Suzanne Pleshette

Suzanne Pleshette died of respiratory failure at the age of 70. Pleshette enjoyed a career on stage and in films but was most famous for her role on the Bob Newhart show as Bobs wife.

She had cancer treatment in 2006. Her most recent TV appearances have been on "Will & Grace" and "8 Simple Rules... For Dating My Teenage Daughter."

She began acting on the stage in high school and got her start in film with Jerry Lewis in the 1958 movie ``The Geisha Boy,'' according to the Internet Movie Database.

She appeared in numerous television shows, including ``Have Gun, Will Travel,'' ``Alfred Hitchcock Presents,'' ``Playhouse 90'' and later ones such as ``Will & Grace.''

Pleshette performed in about two dozen films, including Alfred Hitchcock's ``The Birds,'' and Disney movies such as ``The Ugly Dachshund,''

Born on Jan. 31, 1937, in New York, she was the only child of Eugene Pleshette, who managed the Paramount and Brooklyn Paramount theatres, the Web-based IMDB said. At the age of 12, she attended the New York High School of the Performing Arts and then attended Syracuse University, Finch College, the Neighbourhood Playhouse and Sanford Meisner's Acting School. She was the producers' choice for the starring role as Catwoman in the 1966 ``Batman'' TV series, the Internet movie site said. Julie Newmar got the role when negotiations with Pleshette broke down.

Pleshette received an Emmy Award nomination in 1991 for her role as real estate developer Leona Helmsley in the television movie, ``Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean.'' She also was nominated in 1977 and 1978 for her role as Emily Hartley, and in 1962 received an Emmy nomination for an appearance on TV's ``Dr. Kildare.''