By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Shelley Morrison, an actress with a 50-year career who was best known for playing a memorable maid on "Will & Grace," died Sunday, her publicist said.
Morrison died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from heart failure after a brief illness, publicist Lori DeWaal told The Associated Press. She was 83.
Morrison played Rosario Salazar, a maid from El Salvador, in the original run of "Will & Grace" from 1999 to 2006, becoming part of a cast that won a Screen Actors Guild award for best ensemble in a comedy series.
The character, originally written for a single episode, proved so popular in her interactions with co-star Megan Mullaly that she would appear in 68 episodes during the NBC series' eight seasons.
"Rosario is one of my all-time favorite characters," Morrison said recently, according to a statement and biography announcing her death. "She reminds me a lot of my own mother, who loved animals and children, but she would not suffer fools. It is very significant to me that we were able to show an older, Hispanic woman who is bright and smart and can hold her own,"
Before "Will & Grace," Morrison was best known for playing Sister Sixto on "The Flying Nun" alongside Sally Field from 1967 to 1970.
She guest-starred on dozens of television series starting in the early 1960s, including "The Fugitive," "L.A. Law" and "Murder, She Wrote." Most recently, she voiced a character, Mrs. Portillo, on the Disney animated series "Handy Manny."
Born Rachel Mitrani to Jewish parents from Spain in the Bronx, New York, in 1936, Morrison spoke primarily Spanish as a child. She was cast primarily as Latina characters, but she played a range of ethnicities in theater, television and film.
Her movie roles put her in casts with Hollywood's biggest stars of several eras.
She appeared with Dean Martin in 1968's "How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life," with Barbara Streisand in "Funny Girl" the same year, with Gregory Peck in 1969's "Mackenna's Gold," with Shelley Long in "Troop Beverly Hills" in 1989, and with Salma Hayek in "Fools Rush In" in 1997.
Morrison is survived by her husband of more than 40 years, Walter Dominguez.
Jean Smart, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton among hosts for “SNL” season 50
Fresh off her Emmys win, Jean Smart will kick off the landmark 50th season of "Saturday Night Live."
NBC on Thursday announced the lineup of hosts for the season, which premieres Sept. 28. Joining Smart on the first show will be Jelly Roll as the musical act. He was also at the Emmys, singing during the ceremony's in memoriam segment.
It will be Smart's first time hosting "SNL."
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host on Oct. 5, with Coldplay as the musical guest.
Ariana Grande will host Oct. 12, with musical guest Stevie Nicks.
"Beetlejuice" star Michael Keaton will host on Oct. 19, the last show before Halloween, and Billie Eilish will be that night's musical guest.
The host on Nov. 2 will be "SNL" alum John Mulaney, with breakout sensation Chappell Roan as the music guest.
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