At 76, Sally Struthers Raised Her Daughter After Divorce & Looks Radiant In Rare Interview After Dramatic Weight Loss

Aug 14, 2023 by apost team

Sally Struthers shot to fame thanks to her role in the 1970s sitcom "All in the Family." Although the show was centered around Archie Bunker, Struthers, who played Bunker's daughter, Gloria, made a lasting impact during the show's run. In it, she went from a kind and somewhat dimwitted girl into a quiet and mature young woman. She even won two Emmy Awards for her role.

Outside of the show, Struthers continued to work in film and TV. She reprised the role of Gloria in the spin-off series "Archie Bunker's Place" and "Gloria." She also played the role of Babette in "Gilmore Girls" and even lent her voice-acting talents to a number of animation shows, including "Dinosaurs" and "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show." 

Struthers also became very famous for her charity work with ChildFund and similar organizations, however, she also got her fair share of criticism for this and she no longer works with the charity. Let's take a look at her career and what she's been up to more recently.

Born on July 28, 1947, in Portland, Oregon, Struthers began her career in show business in her early 20s. She had a few small roles in the beginning, including starring opposite Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces."

But she landed the role that went on to make her a star, thanks to being let go from another production. She told Newsday that the executives behind "The Tim Conway Comedy Hour" didn't like the role she had as a dancer, so they let her go. But that loss turned into a big win as she told Newsday, "if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been free to read for 'All in the Family.'"

The rest as they say is history. "All in the Family" premiered in 1971 and although it got off to a slow start, it ended up becoming a top-rated show that won numerous awards. It ran for nine seasons in total and ended up having a record number of five spin-off shows, one of which was "Gloria," which was centered around Struthers' character but it only ran for one season. Nevertheless, Struthers' performance on "All in the Family" was so revered it earned her two Emmy Award wins in 1971 and 1979.

Outside of her work on "All in the Family" and its spin-offs, Struthers diversified her acting portfolio by working as a voice actor on a few shows. In the early '70s, she voiced Pebbles Flintstone in "The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show" and "Fred Flintstone and Friends." She returned to voice acting work in the '90s when she appeared in the hit show "Dinosaurs" as well as "TaleSpin." She also appeared on episodes of "Tiny Toon Adventures," "Yo Yogi!" and "Tom & Jerry Kids." More recently she lent her vocal talents to the show "American Dad!"

Struthers acted in other television series that included "9 to 5" in the late '80s, which was based on the movie of the same name, and more recently "Gilmore Girls," where she played Babette Gill, the neighbor of Lorelai and Rory. She also played guest roles on shows "General Hospital," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and most recently, "Maron," a sitcom in which comedian Marc Maron plays a fictionalized version of himself.

On top of acting in television shows, Struthers has also worked in films and even theater. In 2014, Struthers played the role of Dolly Levi in the 50th-anniversary production of "Hello Dolly!" among other stage roles.

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Outside of her acting work, Struthers became very well known for her activism. She was once a vocal advocate for ChildFund, which was formerly the Christian Children's Fund, which advocated on behalf of impoverished children in developing countries. Struthers famously filmed a series of television commercials in the '90s and early '00s that highlighted the cause, however, they didn't have the desired effect and became targets for humor. 

No longer a part of the organization, Struthers revealed on the Marc Maron podcast that a violent confrontation while on a trip to Uganda was ultimately what made her quit. She said that a child from a local village visited her and the crew to "come meet his sponsor," which was her. She continued:

"Well, a roving band of guerilla warfare guys came out of the bushes and asked (him) where he was from, and he named his village, which was far away, and they decided that we had kidnapped him, and they were going to shoot all of us." 

Luckily they all escaped with their lives but she had a moment of clarity and thought:

"What am I doing? I've got a child, a real-life child of my own, and I'm gonna make her an orphan. I can't do this anymore."

She also added:

"Besides, everyone in the world is making fun of me ... It dumbfounded me that if you're trying to help hungry children, you're fodder for horrible, cruel jokes. What's wrong with the world?" 

These days Struthers' legacy is her acting work, which she continues to do. The former sitcom sweetheart blew fans away by looking great and showing her high spirits in her latest filmed interview. 

In July 2023, Struthers appeared in an interview on Australia’s Studio 10 to discuss a moment that has been seared into the memory of many of her fans Down Under. Back in 1975, Struthers had given one of Australia’s comedic treasures, Norman Gunston, a hilarious interview that showed off her easy-going nature and Gunston’s incredulous wit. In the side-splitting clip, Struthers is seen barely able to contain herself as Gunston pulled off yet another uproarious mock interview he was famous for back in the day.

“I’m sure my instantaneous reaction… was that, ‘oh, Australia’s not really sophisticated.’ If this is their journalist and they sent him… do they even know he cuts himself shaving like that?” she said in the interview.  

At 76, Struthers looked radiant and noticeably slimmer in the interview, details not lost on fans who are aware of the actress’ history. After finding fame with her portrayal of one of America’s ditziest TV daughters, Struthers found love in real life with renowned psychiatrist William Rader, whom she married in 1977. Both were spirited individuals, which made home life quite stimulating.

“I’m tough and she’s tough, and at times that means conflict. But I’m a husband, not a psychiatrist, to my wife. I feel she’s helped me more than I’ve helped her,” William said in 1981.

The couple had one daughter, Samantha Radar, before divorcing in 1983. Struthers said in the same 1981 interview that she never envisioned having children and with Samantha’s birth, she felt one child was enough for her. 

“I’m really amazed women do it again,” she said and added she doesn’t “need to be a babymaker.”

Samantha followed in her father’s footsteps and became a clinical psychologist. She now runs her own practice she founded called Source Code.

Are you a fan of Sally Struthers? Did you know she was still acting? Which role of hers is your favorite? Let us know then pass this on so others can read about it too.