Shirley Rose Prestia (August 18, 1947 – October 8, 2011) was an American actress. She guest starred in a number of notable television series including ''
Family Ties
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'', ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
'', ''
St. Elsewhere
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'', ''
The Golden Girls
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227
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Babylon 5
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The Practice
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'' and among other series. Prestia also had recurring roles on the sitcoms ''
Home Improvement
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Species
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California State University, Chico
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and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts. Prestia was also one of the original members of
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...
comedy troupe.
Later years and death
Prestia was diagnosed with
brain cancer
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secon ...
circa 2004. Due to the illness, she retired from acting, with her last acting credit appearing in the pilot episode of the sitcom '' The War at Home'' in 2005. She died on October 8, 2011 at age 64, in her hometown of New Orleans, after eight years of living with the disease.Shirley Rose Prestia Obituary Nola.com