Jill Jacobson, an actress who had roles on two Star Trek shows, Falcon Crest and The New Gidgethas died. She was 70.
Jacobson died Dec. 8 at Cedars-Sinai’s Culver West Health Center following a long illness, her friend Dan Harary told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jacobson played the scheming private detective Erin Jones in 22 episodes of Falcon Crest from 1985-87, the CBS primetime soap about a wealthy California wine family. At the same time, she played Larue Wilson on The New Gidget from 1986-87, a sequel to the Sally Field-led 1960s ABC sitcom about a teen surfer.
“Jill’s comic timing was brilliant,” Caryn Richman, Jacobson’s The New Gidget co-star said. “And her enthusiasm and love of life made our time together on set joyful.”
Jacobson also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1989 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1996.
Her other TV credits included Hung, Newhart, Castle, Who’s the Boss?, Quantum Leap, Crazy Like a Fox, Arliss and Murphy Brown and a minor part in Ron Howard’s 1984 film, Splash.
In more recent years, Jacobson was a familiar face at Los Angeles’ The Improv and The Comedy Store, where she performed stand-up.
Jacobson grew up in Beaumont, Texas, and Dallas and was the daughter of Dr. Harry Jacobson and Carol Toplitz Jacobson Hornstein. She attended the University of Texas in Austin, where she received a B.S. in Radio, TV and Film Performance before moving to Los Angeles and being cast in the title role of cult classic film Nurse Sherri.
Jacobson was a spokesperson and award recipient for her volunteer work with the American Cancer Society. “She will be deeply missed by numerous relatives, friends and her beloved dogs, Benny and Kowalski,” Harary said.
