Alice Hyatt (born Alice Graham in the movie; Alice Spivak in the television series) is a fictional character in the movie ''

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1974 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the Southwestern United St ...

'' and in the subsequent television series ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

''. In the movie, she was played by

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

, who won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for the role. In the television series, Alice was played by actress and singer

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (; October 15, 1937 – December 29, 2024) was an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she received several awards including three Drama Desk Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Obie Awards, and a T ...

Character biography

1974 film

Alice was born and raised in Monterey, California. While still young, she marries truck driver Donald Hyatt (

Billy Green Bush William Warren Bush (born November 7, 1935) is an American actor usually credited as Billy Green Bush, and sometimes as Billy Greenbush. Typecast Bush is a character actor, typically projecting in his screen appearances the good-ol'-boy image. H ...

), whom did not want his wife being a singer at a nightclub. She moved to his home town of Socorro, New Mexico where she is a stay at home housewife who is constantly trying to please her husband who is miserable. They have a son,

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...

(

Alfred Lutter Alfred William Lutter III (born March 21, 1962) is an American entrepreneur, engineer, consultant, and former child actor. Life and career Lutter was born on March 21, 1962, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where he also grew up. He graduated from Ri ...

). Some time later, Don dies in a trucking accident. Now a widow with a 12-year-old son to care for, she sets off for

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

but she stops in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

to find a.job to make money to get to Monterey. As they only have $90 to survive on. She rents a motel with a kitchen, and finds a job as a singer at a piano bar, where she meets a charming younger man named Ben (

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor and film producer, known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running associatio ...

). They date until Alice finds out that Ben is married; when she tries to break it off with him, he threatens to kill her. Frightened, she and Tommy flee to Tucson, Arizona, where she finds a job as a waitress at a greasy spoon called Mel's Diner, which is run by Mel Sharples (

Vic Tayback Victor Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as diner owner Mel Sharples on the television sitcom ''Alice'' (1976–1985), as well as his multiple guest appearances on ''The Love Boat'' ( ...

). She struggles with her new job at first, but eventually gets the hang of it with help from the cynical head waitress, Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry (

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd (born Rose Diane Ladner; November 29, 1935) is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' ...

). She also meets local, divorced farmer named David (

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

), and they fall in love. They nearly break up when they get into an argument over their future together, and over disciplining her son Tommy but David ultimately says he loves her and Tommy and wants to spend the rest of his life taking care of them. Alice decides to stay in Tucson with David, after making sure it is all right with Tommy.

References

* Burstyn, Ellen. ''Lessons in Becoming Myself''. Penguin, 2007. * Cashmore, Ellis. ''Martin Scorsese's America''. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. * Terrace, Vincent. ''Encyclopedia of Television Pilots'', 1937–2012. McFarland, 2013. * Wernblad, Annette. ''The Passion of Martin Scorsese: A Critical Study of the Films''. McFarland, 2010.

External links

Alice Hyatt
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Fictional characters from New Jersey Fictional waiting staff Comedy film characters Fictional singers Female characters in film Film characters introduced in 1974 {{film-char-stub