Tanya Roberts, a Charlie’s Angel and a Bond Girl, Is Dead at 65
Tanya Roberts, the breathy-voiced actress who found fame all by the 1980s as a detective on “Charlie’s Angels” and as a brave earth scientist all by the James Bond film “A View to a Kill,” died on Monday night time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time in Los Angeles. She was 65.
Her demise, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, was confirmed on Tuesday by her companion, Lance O’Brien. Her publicist, who was given inaccurate data, had launched her demise to the data media early Monday, and some data organizations revealed obituaries about her prematurely.
The publicist, Mike Pingel, talked about Ms. Roberts collapsed on Dec. 24 after strolling her canines near her Hollywood Hills dwelling and was positioned on a ventilator at the hospital. He did not give the rationale for demise, nonetheless talked about it was not related to Covid-19. He talked about she had not been noticeably unwell ahead of she collapsed.
Ms. Roberts’s monumental performing break obtained related associated acceptable acceptable related related acceptable associated related related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable associated related acceptable associated related acceptable associated related acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable related associated acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable related related acceptable associated related associated related acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable related associated acceptable related associated related acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable associated associated related related associated related related acceptable associated related associated associated associated acceptable associated acceptable associated acceptable acceptable acceptable associated related acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable associated related acceptable related associated related acceptable acceptable related acceptable related related acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable associated related acceptable associated associated acceptable associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated related associated associated related associated associated related associated related related acceptable acceptable related acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated associated related related associated related related related acceptable related acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable associated related associated acceptable associated related associated associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable associated acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable associated associated associated associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable associated related acceptable associated related acceptable associated related acceptable associated related related associated related related acceptable related related acceptable related related acceptable associated related acceptable acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated related associated associated related acceptable associated related associated acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable acceptable related related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable associated acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable associated related acceptable associated associated acceptable associated associated acceptable related associated acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable related acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable acceptable associated acceptable related associated related related acceptable acceptable related acceptable applicable acceptable acceptable applicable acceptable correct applicable acceptable correct applicable acceptable correct applicable right correct proper right here in her mid-20s, when she was protected all by the fifth and remaining season of “Charlie’s Angels,” the ABC drama assortment that, in quest of and promoting on its stars’ intercourse enchantment, adopted the exploits of three partaking former cops who often fought crime carrying non everlasting shorts, low-cut blouses and even bikinis.
The current was a direct hit in 1976, nonetheless Farrah Fawcett, its breakout star, left after one season, modified by Cheryl Ladd. Kate Jackson hand over in 1979, and her substitute, Shelley Hack, was gone after just one season. Ms. Roberts modified Ms. Hack. Jaclyn Smith appeared all by the gathering run.
There have been extreme hopes for Ms. Roberts when she joined the cast. Her character, Julie, had some of Ms. Jackson’s character’s streetwise attitude; Julie was known to knock a handgun right out of a tough criminal’s hand. Her part couldn’t save the show’s plummeting ratings, but it did lead to an active decade for her in Hollywood.
Most notably, she was a “Bond girl,” playing a geologist threatened by a microchip-monopolist madman (Christopher Walken) in “A View to a Kill” (1985), Roger Moore’s last appearance as Agent 007.
Ms. Roberts also appeared in “The Beastmaster” (1982), a fantasy film. And she played the title role in “Sheena” (1984), a highly publicized adventure film inspired by a queen-of-the-jungle comic book character. Sheena, a female Tarzan type, wore skimpy fur outfits with décolletage, rode a zebra, talked to animals and shape-shifted. The film flopped at the box office, and Ms. Roberts began fading from public view.
She returned to the spotlight in 1998 on the sitcom “That ’70s Show” as the glamorous, youngish Midwestern mom of a teenage girl (Laura Prepon). In that role she was beautiful, slim and sexy — and delightfully dimwitted. The comic mystery, year after year, was how her short, dumpy husband, played by Don Stark with frighteningly overgrown sideburns, had ever won her heart. Ms. Roberts appeared on the show for three seasons and later made guest visits.
She was born Victoria Leigh Blum in the Bronx on Oct. 15, 1955, the second of two daughters of Oscar Maximilian Blum, a fountain pen salesman, and Dorothy Leigh (Smith) Blum. According to some sources, Tanya was her nickname. She spent her childhood in the Bronx and lived briefly in Canada after her parents’ divorce. She began her career by running away from home to become a model when she was 15.
Back in New York, she studied acting, appeared in some Off Broadway productions and worked as a model and a dance instructor to make ends meet. Her modeling career included work for Clairol and Ultra-Brite toothpaste. She made her screen debut in the horror thriller “The Last Victim” (1976), about a serial rapist-murderer.
After “Charlie’s Angels,” Ms. Roberts acted in both television and films. Her roles included the private eye Mike Hammer’s secretary in the television movie “Murder Me, Murder You” (1983), a detective working undercover at a sex clinic in “Sins of Desire” (1993) and a talk-radio host on the erotic anthology series “Hot Line” (1994-96). Her final screen appearance was on the Showtime series “Barbershop” in 2005.
Even in her heyday, Ms. Roberts appeared not to enjoy being interviewed. Chatting with Johnny Carson on “The Tonight Show” in 1981, she laughed nervously, gave short answers and flirted with Michael Landon, her fellow guest. At one point, Mr. Carson mentioned a cover article about her in People magazine, prompting Ed McMahon, the host’s sidekick, to suggest, “Maybe there’s something in the magazine that’d be interesting.”
Ms. Roberts was a teenager when she married in 1971, but the union was quickly annulled at the insistence of her new mother-in-law. In 1974, she met Barry Roberts, a psychology student, while both were standing in line at a movie theater. They married that year. Mr. Roberts became a screenwriter and died in 2006 at 60.
In addition to Mr. O’Brien, she is survived by a sister, Barbara Chase, who was Timothy Leary’s fourth wife.
Ms. Roberts had always insisted that she was a New Yorker at heart, and not just because she hated driving.
“L.A. drives you crazy,” she said in the 1981 People magazine article. “I’m used to weather and walking and people who say what they mean.”
