Stars pay tribute to Friends and Desperate Housewives actress Mary Pat Gleason after her death at 70

The veteran character actress made a memorable appearance in series one of Friends
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Stars have paid tribute to veteran character actress Mary Pat Gleason after she died at the age of 70.

Gleason’s manager confirmed the sad news, telling Variety that the actress, who had uterine cancer, was “a fighter to the end.”

The star was known for a string of roles in hit series including Friends, Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace and Sex and the City, as well as the more recent US comedy Mom.

She appeared as irritable receptionist Nurse Sizemore in The One With George Stephanopoulos in the first season of Friends, showing little sympathy for Ross (David Schwimmer) when he breaks his nose.

Gleason in A Cinderella Story (Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros.

She also had a recurring role as primary school teacher Mrs Butters in Desperate Housewives and appeared alongside Hilary Duff in 2004’s A Cinderella Story.

Her other film credits included Intolerable Cruelty, 13 Going On 30 and Netflix’s Sierra Burgess Is A Loser.

Gleason’s Mom co-star Allison Janney was among the celebrities to pay tribute, sharing a photo of her colleague on Instagram and writing: “We said goodbye to Mary Pat Gleason yesterday.

“She was part of our [Mom] family and we loved her so much. She was one of our favourite guest stars.

“Her kind heart and warm smile will be missed. RIP dear Mary Pat.”

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Actress Mimi Kennedy, who also appears on Mom, wrote on Twitter: @I’m saddened to learn that Mary Pat Gleason (Mary on @MomCBS ) passed away.

“From her nephew ‘Her curtain closed at 10:20 Tuesday evening.’

“I’m sure she was met with thunderous applause and a great party backstage. My love to you Mary and to your loved ones.”

Actor George Steeves, who appeared alongside Gleason in Pencil Town, shared a series of backstage photos of them together on Twitter.

"Last night I was saddened to hear about the passing of my colleague and friend Mary Pat Gleason,” he wrote.

“I had the honor [sic] of working with Mary Pat in Pencil Town last year. It was truly an honor to be in her presence.

“Thank You for the conversations and the words of encouragement. #RIP"

WTF101 creator Mike Trapp praised Gleeson for bringing “so much vitality’ to the character of Professor Foxtrot on his animated show.

“We gave her lines loaded with profanity and hard facts and she made them sound completely natural for the character,” he wrote.

“From start to finish a total dream to work with. This is so sad.”

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