Markie Post was in everything in the 1980's, from Hart to Hart to the Incredible Hulk to Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Eventually she became known for being a regular fixture on The Fall Guy for three seasons and then Night Court for seven. She was a brilliant straight man as Cameron Diaz's mother in the iconic zipper scene in There's Something About Mary.
I remember watching her in Night Court and thought of her as a really solid comedic actress, giving classic reaction shots of shock and disgust against John Larroquette's lecherously frenetic prosecutor character, so it actually took a while for me to realize, "Hey, wait a minute. She's hot!" I think that's what Hollywood loved about her, that she could be taken as a serious character first and foremost, in whatever role she had, but had phenomenal sex appeal simmering under a public defender's suit.
Yes, her looks were commonly exploited on shows where they would throw her in a bikini or the absurdly elaborate shiny red body suit on Buck Rogers for some perfunctory 80's ogling, but her talent carried her through as a regular working actor for 5 decades.
Ms. Post died on Saturday, following a near 4-year battle with cancer at the age of 70. While receiving chemotherapy treatments, Post acted in the Lifetime movie "Christmas Reservations" and appeared on the ABC series "The Kids Are Alright."
