Tanya Roberts, an actress who found fame in the 1980s as a brave earth scientist in the James Bond film “A View to a Kill” and as a detective on “Charlie’s Angels,” died in Los Angeles Monday. She was 65.
Her death, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, was reported on Tuesday by her husband, Lance O’Brien. Her publicist, who was given false information, had announced her death to the media on Monday. And some news organizations published obituaries about her ahead of time.
Mike Pingel, the publicist, said Ms. Roberts collapsed on Monday after walking her dogs near her Hollywood home and was put on a hospital ventilator. He did not give the reason for her death but said it was not because of COVID-19. He said, “Ms. Roberts was not ill before she collapsed.”
Tanya’s big acting break came in her mid-20s when she appeared in the fifth and the last season of “Charlie’s Angels,” the drama series that follows the exploits of three attractive detectives who often fought crime wearing low-cut blouses, short shorts, and even bikinis.
The show was an immediate hit in the 70s, but its breakout star, Farrah Fawcett, left after one season and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd. Shelly Hack also left after just one season. Ms. Roberts returned Ms. Hack. Jaclyn Smith was a part of the show throughout its run.
Most remarkably, she was a ‘Bond Girl,” playing scientist threatened by a microchip-monopolist madman in “A View to a Kill.” It was Roger Moore’s last appearance as James Bond.
She returned to the public view in 1998 on the sitcom “That ‘70s Show” as the glamorous Midwestern mom of a teenage girl. In that role, she was slim, sexy, and beautiful.
According to Wikipedia, Tanya was her nickname. She began her career by running away from home to become a model when she was 16.
