By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt

Ann Wedgeworth, who gained fame on film and Broadway before taking on the role of a flirty divorcee on “Three’s Company,” died Thursday at the age of 83 in the New York area after a long illness, her daughter Dianna Martin said.

Wedgeworth landed her first Broadway role in the 1958 comedy “Make a Million” and continued to take on stage roles for decades. She won the 1978 Tony award for best featured actress in a play for her performance in Neil Simon’s “Chapter Two.”

She acted in several soap operas and also found success in Hollywood with roles alongside Al Pacino and Gene Hackman in the 1973 film “Scarecrow” and Robert De Niro in “Bang the Drum Slowly” in 73 as well.

Wedgeworth is perhaps best known for her brief tenure on the TV sitcom “Three’s Comedy,” where she played Lana Shields, an older woman with her eyes set on her young neighbor Jack, played by John Ritter.

NewzBreaker extends our condolences to the Wedgeworth family in their time of grief.

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