The Big Bang Theory actress Jane Galloway Heitz has died aged 78.
Heitz played Mildred in The Big Bang Theory and was also known for her role as Lilian Adler in Glee, where she played the founder of the William McKinley Glee Club.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress died last week (November 13) of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Illinois and was revealed by her daughter, Amie Richardson.
Other roles in her long career included roles in ER, Grey’s Anatomy and Prison Break. Heitz also had a career as a casting agent, breaking the careers of Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell, amongst many others.
Tributes have been pouring in for the late actress, with Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet calling her “a great friend and mentor.”
Jane was the first casting director to ever call me in for an audition in Chicago. She became a great friend and mentor. I tried to always make sure she knew she had a starring role in my career. She put me on that path I’m on.
I wish i could have said thank you one more time. https://t.co/zPAHtzPByJ— Eric Stonestreet (@ericstonestreet) November 21, 2019
“Jane was the first casting director to ever call me in for an audition in Chicago,” he wrote. “She became a great friend and mentor.
“I tried to always make sure she knew she had a starring role in my career. She put me on that path I’m on. I wish i could have said thank you one more time.”
Heitz sold her casting agency in 1997 to focus on her acting career, with her first big role coming in David Lynch’s 1999 film The Straight Story.