Jill Jacobson, best known for her roles in Falcon Crest and Star Trek: The Next Generation, passed away on Dec. 8 in Los Angeles after a prolonged illness. She was 70.
Her publicist, Daniel Harary, confirmed her death, sending a family statement that read: “Beautiful, energetic, and positive to the end, she will be deeply missed by numerous relatives, friends, and her beloved dogs Benny and Kowalsk.”
Jacobson’s manager, Ben Padua, described her as “hysterically funny, elegantly raunchy,” and a performer with “Hollywood glamor right from its golden age.”
In a September interview with The Jim Masters Show, Jacobson discussed her two-and-a-half-year fight with esophageal cancer, which left her unable to function at times. Nonetheless, she expressed thanks for her recovery and a wish to assist others.
Born in Texas, Jacobson earned a degree in radio, TV, and film performance from the University of Texas before moving to Los Angeles. She debuted in the 1977 horror film Nurse Sherri and went on to appear in TV shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Quantum Leap, Days of Our Lives, and Castle.
From 1985 to 1987, Jacobson played Erin Jones on Falcon Crest, a CBS soap opera about a feuding wealthy family in California. She also starred as Larue Wilson in The New Gidget and performed stand-up comedy at the Improv and the Comedy Store in LA.
A volunteer with the American Cancer Society, Jacobson remained vibrant and inspiring, with a legacy celebrated by fans and colleagues alike.
