{"id":364,"date":"2025-09-21T17:28:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fasstnews.com\/?p=364"},"modified":"2025-09-21T17:28:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:28:01","slug":"markie-post-refused-to-let-the-disease-control-her-life-she-fought-bravely-until-her-last-breath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fasstnews.com\/?p=364","title":{"rendered":"Markie Post refused to let the disease control her life \u2013 she fought bravely until her last breath"},"content":{"rendered":"

Markie Post was one of my earliest TV crushes \u2013 she was the epitome of grace and class, with such a kind spirit to match.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sadly, Markie passed away in 2021 at the age of 70<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

During her last years in life, the beloved actress fought a terrible battle to stay alive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Night Cour<\/em>t<\/a>\u00a0was the kind of show that kept you laughing from start to finish, and one of the biggest stars of the \u201980s series was the stunning Markie Post.<\/p>\n

As Public Defender Christine Sullivan on the beloved NBC\u00a0sitcom, Markie reached new heights in her acting career \u2013 she played the character for 159 episodes until 1992.<\/p>\n

To me, it felt like Markie had the whole package \u2013\u00a0she had the brains, beauty, spunk, talent, and charisma. Kids who grew up in the late 1970s & 1980s know what I\u2019m talking about \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>you could always see the light in her eyes, that\u2019s where her real stardom was!<\/p>\n

I also loved her in\u00a0Chicago P.D.<\/em>, where she appeared as Barbara \u2018Bunny\u2019 Fletcher from 2014 to 2017. Markie managed to turn that recurring role into a major standout, showing everyone that she was pure class.<\/p>\n

Markie Post was born in 1950 and had a privileged upbringing. She spent her childhood in Walnut Creek, California \u2013 her father was a nuclear physicist, and her mom was a poet. The actress was actually born Marjorie Post, but started using the name \u201cMarkie\u201d when she was a kid because her siblings struggled to pronounce Marjorie.<\/p>\n

In high school, she was a cheerleader. She studied physics in college, mainly as a result of her academic upbringing, but by her own admission, Markie \u201ddid quite poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Markie Post attends the 23rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on March 21, 1988 at Knott\u2019s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201dI was intimidated by my father. He\u2019s the dearest man in the world, and he tried to help me through math and equations. But constantly muttering \u2018It\u2019s so easy!\u2019 didn\u2019t make it easy for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her first steps into show business were strictly behind-the-scenes work.\u00a0Prior to her acting career, Markie worked as a staff member and researcher on game shows such as\u00a0Split Second<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Double Dare<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned more researching that game show than I did in four years of college,\u201d Markie Post told\u00a0Bill Tush<\/a>\u00a0when visiting his show in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Her efforts eventually led to guest appearances on series like\u00a0Cheers<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Hart to Hart<\/em>. In 1977, Markie switched to acting full-time. Markie Post really made her mark on television through portraying bail bondswoman Terri Michaels on\u00a0The Fall Guy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The adventure series, which ran from 1982 to 1986, proved to be Markie\u2019s breakthrough. Yet pretty soon after her debut on\u00a0The Fall Guy,<\/em>\u00a0she got bored of playing the role of Terri and started to search for more challenging projects.<\/p>\n

\u201dI am very functionary on the show,\u201d Markie told\u00a0The Times and Democrat\u00a0in 1984.<\/p>\n

\u201dI am like the tape at the beginning of\u00a0Mission: Impossible<\/em>. But, on occasion, they bring me into the caper and that makes it more exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1985, Markie signed the contract that would change her life. After a successful guest appearance on\u00a0Night Court<\/em>\u2019s second season, producers at NBC convinced Markie to take on the new female lead in the third season.<\/p>\n

Markie\u2019s acting on\u00a0Night Court\u00a0<\/em>was fabulous and helped to catapult her into stardom.<\/p>\n

\u201dAudiences are crazy about our show,\u201d she told Courier-Post in 1986.<\/p>\n

The talented and versatile actress had been working hard to reach the top \u2013 she was paid $400,000 per year for her work on the ABC sitcom.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Actress Markie Post and husband writer Michael A. Ross (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201dI was not a big visualizer. I was sort of a leap in and see what happens kind of person. Really honestly I used to characterize myself in terms of my career as being like Wile E. Coyote, running out on a cliff and everything\u2019s groovy until you look down and then you fall. So I just was not going to look down and just keep working, trying to take things as they came,\u201d she told\u00a0Patch<\/a>\u00a0in 2011.<\/p>\n

Starring as kindhearted public defender Christine Sullivan, Markie captured the heart of many a young man. Her acting skills were great, and like many actresses from the 80s, she was drop-dead gorgeous to boot. According to Markie herself, mind, she wasn\u2019t anything special.<\/p>\n

\u201dI\u2019m no sexual siren. I see prettier girls than me in the grocery store every day,\u201d Markie once said.<\/p>\n

However, her stunning, breathtaking beauty really shone through the television screen and propelled her head first into a prolific acting career. As an actress, she used both her father\u2019s and mother\u2019s personalities, endeavoring to combine them into one.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Wikipedia Commons \/ Alan Light<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201dMy passionate, emotional side, that\u2019s my mother\u2019s, but it\u2019s tempered by my father\u2019s logic and precision,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

With a career spanning over three decades, her acting credits really speak for themselves. For a younger audience, she is perhaps most recognizable for playing the mother in the 1998 cult classic\u00a0There\u2019s Something About Mary<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Longtime marriage<\/h2>\n

In addition to a successful career in Hollywood, Markie also had an admirable marriage. Everything started in the early 1980s when she met Michael A. Ross at an acting class. The couple married shortly after that and settled in Toluca Lake outside Los Angeles, near Bob Hope\u2019s mansion.<\/p>\n

Markie and Michael A. Ross raised two beautiful daughter, Kate and Daisy. The acting couple had a strong marriage and often worked side by side, helping each other in their profession.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked about the secret behind her long marriage in 2011, Markie replied:<\/p>\n

\u201dWe just decided that no matter what, dead or alive, we\u2019re getting to the end of our lives together. You have that as your goal, you know that it\u2019s going to be boring sometimes. You know it\u2019s going to be hard. You can get on each other\u2019s nerves. All that stuff is sort of a given. It is. You can\u2019t be spoiled and think that life is always going to be wonderful all the time, but if it\u2019s wonderful 80 percent of the time, you\u2019re really lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Markie Post and Michael Ross were married for 39 years before tragedy struck.<\/p>\n

Markie Post death<\/h2>\n

Sadly, Markie passed away on August 7, 2021, just three months away from celebrating her 71st birthday.<\/p>\n

The last years of her life were plagued by sickness. She endured a four-year-long battle with cancer, but tried to live as normally as possible despite undergoing chemotherapy. It\u2019s unknown what kind of cancer she had.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Deadline<\/a>, she remained active and worked on several TV projects before her death. Among other things, she held down a recurring guest role on the ABC series\u00a0The Kids Are Alright<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cBut for us, our pride is in who she was in addition to acting; a person who made elaborate cakes for friends, sewed curtains for first apartments and showed us how to be kind, loving and forgiving in an often harsh world,\u201d her family said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Markie referred to her cancer treatment as her \u201dside job\u201d \u2013 and she remained strong until her last breath. Following her passing,\u00a0many of Markie\u2019s shocked paid tribute to her.<\/p>\n

One of the most heartbreaking messages came from actress Melissa Joan Hart, who worked together with Markie in\u00a0Holiday in Handcuffs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m heartbroken to lose an angel here on earth! My dear friend and TV mother [Markie Post] is finally at rest after a long hard battle with cancer. I can\u2019t describe what she meant to me, the friendship we had and the kindness she demonstrated for me\u2026 Love you so much Markie! You will be forever missed!,\u201d Melissa wrote on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Markie always seemed so kind, strong & confident every time I saw her on a show or in interviews.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so sorry to hear about her passing. I didn\u2019t know she was fighting cancer. She was such a good actress and I always enjoyed her performances.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rest in peace Markie and thanks for your contribution to the creative arts<\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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