# Beth Howland
**Beth Howland** (May 28, 1941 – December 31, 2015) was an American musical theater and television actress, born in Boston, Massachusetts, best known for playing the timid, accident-prone waitress Vera Louise Gorman on the CBS sitcom *[Alice](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-american-tv-series)* from 1976 to 1985[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland). On Broadway she originated the role of Amy in [Stephen Sondheim](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-sondheim)'s *[Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/company-musical)* (1970) and introduced the patter song (a fast comedic song with many rapidly delivered words) "Getting Married Today"[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1941, Boston, Massachusetts; December 31, 2015, Santa Monica, California, of lung cancer, at age 74[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland) • [2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland) |
| Signature TV role | Vera Louise Gorman on *Alice* (CBS, 1976–1985), a series based on the 1974 film *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*; four Golden Globe nominations for the role[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland) |
| Signature stage role | Amy in the original Broadway cast of *Company* (April 26, 1970 – January 1, 1972), singing "Getting Married Today"[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) |
| Other Broadway shows | *Damn Yankees* (1958), *Li'l Abner* (1958), *Once Upon a Mattress* (1959), *Bye Bye Birdie* (1960), *High Spirits* (1964), *Drat! The Cat!* (1965), *Darling of the Day* (1968)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) |
| Marriages | Actor Michael J. Pollard (from November 6, 1961; IBDB records the divorce in 1966, TV Insider gives 1961–1969); actor Charles Kimbrough from 2002 until her death[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/) |
| Children | One daughter, the actress Holly Howland[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/) |
| Emmy record | The Television Academy's database lists no Emmy nominations for her[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland) |
## Early life and Broadway career
Howland grew up in Boston as an only child and described her early years as shy and awkward; encouragement from a nun at her [Catholic school](https://www.edgepedia.org/catholic-school) led her toward acting and dancing, and she left home at 16 for New York[5](https://www.alicehyatt.com/cast-biographies/beth-howland-vera). Her Broadway debut came in the chorus of *Damn Yankees* in 1958, followed within two years by the original casts of *Li'l Abner* (as a Wife and in the singing and dancing ensemble), *Once Upon a Mattress* (as a replacement for Lady Beth), and *Bye Bye Birdie* (as a replacement for Carol and as swing)[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010). She also made her feature film debut in an uncredited role in the 1959 film version of *Li'l Abner*[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/).
Through the 1960s she took small parts in a series of musicals, including *High Spirits* (1964–65), *Drat! The Cat!* (1965), and *Darling of the Day* (1968), where she was in the original cast as both Rosalind and dancer[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) • [6](https://playbill.com/article/beth-howland-the-original-amy-in-company-dies-at-74).
## Company and "Getting Married Today"
In 1970 Howland joined the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim's *Company*, playing Amy, a neurotic bride who sings the rapid-fire patter song "Getting Married Today" on her wedding day[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) • [6](https://playbill.com/article/beth-howland-the-original-amy-in-company-dies-at-74). She later said she was not a singer and that Sondheim wrote the song for her range of three notes[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html). She returned to the role for a 1993 benefit concert presentation of the musical[6](https://playbill.com/article/beth-howland-the-original-amy-in-company-dies-at-74). In the *Company* cast she met her second husband, the actor [Charles Kimbrough](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-kimbrough), later known for *Murphy Brown*; they married in 2002[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/c90e3f39dba60b278799aa045f53ff9a).
Her first marriage, to the actor [Michael J. Pollard](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-j-pollard), began on November 6, 1961 and produced one daughter, the actress Holly Howland. IBDB records the divorce in 1966, while TV Insider states the marriage lasted from 1961 to 1969[3](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010) • [4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/).
## Alice
Howland's first television job was a 1972 guest appearance on *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* (as Linda Foster), followed by guest spots on *The Rookies*, *Love, American Style*, *Little House on the Prairie*, and *Eight Is Enough*[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html). On her third trip to Los Angeles she won the role of Vera on *Alice*, a CBS sitcom adapted from the 1974 Martin Scorsese film *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*, starring [Linda Lavin](https://www.edgepedia.org/linda-lavin) as a widow working at a Phoenix diner[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html). The cast also included [Vic Tayback](https://www.edgepedia.org/vic-tayback) as diner owner Mel Sharples and [Polly Holliday](https://www.edgepedia.org/polly-holliday) as Flo[2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland). In the film, the corresponding waitress role had been originated by Valerie Curtin[9](https://www.tvguide.com/news/alice-beth-howland-dead/).
Howland described Vera as a difficult role to play. "I found nothing to hook into, nothing tangible, but they hired me," she once said[2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland). The series ran nine seasons, from 1976 to 1985, and earned her four Golden Globe nominations[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland). She told the Los Angeles Times in 1987 that the biggest change the series brought was security: "Doing a series: It's like a vacation from worrying"[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html).
## After Alice
When *Alice* ended in 1985, Howland quickly took a role in *The Torch Bearers* at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, and in 1987 she played Miss Ritter in the California Music Theatre production of *She Loves Me* at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html). She then entered semi-retirement, with later appearances including *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), *Sabrina, the Teenage Witch* (1996), and *The Tick* (2001, as Bea)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/). Her other television credits included *[Cannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/cannon-tv-series)* and six appearances on *The Love Boat*[2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland).
## Death
Howland died of lung cancer on December 31, 2015, in [Santa Monica, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-california), at age 74. Her husband Charles Kimbrough announced the death on May 24, 2016, about five months later, in keeping with her wishes; she had also asked not to have a funeral or memorial service[2](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland) • [6](https://playbill.com/article/beth-howland-the-original-amy-in-company-dies-at-74). Kimbrough died in January 2023[8](https://apnews.com/article/c90e3f39dba60b278799aa045f53ff9a).
## A note on namesakes
The writer Bette Howland (1937–2017), a protégé of [Saul Bellow](https://www.edgepedia.org/saul-bellow) and a Chicago Literary Hall of Fame inductee, is a different person and should not be confused with the actress[10](https://chicagoliteraryhof.org/inductees/profile/bette-howland).
## References
1. [Beth Howland, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/beth-howland)
2. [Beth Howland Obituary Dec 31, 2015, Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/beth-howland)
3. [Beth Howland, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/beth-howland-77010)
4. [Beth Howland, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/beth-howland/)
5. [Beth Howland (Vera) Cast Biography, Alice TV Series](https://www.alicehyatt.com/cast-biographies/beth-howland-vera)
6. [Beth Howland, the Original Amy in Company, Dies at 74, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/beth-howland-the-original-amy-in-company-dies-at-74)
7. ['She Loves Me' Is Music to Beth Howland's Ears, Los Angeles Times (December 12, 1987)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-12-ca-6722-story.html)
8. [Charles Kimbrough, who played anchor in 'Murphy Brown,' dies, Associated Press (February 5, 2023)](https://apnews.com/article/c90e3f39dba60b278799aa045f53ff9a)
9. [Alice Star Beth Howland Dead at 74, TV Guide (May 25, 2016)](https://www.tvguide.com/news/alice-beth-howland-dead/)
10. [Bette Howland: Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Winner](https://chicagoliteraryhof.org/inductees/profile/bette-howland)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames He to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license