This is a list of notable people who have or had ovarian cancer, whose illness attracted publicity.
Ovarian cancer is a cancer that forms in or on an ovary. It results in abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. When this process begins, there may be no or only vague symptoms. Symptoms become more noticeable as the cancer progresses. These symptoms may include bloating, pelvic pain, abdominal swelling, and loss of appetite, among others. Common areas to which the cancer may spread include the lining of the abdomen, lymph nodes, lungs, and liver.
Acting Name Lifetime Comments ReferenceEvelyn Ankers1918 – 1985American film actressCeleb page: Evelyn Ankers, classicscreams.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Kathy Bates1948 –Oscar-winning American actress (later treated for breast cancer and lymphedema), survivingKathy Bates: "What I Know Now", aarp.org, October 2013; accessed November 14, 2014.Laurie Beechman1953 – 1998American actress/singer Obituary for Laurie Beechman, nytimes.com, March 10, 1998; accessed November 14, 2014.Marcheline Bertrand1950 – 2007American film actress; mother of Angelina Jolie and James HavenDiem Brown1980 – 2014American reality TV star (The Real World and Road Rules; died at age 34, nine years after diagnosis)"Diem Brown (The Real World and Road Rules) dies of cancer, aged 32", people.com, November 14, 2014; accessed November 14, 2014.Márcia Cabrita1964 – 2017Brazilian actressMárcia Cabrita morre aos 53 anos, g1.globo.com; accessed 11 November 2017.Ann Carter1936 – 2014American child actress (The Curse of the Cat People)Notice of death of 1940s child actress Ann Carter, variety.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Veronica Castang1938—1988British film, stage and television actressDeath of actress Veronica Castang, nytimes.com, 7 November 1988; accessed 14 November 2014.Carol Channing1921 – 2019American stage and musical comedy actressCarol Channing at 90 on surviving ovarian cancer, outinperth.com, March 13, 2011; accessed November 14, 2014.Cayle Chernin1947 – 2011Canadian actress, writer, and producerActress, writer, and producer Cayle Chernin dead at 63 from ovarian cancer, ctv.ca, February 20, 2011; accessed November 14, 2014.Caitlin Clarke1952 – 2004American actressCaitlin Clarke biodata, andywest.org; accessed November 14, 2014.Sandy Dennis1937 – 1992Tony Award and Oscar-winning American theater and film actressActress Sandy Dennis dies of ovarian cancer at age 54, news.google.com (archived); accessed November 14, 2014.Diana Dors1931 – 1984British actress, also known as Diana d'OrsDiana Dors biography, biography.com; accessed 14 November 2014.Susan Fleetwood1944 – 1995British film actressNotice of death of Susan Fleetwood, derekwinnert.com; accessed 14 November 2014.Lovette George1961 – 2006American actress and singer Broadway.com, accessed February 25, 2017.Lynda Gibson1956 – 2004Australian comedian and actressNotice of death of Lynda Gibson, theage.com.au (January 4, 2004); accessed April 11, 2014.Marjorie Gross1956 – 1996Canadian comedian and television writer/producer (Seinfeld)Obituary: Marjorie Gross, nytimes.com, June 16, 1996; accessed November 14, 2014.Dolly Haas1910 – 1994German-American actress and singerObituary for Dolly Haas, nytimes.com, September 17, 1994; accessed November 14, 2014.Joan Hackett1934 – 1983American actressNotice of death of Joan Hackett, news.google.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Cassandra Harris1948 – 1991Australian actress; first wife of Pierce Brosnan (died at age 43; Cassandra Harris's mother, Mrs. Roma Waites, and Harris' daughter, Charlotte Brosnan (aged 41), also both died of the disease)Death of Cassandra Harris, wife of actor Pierce Brosnan, people.com; accessed 14 November 2014.Cecilia Hart1948 – 2016American television and stage actressCecilia Hart, Actress and Wife of James Earl Jones, Dies at 68, hollywoodreporter.com; accessed October 28, 2016.Dianne Heatherington1948 – 1966Canadian film and television actressDeath of Dianne Heatherington, Canadian film and television actress, washingtonpost.com, October 13, 2010; accessed November 14, 2014.Madeline Kahn1942 – 1999American actress, singer and comedianDeath of Madeline Kahn, nytimes.com, December 4, 1999; accessed November 14, 2014.Tomoko Kawakami1970 – 2011Japanese voice actressNotice of death of Tomoko Kawakami, themarysue.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Grace Keagy1921 – 2009American musical theatre, soap opera and television actressManisha Koirala1970 –Bollywood actress and political activist, survivingBollywood star Manisha Koirala diagnosed with ovarian cancer, mid-day.com, November 2012; accessed November 14, 2014.Joyce Kulhawik1952 –American film critic and Boston television personality; former TV co-host of movie critic Leonard Maltin; survivingProfile of Joyce Kulhawik , dana-farber.org; accessed November 14, 2014.Marjie Lawrence1932 – 2010British actressSinnamon Love1973 –African American former pornographic film actress and director, survivingJanet Margolin1943 – 1993American film, stage, and television actressDeath of Janet Margolin, articles.latimes.com, December 21, 1993; accessed November 14, 2014.Mariann Mayberry1965 – 2017American actressMariann Mayberry obituary, chicagotribune.com; accessed August 1, 2017.Marin Mazzie1960 – 2018American actress and singerHeather Menzies1949 – 2017Canadian-American actress and model; widow of actor Robert Urich. Menzies-Urich died on December 24, 2017, aged 68, from brain cancerHeather Menzies profile, sound-of-music-interactive.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Mary Millar1936 – 1998British actress, most famous as "Rose" from Keeping Up AppearancesMary Millar dies at age 62, playbill.com; accessed 14 November 2014.Helen Simpson Morosini1933 – 2005mother of the late American singer/actress/activist Dana ReevePaid Notice of death of Helen Simpson Morosini (mother of Dana Reeve), nytimes.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Anita Morris1943 – 1994American actress, singer and dancer Akemi Negishi1934 – 2008Japanese film actress Notice of death of Akemi Negishi, tokyograph.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Kate O'Mara1939 – 2014English actressBeverley Owen1937 – 2019American actressJulie Parrish1940 – 2003American film, stage and television actressProfile: Julie Parrish, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Alice Pearce1917 – 1966American comedic stage, film and television actressProfile: Alice Pearce, classicimages.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Gilda Radner1946 – 1989American actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)Profile: Gilda Radner, biography.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Notice of death of Gilda Radner, latimes.com, May 21, 1989; accessed November 14, 2014.Rachel Rockwell1969 – 2018American actress, theater director and choreographerRachel Rockwell, Chicago director, choreographer dies at 49, chicago.suntimes.com; accessed June 1, 2018.Candida Royalle1950 – 2015American pornographic actress, producer and directorOrphaned ex-porn star Candida Royalle dies of cancer, nypost.com; September 7, 2015.Janet Seidel1955 – 2017Australian cabaret singer, jazz vocalist, pianist and music teacher; Bell Awards (2006) winnerLinda Smith1958 – 2006British actress/comedian; head of the British Humanists' Association Cobie Smulders1982 –Canadian actress and model; survivingShowing My Scars, Lenny Letter; accessed November 2, 2016.Smita Talwalkar1954 – 2014Indian Bollywood actress, director and producer Notice of death of Smita Talwalkar, timesofindia.indiatimes.com; accessed 14 November 2014.Smita Talwalkar obituary, mid-day.com; accessed 28 July 2018.Jessica Tandy1909 – 1994Oscar-winning (Driving Miss Daisy) British-born American stage, film and television actressTandy biodata, nytimes.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Bridgette Wilson1973 –American retired actress, survivingTera Wray1982 – 2016American pornographic actress, died of an apparent suicideTera Wray death, blabbermouth.net; accessed May 30, 2016.Celeste Yarnall1944 – 2018American actressLoretta Young1913 – 2000Oscar-winning (The Farmer's Daughter, 1947), American film and television actress Notice of death of Loretta Young, abcnews.go.com; accessed November 14, 2014.
Arts Name Lifetime Comments ReferenceRita Angus1908 – 1970New Zealand artist and painterBiography: Rita Angus, teara.govt.nz; accessed 14 November 2014.Nancy Graves1939 – 1995American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and filmmaker Obituary: Nancy Graves, utdallas.edu; accessed November 14, 2014.Sally Gross1933 – 2015American dancer, choreographer and teacher of danceObituary: Sally Gross, nytimes.com, July 26, 2015; accessed July 27, 2015.Barbara Hammer1939 – 2019American filmmakerBarbara Hammer, Pioneering Queer Experimental Filmmaker, Dead at 79, artnews.com, March 16, 2019.Denise Jefferson1944 – 2010American dancer/director of the Ailey School Death of dancer Denise Jefferson, nytiems.com, July 20, 2010; accessed November 14, 2014.Tamara Natalie Madden1975 – 2017Jamaican artistArtist who painted ordinary people into royalty dies at 42 , islandpacket.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Stephenie McMillan1942 – 2013British set decorator Oscar-winning set decorator Stephenie McMillan dies at her home in Norfolk, eveningnews24.co.uk; accessed 14 November 2014.Profile: Stephenie McMillan, latimes.com, August 22, 2013; accessed November 14, 2014.Suzanne Mizzi1967 – 2011British-Maltese glamour model, singer, interior designer and abstract artistSuzanne Mizzi dies in hospice in Hackney, eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk; accessed 14 November 2014.Miriam Mone 1965 – 2007County Armagh-born Irish fashion designerDesigner Miriam Mone's family secures £215,000 over cancer tragedy, herald.ie; accessed 14 November 2014.Profile: Miriam Mone, rte.ie; accessed November 14, 2014.Meryl O'Loughlin1933 – 2007American casting director and talent executive Notice of death of casting director/talent agent Meryl O'Loughlin at age 73, soaps.sheknows.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Meryl O'Loughlin, 73, television and film casting director, has died, obituaries.narkive.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Mary Oppen 1908 – 1990American activist, artist, photographer, poet and writerObituary for Mary Oppen, nytimes.com, May 16, 1990; accessed November 14, 2014.Melinda Camber Porter1953 – 2008British artist, author, poet, journalist and filmmakerMelinda Camber Porter obituary, nywift.org; retrieved 10 September 2013; accessed 30 June 2015.Beau St. Clairc. 1952 – 2016American film producer"Beau St. Clair, Pierce Brosnan's Producing Partner, Dies", variety.com; accessed January 22, 2016.Margi Scharff1955 – 2007American artist Notice of death of Margi Scharff, latimes.com, July 13, 2007; accessed November 14, 2014.
Business Name Lifetime Comments ReferenceDorothy Brunson1939 – 2011American businesswoman; first African American woman to own radio and television stationsNotice of death of businesswoman Dorothy Brunson , articles.baltimoresun.com, August 4, 2011; accessed November 14, 2014.Patricia C. Dunn1953 – 2011American businesswoman and former Hewlett-Packard executiveFormer Hewlett-Packard executive Pat Dunn dies after battle with cancer, online.wsj.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Evelyn Lauder1936 – 2011Vienna-born New York businesswoman, breast cancer awareness activist, and philanthropistProfile: Evelyn Lauder, medicalnewstoday.com; accessed November 14, 2014.Obituary for Evelyn Lauder, nytimes.com, November 13, 2011; accessed November 14, 2014.
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