Margaret “Peg” Phillips has died at the age of 84. I like her down to earth, tell-it-like-it-is persona. And her character on “Norhtern Exposure” was great. (One of my favourite Ruth-Anne eps. was when a well-meaning Ed bought her a grave plot for her birthday – she took the opportunity to dance on her own grave.)
She was a cool lady.
< mini-rant >
Somewhat stupidly, CNN wrote: "Phillips, an unrepentant smoker, died Thursday morning of lung disease at a suburban Seattle care center. "
She was 84!!!Eighty-frickin’-four!!! I’m not a smoker, myself, but underlining “smoking as cause of death” implies you’re wagging a finger with a “tsk! tsk! tsk!” and in this case, it’s kinda stupid. She lived to a ripe old age and got into acting after taking acting lessons at the age of 65. All the while smokin’ like a chimney. Not the best example of “see what happens if you smoke? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.”
I dunno why that bugged me, but it seemed unncessary.
I agree. Since when is it the media’s job to editorialize about a person’s cause of death? She was an “unrepentant smoker”? I lost respect for CNN some time ago (has anyone not seen the videotape of the puppy dying from exposure to a chemical agent, shown over and over and over…?), but now I think I’m about ready to write it off as just another ratings-grabbing purveyor of tabloid-type TV journalism.
Peg Phillips was a good actress. She’ll be missed.
I just read of this as well and it is too bad. She was one of my favorite characters from my favorite show. I just hope that when Larry Hagman dies, he is eulogized as a “repentant smoker.”
BTW, did anyone ever see her in anything besides Northern Exposure? I am just curious as Ruth-Anne’s persona seemed to correspond so well with Phillips’ real-life personality. I was wondering if her other characters came across the same way.
Oh no! I loved her character on Northern Exposure. She was a wonderful actress.
I think I saw her once on Seventh Heaven–I think she played the organist in the church? I could be mistaken though, I only watch that show once in a while with my daughter.
"She appeared in at least eight movies, a number of television commercials and made guest appearances in such TV shows as “7th Heaven,” “Touched By an Angel” and “ER.”
She appeared with Shirley MacLaine in “Waiting for the Light” (1990) and in the made-for-TV movies “How the West Was Fun” (1994) and “Chase” (1985)."
Gaffer an article (possibly the aforementioned CNN one) said she sometimes supplied her own dialogue for Northern Exposure which would explain why her own persona seemd so close to the character’s.
I remember her in bit parts in Dogfight and little guest spots on shows like “ER”.
Peg Phillips was one of my favourite “mature” TV ladies. (So is
Frances Sternhagen, who played Cliff Claven’s mom and is now Dr. Carter’s “Gamma” on ER.)
Margaret “Peg” Phillips has died at the age of 84. I like her down to earth, tell-it-like-it-is persona. And her character on “Norhtern Exposure” was great. (One of my favourite Ruth-Anne eps. was when a well-meaning Ed bought her a grave plot for her birthday – she took the opportunity to dance on her own grave.)