Alice Hirson

Alice Corinne Hirson (née Thorsell; March 10, 1929 – February 14, 2025) was an American actress born in New York City and raised on Long Island. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1948 and built a career spanning stage, television, and film over several decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her recurring television roles as Mavis Anderson on the CBS prime time soap opera Dallas and as Lois Morgan, the mother of the title character, on the ABC sitcom Ellen.

Hirson began her professional life in the theater, working in off-Broadway productions before making her Broadway debut. Her Broadway credits, spanning 1964 to 1966, include the play Traveller Without Luggage and The Investigation. It was during this period that she met actor Stephen Elliott, in 1964. She had previously been married to dramatist Roger O. Hirson, with whom she had two sons. She and Stephen Elliott married in 1980 and remained together until his death in 2005.

Her television career opened with appearances on the anthology series Hallmark Hall of Fame and Starlight Theatre. She became a regular cast member on the CBS daytime soap opera The Edge of Night from 1969 to 1970, portraying Stephanie Martin. She then played Marcia Davis on Another World and its spin-off Somerset from 1970 to 1972, followed by the role of Eileen Riley Siegel on ABC's One Life to Live from 1972 to 1976. She also held a recurring role on General Hospital in 1982.

Transitioning to prime time, Hirson appeared in three made-for-television movies in 1977: The Death of Richie, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn, and Having Babies II. The following year she co-starred opposite Cicely Tyson in A Woman Called Moses. From 1982 to 1988, she played Mavis Anderson, friend and confidante of Miss Ellie Ewing as portrayed by Barbara Bel Geddes, on Dallas. In 1992, she was a regular cast member on the short-lived NBC sitcom Home Fires, starring Kate Burton. From 1994 to 1998, she played Lois Morgan, the mother of Ellen DeGeneres's character, on the ABC comedy series Ellen. From 1996 to 2006, she appeared in eight episodes of the WB family drama 7th Heaven as Jenny Jackson, the mother of Annie Camden, played by Catherine Hicks. She also held recurring roles on Murphy Brown and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and guest-starred on programs including Maude, The Waltons, Barnaby Jones, Barney Miller, Quincy M.E., St. Elsewhere, Full House, Law & Order, ER, NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, and Cold Case.

Hirson made her film debut in the 1971 crime comedy The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. In 1979, she appeared in the horror film Nightwing and played the First Lady of the United States in the comedy-drama Being There. Her additional film credits include Private Benjamin, Revenge of the Nerds, Mass Appeal, Blind Date, Bride of Boogedy, The Big Picture, The Glass House, and The Lost.

Hirson died on February 14, 2025, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital at the age of 95.