Who’s Still Alive From ‘Family’?
When Family premiered on ABC on March 9, 1976, it offered a more complicated portrait of family life than viewers were used to seeing on television at the time. Created by Jay Presson Allen, the show began as a six-episode limited series. Mike Nichols produced the pilot, while Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg oversaw the series. Strong ratings kept Family going for five seasons and 86 episodes, through June 25, 1980.
The family was headed by Sada Thompson and James Broderick, who starred as Kate and Doug Lawrence, with Gary Frank as their son, Willie, and Kristy McNichol as their younger daughter, Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence. Elayne Heilveil originated the role of their eldest daughter, Nancy Lawrence Maitland, before Meredith Baxter took over the part. John Rubinstein recurred as Nancy’s husband, Jeff Maitland, while Quinn Cummings joined the cast during the fourth season as Annie Cooper.
Several members of the cast are still with us today. Here’s what happened to them after the series ended.
Gary Frank (75) as Willie Lawrence
Everett Collection; Robert Greenwald Prod./Everett Collection
Frank played thoughtful middle child Willie Lawrence throughout the show’s five seasons. His performance earned him the 1977 Emmy for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. After Family, Frank appeared on The Love Boat, Remington Steele, L.A. Law and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as in the Eddie Murphy comedy The Distinguished Gentleman. More recently, he published Up From Down: A Journal, a personal account of his life and career.
Kristy McNichol (63) as Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence
Everett Collection; MEGA/GC Images
McNichol was 13 when Family premiered and quickly became the show’s breakout star as Buddy. She won supporting actress Emmys in 1977 and 1979, then received a lead actress nomination in 1980. After the series, she starred in Little Darlings, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, Only When I Laugh and White Dog, followed by a regular role on the sitcom Empty Nest. McNichol left that series in 1992 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, returned for its 1995 finale and formally retired from acting in 2001. In 2012, she came out publicly as a lesbian in hopes of helping young people who were being bullied. She has largely remained out of the spotlight since then.
Elayne Heilveil (78) as the original Nancy Lawrence Maitland
Everett Collection
Heilveil played Nancy Lawrence Maitland in the original six-episode limited series. When ABC continued Family as a weekly series, Meredith Baxter took over the role. Heilveil’s other television credits included The Rockford Files, The Waltons, Emergency!, Hawaii Five-O and Hill Street Blues. She later added writing and directing to her work. In 2025, she joined Gary Frank, John Rubinstein and other members of the Family company for a podcast reunion devoted to memories of the series.
Meredith Baxter (79) as Nancy Lawrence Maitland
Everett Collection; Ricardo Hubbs/LIfetime/Everett Collection
Baxter took over as Nancy after the first six episodes and earned two Emmy nominations for her performance. Two years after Family ended, she began her best-known role as Elyse Keaton on Family Ties, which ran from 1982 to 1989. Baxter later became a fixture in television movies, earning another Emmy nomination for A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story. Her more recent credits include Cold Case, Glee, The Young and the Restless, Finding Carter and the 2020 holiday film Christmas on the Vine. She published the memoir Untied in 2011 and has continued to appear onstage and at television reunions.
John Rubinstein (79) as Jeff Maitland
Everett Collection; TNT/Everett Collection
Rubinstein appeared in 12 episodes as Jeff Maitland, Nancy’s unfaithful husband and eventual ex-husband. He also composed the show’s theme and music for numerous episodes. Rubinstein had originated the title role in the Broadway musical Pippin in 1972, and in 1980 he won a Tony Award for Children of a Lesser God. He later starred opposite Jack Warden in Crazy Like a Fox and built a long list of stage, film and television credits. In recent years, he has toured in the solo play Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground.
Quinn Cummings (58) as Annie Cooper
Everett Collection; Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for SCI-Arc
Cummings was already an Oscar and Golden Globe nominee for The Goodbye Girl when she joined Family during its fourth season as Annie Cooper. Annie was adopted by the Lawrences after her parents, college friends of Kate and Doug, died in a car accident. Cummings’ last acting role came in a 1992 episode of Evening Shade. She went on to invent the HipHugger baby carrier and became an author and humorist. Her books include Notes from the Underwire, The Year of Learning Dangerously and Pet Sounds. She has also written online and hosted the podcast Quinn Cummings Gives Bad Advice.
In Memoriam
Sada Thompson (Kate Lawrence) died on May 4, 2011, at age 83 from complications of lung disease.
James Broderick (Doug Lawrence) died on November 1, 1982, at age 55 after a battle with cancer.
Priscilla Morrill (Elaine Hogan) died on November 9, 1994, at age 67 from complications of a kidney infection.
Louise Latham (Elaine Hogan) died on February 12, 2018, at age 95 from natural causes.
Mary Grace Canfield (Mrs. Hanley) died on February 15, 2014, at age 89 from lung cancer.
Where to Watch Family
You can stream it for free with ads on Tubi or catch it on MeTV.
Remind 
1970s Fall TV
September 2023
Take a trip back to the ’70s by looking at the TV Guide Magazine Fall Preview primetime lineups.
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