Actress Kathryn Kates, who starred in “Many Saints of Newark” and “Seinfeld,” has died at the age of 73.
The famous performance of the counterperson at Schnitzer’s Deli selling Babka and Marble Rye in the renowned Jerry Seinfeld comedy made her a TV, film, and Broadway stage actor.
Kathryn Kates, an actress who appeared in The Many Saints of Newark, Seinfeld, and Orange Is the New Black, has died. She was 73 years old at the time.
Kates, who had lung cancer, died quietly on Saturday, January 22nd, accompanied by her family, which included her sister Mallory, brother Josh, and his wife Sue Ann, according to her reps.
Kathryn has been a client of ours for many years, and we got even closer around a year ago after learning that the lung cancer she was treated for 20 years ago had returned, her representatives at Headline Talent Agency said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “She was courageous, intelligent, smart, and compassionate.” Kathryn poured her heart and everything into every character she’d ever done, as well as her everyday life. We will do everything we can to respect her illustrious legacy. One of the decent ones has been lost to the world.
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Kathryn Kates was born in New York City to Louis Kates and actress Madlyn Cates, and her career began in the 1980s with guest appearances on crime and procedural dramas such as Matlock, Judging Amy, and The Good Fight, followed by recurring roles in Jennifer Lopez’s Shades of Blue and the longest-running primetime live-action series, Law & Order: SVU, as Judge Marlene Simons.
Kate’s other memorable TV appearances include four episodes as Amy Kanter-Bloom in the Emmy-winning Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, Hilda Hoffman in the Al Pacino-led Amazon series Hunters, and perhaps most famously as the counterperson at Schnitzer’s Deli selling Babka and Marble Rye in Seinfeld.
Her last appearance on the big screen, as Angie DeCarlo in David Chase’s Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, would be one of her most memorable. However, the actress’ last screen appearance will be in an upcoming Apple TV+ series in which she will feature with fellow actor and friend Judd Hirsch.
Kates had a lengthy career in theatre, in addition to cinema and television. She was a founding member of the award-winning Colony Theatre in Los Angeles, where she worked for over 25 years as a co-general manager, co-producer, and performer in a variety of shows, often starring with fellow founding member John Larroquette.
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Kates graced Broadway and Off-Broadway stages, appearing in productions at acclaimed theatres like The Public, Urban Stages, The Soho Playhouse, The Cherry Lane, and Theatre Row in between touring across Europe with Saviana Stanescu’s Waxing West and serving as a company member of Daniel Talbott’s Rising Phoenix Rep.
Kathryn was a wonderful, intelligent, and compassionate person who loved the art of acting. Her representatives added, “She was always tremendously daring and smart, and she attacked every part with the utmost love.”
Kates is survived by her brother Joshua, sister Sue Ann, and nephew Ben, as well as their families.