Famed comic actor Garry Shandling passed away on March 24 at the age of 66 in Los Angeles. The former star of The Larry Sanders Show never married and, as per the media’s glare, was only ever in one long-term relationship. That was with 58-year-old former Playboy model Linda Doucett.
An extensive New York Times feature on Shandling and Doucett’s relationship said they had met at a friend’s birthday party. After he came to see her in a play in Burbank, the two were soon living together. She was 33 when the couple met in 1987. Eventually, she got a role in The Larry Sanders Show.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. In September 1993, She Posed Naked for Playboy; When the Issue Appeared Her Character in ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ Also Modeled for the Magazine
To coincide with Doucett appearing in Playboy, Hugh Hefner made an appearance on The Larry Sanders Show.
In terms of her acting, Doucett is best known for his role as Hank Kingsley’s (Jeffrey Tambor) assistant Darlene Chapinni, on The Larry Sanders Show. She played the role between 1992-1994. A September 1993 episode, “Broadcast Nudes,” dealt with her character being asked to pose for Playboy, something that Doucett was also doing in real life.
To coincide with the appearance in the magazine, Hugh Hefner appeared on the show to help promote the issue. On her Instagram page, Doucett uses a photo of her and Hefner together as her profile pic.
2. Garry Shandling Settled a Sexual Harassment Lawsuit She Brought Against Him for $1 Million
(Getty)
After splitting from Shandling in 1994, Doucett left The Larry Sanders Show. Soon after she launched a lawsuit on Shandling and his manager Brad Grey citing unlawful termination and sexual harrassment. The New York Times reported in 2006 that the settlement in the case had been made public, she paid off by Shandling to the tune of $1 million.
(Screengrab via New York Times)
The Times piece notes that she was given a script by Shandling with what to say about the agreement if any reporters asked. Her lawyer, Raymond Friedlob, told the Times, “If there are things in the agreement that sound a little corny or far-fetched, you can live with them. But there are some things she wouldn’t say.”
You can see her responses above, among them was the revelation that the couple were engaged.
While she had been starring on the show, Doucett slipped on the set and seriously hurt her back. The New York Times reports that Shandling asked her not to sue, he said he had been asked to do so on behalf of Brad Grey.
3. She’s Single These Days But Has a Son From a Previous Relationship
On her Twitter page, Doucett regularly posted about her son, Michael. She hasn’t posted a new tweet since July 2014. One message she wrote was highly complimentary of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. She lives with her poodles and son on a ranch in Temecula, California. On her Facebook page, Doucett says she is single.
Her Playboy profile says she is native of Detroit while her IMDb page says she’s from Pittsburgh.
When she launched her Facebook page in 2009 she wrote, “To my friends, some of which I have not met, thanks for all your great comments, I am new to this process Facebook, I am very busy working my ranch, raising my boy, who is now 10, and starting back to work in LA, sometime soon I will share pics of my son.”
She later asked her friends to “not give up on [her].” Doucett also said that she had been forced into setting up a page because of “unattractive people with the same name as [her].”
A People Magazine feature on Doucett says that during a time living in London in the 1980s, she was engaged to Ken Hensley from British rock group Uriah Heep.
4. In 2008, She Testified Against Hollywood Private Dick Anthony Pellicano
Doucett was one of the celebrities, along with Shandling, who testified against Hollywood private detective Anthony Pellicano. He was accused of illegally wiretapping her home. He had been indicted on charges of illegally accessing the police records of Garry Shandling. The comedian had told Doucett that Brad Grey had been planning to use Pellicano against Grey during their 1995 lawsuit. Shandling said Brad Grey “was going to hire this really bad guy to say bad things about you — but I didn’t want to do it,” reports the New York Times.
During her testimony in the case, the New York Times reports that Doucett said she received an anonymous phone call threatening her son.
5. She Hasn’t Acted Since 2000
(Screengrab via YouTube)
According to her IMDb page, Doucett hasn’t acted since a 2000 role in the TV show The $treet where she played the role of “Busty Bartender.” Prior to appearing with Shandling in The Larry Sanders Show, she appeared in music videos for the Beach Boys and Toto, reported People Magazine at the time of her Playboy appearance.