Sally Struthers: The Transformation Of All In The Family's Last Living Original Star

You might have wondered what happened to the cast of hit 1970s sitcom "All in the Family." Sadly, at the time of this writing, three members of the the core group have died — but the last remaining original star, Sally Struthers, is still alive and well. Struthers made a career pivot after the '70s sitcom wrapped, not in the sense that she left acting entirely, but she did pivot to other projects. Even so, she won several awards for her work on the show and it helped launch her long and prosperous career.

While Struthers played Gloria Bunker on "All in the Family" for eight seasons, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Struthers later admitted there was frustration about her character's dialogue and that she had difficulties with the show's creator, Norman Lear. She even spent thousands of dollars trying to get out of her contract so she could leave the show early. Despite this, she later had a short-lived spinoff called "Gloria," cementing Struthers' success with the character even more. 

Even though Struthers left the role behind years ago, there's no doubt that it catapulted her to fame, leading to more TV and film projects, and later a successful theater career. The actor has undergone a complete transformation over the years and "All in the Family" started it all.

Sally Struthers was always sure what she wanted to do with her life. "I was 7 or 8," she said in a chat with Jacksonville Daily Record. "I couldn't wait to do a show back then. It's like you can't help it. It's a compulsion." Long before she landed her breakout role on "All in the Family," she grew up in Portland, Oregon. After high school, she earned a scholarship to Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts in the 1960s, where she honed her craft.

The '70s were a key decade for Sally Struthers. It was then that she became a household name for her breakout role as Gloria in "All in the Family." In 1972, she won her first Primetime Emmy for her work on the show and yet another in 1979. While Struthers had struggled to get her career off the ground previously, she told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about her experience landing the part of Gloria. "I was crazy with excitement," she said (via Woman's World). "I could fill my refrigerator again."

After Sally Struthers left 'All in the Family" in 1978, she continued to have TV success through the '80s. In the 1990s, she expanded her horizons and started doing more voice acting and stage work. She voiced parts in popular '90s cartoons like "TaleSpin," "Tom & Jerry Kids Show," and "Dinosaurs." She then brought her talents to the theater, playing Miss Lynch in the 1994 "Grease" revival and Miss Hannigan in 1998's "Annie." 

Sally Struthers and her award-winning comedic style were introduced to a new generation in 2000 when she took on the role of gossip-loving neighbor Babette Dell in "Gilmore Girls." Struthers shared with TVGuide that Babette always felt true to her acting style. "When you're young, they try to fit you into some sort of ingenue role, but I was never that because I've always been a comedian," she shared. "As you get older and they offer you these delicious, quirky roles, you just jump into them with glee."

Sally Struthers was no stranger to stage work and she had a renaissance during the mid-2000s. While she continued working in TV and film, she also starred in productions of "Cinderella," "Hello, Dolly!" and "Waiting in the Wings," which later became a film she made a cameo in, as well. Struthers told Broadway World she wished someone could mix all performance mediums together. "I love the immediacy of live theatre of being a tightrope walker without a net," she said. "And I love the steady work of a TV series."

Sally Struthers remained busy, even after her theater renaissance and well into the 2020s. In 2024, she starred in the hit Netflix comedy "A Man on the Inside" which is still going strong. The actor is so busy, in fact, she admitted she isn't particularly interested in romance outside of her job. "I'm going to focus on my family, my friends, my career — and I've never, ever missed having a love life," she shared with Woman's World in 2025.

As the last original living cast member of "All in the Family," it's great to see Sally Struthers thriving. Struthers didn't have the easiest time filming the show. She famously left after Season 8, stating that she felt frustrated with how her character was written. "During my years on 'All in the Family' ... the women's movement started," she told People. "And a lot of that dialogue on the show ... [was] about women's liberation ... and yet I was being underpaid and thought less of." Luckily, she has since received the flowers she always deserved.