Actress Jean Stapleton, 90, Dies

Actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as the fiery Edith Bunker on television’s All in the Family, died Friday, her family announced. She was 90. Stapleton won three Emmy Awards for her role as the “dingbat” wife of Archie Bunker, although the role ended up becoming the emotional heart of the show—especially when her character grappled with breast cancer, something not discussed on television in those days. Stapleton made her first Broadway appearance in 1953, but she did not become famous until the All in the Family role in 1971. In later years, she returned to Broadway and made several stabs at television again, including a guest stint on Murphy Brown, and appeared in the films Michael and You’ve Got Mail.