.599 chapter in her story, I think. Her oldest sister 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:44.599 came out as a lesbian and separated from her 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:47.019 husband back in 1967. Which was a much harder 00:22:47.019 --> 00:22:49.200 time to do that. Absolutely. A time when such 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.400 a move was far more difficult socially and professionally. 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:54.740 When her sister eventually moved to France, Kellerman 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:56.980 stepped in and adopted her sister's daughter, 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.759 Claire, raising her as her own. And she didn't 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:01.700 shy away from discussing this publicly, did she? 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:04.039 Linking it directly to her professional life 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:06.779 and advocacy work. No, she didn't. She was scheduled 00:23:06.779 --> 00:23:09.079 to play the title role in a never -released made 00:23:09.079 --> 00:23:11.700 -for -TV film called Mrs. Scrooge, which was 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:14.519 supposed to focus on AIDS awareness. Ah, okay. 00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:17.299 When promoting the film, she spoke openly about 00:23:17.299 --> 00:23:19.519 her sister's experience and her niece's adopted 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:22.640 daughter, calling her sister heroic for coming 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:24.819 out before it was more accepted and embracing 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:27.809 a life of authenticity. She also publicly supported 00:23:27.809 --> 00:23:30.130 Planned Parenthood at a press conference in 1999, 00:23:30.450 --> 00:23:33.210 showing a consistent, deeply rooted commitment 00:23:33.210 --> 00:23:36.049 to progressive and humanitarian causes that were 00:23:36.049 --> 00:23:38.890 integral to her family life. In her later career, 00:23:39.009 --> 00:23:40.930 she demonstrated that remarkable adaptability 00:23:40.930 --> 00:23:43.430 again, moving back into television, these highly 00:23:43.430 --> 00:23:46.210 engaging, eccentric roles that perfectly suited 00:23:46.210 --> 00:23:49.069 her mature persona and embraced the wisdom of 00:23:49.069 --> 00:23:51.250 her years. Yeah, she had a recurring role as 00:23:51.250 --> 00:23:53.829 Lola, an eccentric artist, in the Cinemax comedy 00:23:53.829 --> 00:23:56.720 Drama Chemistry in 2011. But perhaps her most 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.740 visible and critically acclaimed late career 00:23:58.740 --> 00:24:02.059 role was as Marc Maron's bohemian mother, Toni 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:05.099 Maron, on his series Maron from 2013 to 2016. 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:08.559 Oh, she was fantastic in that role. It capitalized 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.859 on her inherent sort of bohemian quality and 00:24:10.859 --> 00:24:13.460 her ability to be funny while still conveying 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:16.400 this deep, often strained maternal connection. 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:20.279 Maren's show specialized in that dark, observational 00:24:20.279 --> 00:24:22.940 humor, and she just fit seamlessly into that 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:25.119 world. She really did. And we return to those 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:27.940 critical honors late in life. She won an accolade 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:29.819 competition award for best supporting actress 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:33.339 for Nightclub in 2011, where she played a woman 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:35.359 with Alzheimer's living in a retirement home. 00:24:35.630 --> 00:24:37.950 Showing she could still tackle deeply serious, 00:24:38.089 --> 00:24:40.950 emotionally nuanced subject matter. Exactly. 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:43.170 And of course, the bookend to her career. Her 00:24:43.170 --> 00:24:45.690 nomination for a Daytime Emmy in 2015 for her 00:24:45.690 --> 00:24:48.049 guest role as Constance Bingham on The Young 00:24:48.049 --> 00:24:50.289 and the Restless. That ability to deliver quality 00:24:50.289 --> 00:24:52.670 work and garner nominations across such varied, 00:24:52.809 --> 00:24:55.609 demanding platforms, from Robert Altman to daytime 00:24:55.609 --> 00:24:58.450 soap operas, it's the ultimate testament to her 00:24:58.450 --> 00:25:01.000 talent and adaptability. Kellerman's incredible, 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:04.059 multifaceted journey sadly came to a close in 00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:07.519 2022. She died from heart failure at age 84, 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:09.839 having suffered from dementia in her final years. 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:13.240 It was a life lived very publicly and, thanks 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:15.880 to her memoir, often transparently, reflecting 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:18.200 both the best and the most challenging parts 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:20.980 of navigating a highly competitive industry with 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:24.720 a complex internal life. So let's maybe review 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:27.160 the powerful dualities that really define Sally 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:30.059 Kellerman. She was the serious This classically 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:32.319 trained actress who somehow mastered eccentric 00:25:32.319 --> 00:25:35.400 comedy and satire, often against her own initial 00:25:35.400 --> 00:25:37.839 career wishes, it seems. Right. And she was the 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:40.240 highly visible star who began her professional 00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:43.420 life profoundly shy and hesitant, walking away 00:25:43.420 --> 00:25:45.680 from her first major opportunity with Verve Records 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:47.660 because she was literally terrified of the spotlight. 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:50.319 And yet she became the persistent, if hesitant, 00:25:50.400 --> 00:25:52.519 singer who found confidence and success decades 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:55.200 later in jazz and blues, finally embracing the 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:57.490 talent she walked away from as a teenager. She 00:25:57.490 --> 00:25:59.690 was the Hollywood insider who somehow retained 00:25:59.690 --> 00:26:02.690 a critical, deeply personal perspective, offering 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:05.309 a level of honesty about her life, from career 00:26:05.309 --> 00:26:08.309 choices like the Nashville regret to her complex 00:26:08.309 --> 00:26:11.029 family struggles that few stars ever achieve. 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.819 Her career really suggests she was consistently 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:16.559 rewarded when she embraced the unexpected or 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:19.079 the unconventional roles, whether it was the 00:26:19.079 --> 00:26:21.400 accidental comedic brilliance of Hot Lips or 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:24.019 choosing the irreverent satire of The Big Bus 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:27.299 or playing the bohemian aging mother to a stand 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:30.539 -up comedian in a dark comedy series. Feels like 00:26:30.539 --> 00:26:32.420 she achieved her greatest success when she allowed 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:35.319 her true, complicated self to permeate the roles. 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:37.720 I think that's a great way to put it. Her legacy 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:39.559 is really that of an actor who stretched the 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.259 definition of the term character actress while 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:44.619 still achieving lead status and critical recognition. 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:47.660 She didn't fit neatly into any box, which made 00:26:47.660 --> 00:26:50.000 her unique, which perhaps made her initial career 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:52.720 so difficult. She was, in many ways, an enthusiastic, 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:55.579 iconic last who only truly found her voice in 00:26:55.579 --> 00:26:58.119 acting, singing, and life when she allowed all 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:00.319 her contradictions to surface. And this leaves 00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:03.119 us with a final provocative thought for you, 00:27:03.220 --> 00:27:06.140 the listener, to maybe consider. Sally Kellerman 00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:08.440 often found her greatest professional rewards. 00:27:08.910 --> 00:27:11.289 both the nominations and, it seems, the personal 00:27:11.289 --> 00:27:14.250 satisfaction, not by chasing the roles that guaranteed 00:27:14.250 --> 00:27:16.630 fame like Nashville or The Poseidon Adventure. 00:27:16.990 --> 00:27:19.950 Big hits, she turned down. Exactly. But by returning 00:27:19.950 --> 00:27:22.130 to the projects and relationships, like those 00:27:22.130 --> 00:27:24.529 with Altman and her late career television roles, 00:27:24.670 --> 00:27:26.970 that allowed her unique and complex personality 00:27:26.970 --> 00:27:30.109 to truly shine through. How often does turning 00:27:30.109 --> 00:27:32.109 down the guaranteed hit in favor of the more 00:27:32.109 --> 00:27:34.730 authentic, if maybe smaller, opportunity lead 00:27:34.730 --> 00:27:37.250 to a more profound and rewarding career in the 00:27:37.250 --> 00:27:40.539 long run? Something to chew on as you reflect 00:27:40.539 --> 00:27:43.779 on her incredible, iconoclastic six -decade run.