Character actor Shannon Wilcox has died at the age of 80. According to Legacy.com, the Hollywood star passed away on September 2 in Los Angeles. She is survived by her two children – daughter and fellow actor Kelli Williams, and her son, writer-producer Sean Doyle.
Having amassed over 75 credits across 46 years, Shannon began her career with small roles on Starsky and Hutch (1976-77), Hawaii Five-O (1978) and Mrs Columbo (1979), before lending her talents to the big screen. In 1984, the actress was cast as Mrs Mills, the mother of Ali Mills (played by Elizabeth Shue) in The Karate Kid (1984).
A frequent collaborator with the late Gary Marshall, Shannon had a number of minor parts in the director's movies, including Runaway Bride (1999), The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2 (2004).
Among her best known roles, Shannon went on to land a 19 episode arc on Buck James (1987-88), which had her starring alongside Dennis Weaver, before being cast as Anita in Dallas (1990).
Fans of the NCIS franchise will also recognize Shannon for her performance as Mrs Roach in season eight of the original NCIS (2011), fronted by Mark Harmon, as well as its spin-off show, NCIS: Los Angeles (2016), in which she played the character of Summer.
Among her final TV appearances, Shannon had joined the cast of Grey's Anatomy as Irene Sholman, for the 2020 episode, 'Save the Last Dance for Me'.
No stranger to Hollywood, the late star was frequently photographed at red carpet events and film premieres. She was often accompanied by her second husband, and character actor, Alex Rocco. The couple were married from 2004 until his death in 2015.
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Alex has become internationally recognized for portraying villain, Moe Green, in The Godfather (1972), as well as Thorny in A Bug's Life (1998), and John Exstead Sr. in The Division (2001-2004). Prior to meeting Alex, Shannon had been married to plastic surgeon John Williams from 1965 to 1984.
Following the news of Shannon's passing, fans have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, in tribute. "R.I.P., Shannon Wilcox, Alex Rocco's widow. She and Rocco kindly invited me to their home when he and I were talking about my helping him with his memoir that never happened. She seemed like a nice lady, and I know Rocco loved her very much," wrote one.
"Rip actress/singer Shannon Wilcox at the age of 80," tweeted another.