Rarely seen ‘Kate & Allie’ actress Susan Saint James celebrates 80th birthday

“Kate & Allie” actress Susan Saint James made a rare appearance to celebrate her 80th birthday. The sitcom star threw a birthday party at her home in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, as seen in photos obtained by Page Six. James wore a white “Spiritual Gangster” T-shirt and a floral skirt as she walked around the outside of her house, a paper cup in hand. Susan Saint James made a rare appearance to celebrate her 80th birthday on Aug. 14. BACKGRID The actress (seen here) threw a birthday party at her home in Los Angeles. BACKGRID James wore a white “Spiritual Ganger” T-shirt and a floral skirt. BACKGRID She completed her look with a red bandana on her head, brown sunglasses and white sneakers. James’ ankle tattoo was visible in the pictures. Some of her family and friends were also photographed at the gathering, including three women wearing bright summer dresses. James rose to fame starring in the ’60s TV series “The Name of the Game,” which won her an Emmy Award in 1969. She went on to have roles in the spy series “It Takes a Thief” and the detective series “McMillan & Wife,” the latter of which earned her four Emmy nominations. James’ ankle tattoo was visible in the pictures obtained by Page Six. BACKGRID Some of James’ family and friends were spotted at the gathering. BACKGRID A woman carrying a massive bouquet was seen at the party. BACKGRID Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! In 1984, James began starring opposite Jane Curtin in “Kate & Allie,” which followed two divorced mothers who live together and raise their children in the same New York City home. After “Kate & Allie” ended in 1989, James, who was in her 40s, retired from acting and chose to focus on spending time with her husband, TV executive Dick Ebersol, and their children. In November 2004, tragedy struck James’ family when a private plane carrying Ebersol and two of the couple’s sons, Charles and Teddy, crashed during takeoff from Montrose Regional Airport in Colorado. Ebersol and Charles survived, but Teddy, who was 14, died in the accident. James (seen here in “Outlaw Blues”) has been out of the spotlight for the last several decades. Courtesy Everett Collection James (pictured here) retired from acting after “Kate & Allie” ended in 1989 and chose to instead focus on her family. Courtesy Everett Collection In a past interview, James spoke about how she’s processed losing a child. “It’s hard because the circumstances can slow you down a lot, because you’re busy trying to justify this,” she said. “But I had to find a way to live with this thing. I mean, how do you live with this thing? You have to find a way to make it, to own it, not to walk around it and pretend it didn’t happen.” James added at the time that she was in “a new phase” of her life because of her grandkids. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. Your post will/might be rejected if it contains: Spam Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice: Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk So, how can you be a power user? Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across. 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions! Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules. Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!