Sally Kirkland

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sally Kirkland

• Sally Kirkland was born and grew up in New York City.

• She was named after her mother, Sally Kirkland. She was a fashion editor at Vogue and LIFE magazines. Sally’s mother was the only fashion editor at Life magazine from 1944 to 1969.

• Sally started her professional modelling career as a Vogue model.

• She studied acting at the Actors Studio in New York City.

• In 1963, Kirkland began her acting career with off-Broadway theatre in New York.

• After some time, she joined Andy Warhol’s theatre, The Factory, in New York.

• In 1964, she appeared in a short role in the film The 13 Most Beautiful Women. She appeared nude and tied to a chair for 45 minutes.

• In an interview, Sally mentioned that she was deeply involved in New York’s avant-garde movement, as well as her struggles with drug use. She added that after a suicide attempt, she got scared and decided to change her life through yoga and painting.

• Four years later, in 1968, Sally returned to the films and appeared in the film Blue (1968).

• She was the first actress to appear nude in a legitimate stage play, in the 1968 Off-Broadway premiere of “Sweet Eros” by Terrence McNally.

• In the 1970s and 1980s, Sally appeared in supporting roles in various films.

• Her first lead role was in the horror film Fatal Games (1984).

• In 1987, Kirkland received widespread recognition for her film Anna. She also won various awards for her performance.

• In addition to Anna (1987), Kirkland gained recognition for her roles in JFK (1991), Best of the Best (1989), and Bruce Almighty (2003).

• In an interview, Sally revealed that she used all the money she earned from her role in the film Edtv (1999) to have her breast implants removed.

• The years from 1987 to 1999 were among the most successful years of her career.

• In an interview, Sally revealed that she used all the money she earned from her role in the film Edtv (1999) to have her breast implants removed.

• Sally Kirkland appeared in more than 220 films.

• Apart from films and television. Sally also appeared on the Radio. In 2016, she hosted a weekly program on the syndicated HealthyLife Radio Network.

• Kirkland was a strong supporter of gay and lesbian rights. She led various workshops and campaigned for gay communities.

• She was also a health activist and advocate for women harmed by breast implants. In August 1999, she founded the Kirkland Institute for Implant Survival Syndrome.

• She also campaigned for various AIDS organisations. In the 1980s, she served as a caretaker of AIDS patients, as well as cancer patients.

• Sally was a gallery-shown painter.

• She was a noted acting teacher, and some of her students include Sandra Bullock, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Dwight Yoakam, and Roseanne Barr, among others.

• Kirkland was an ordained minister in the Church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, where she took classes for drama, yoga, and meditation.

• From her two marriages, she had no children.

• In November 2024, it was reported that Kirkland was diagnosed with dementia and also suffered fractures in her neck, wrist, and hip after a fall. She was also battling with two life-threatening infections.

• In November 2025, it was confirmed that she had entered hospice care in Palm Springs, California.

• Due to financial difficulties, a GoFundMe campaign was initiated by her friends to raise funds for her urgent medical care.

  

• Sally Kirkland passed away in Palm Springs, California, on 11 November 2025.