A Look Back at the Life and Legacy of Jill Jacobson: ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Falcon Crest’ Star’s Best Roles
Take a look back at the amazing career and life of the talented star through her most memorable roles
Jill Jacobson, best known for her work in Falcon Crest (1985-1987) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989), has died at age 70. The star passed on December 8 in Los Angeles. While her cause of death is unconfirmed, a friend shared she had battled a long illness.
Her manager, Ben Padua, shared a statement following her passing. “We are incredibly sad to say goodbye to our beautiful, soulful, hysterically funny, elegantly raunchy client, Jill Jacobson,” Padua wrote. “Jill was a total spitfire of an actress with comedic timing straight out of a Marx Brothers’ flick and Hollywood glamor right from its golden age. Jill took us on so many adventures, and she was an absolute blast. Thank you, Jill. We’ll see you in our dreams.”
Jacobson began her career in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Texas in Austin with the title role in the 1977 film, Nurse Sherri. Following her debut, Jacobson went on to appear in major titles such as Star Trek. In honor of Jill Jacobson’s life, we’re taking a look back on her most memorable roles over the years.
Jill Jacobson’s rise to fame in film and television
Before she landed larger roles like Star Trek and Falcon Crest, Jacobson held a few smaller roles. Jacobson appeared in movies such as Bad Georgia Road (1977), Up Yours (1979) and Baby Sister (1983). She also had a minor role in the 1984 film, Splash, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.
‘Falcon Crest’: Jill Jacobson’s breakout role
One of Jacobson’s earliest most notable roles was on the series, Falcon Crest. Jacobson held the recurring role of Erin Jones from 1985 to 1987, and she appeared in 22 episodes.
Jacobson shared her thoughts on Falcon Crest on the show’s 40th anniversary. “Working on this amazing show was some of the happiest times I’ve had!” Jacobson said. “I felt so grateful to be able to breathe life into Miss Jones! Erin Jones was such a complicated character, a double agent… I got to blow up bridges and hijack large trucks full of wine… loved every minute.”
One year into her time on Falcon Crest, Jacobson landed another recurring role on The New Gidget in 1986. Jacobson portrayed the character Larue Wilson for 8 episodes, whom she explained was “a goofy Literalist always looking for the fun in every situation, open, accessible and very colorful.”
Jill Jacobson roles in memorable series
In 1989, Jacobson landed one of her most memorable roles as Vanessa on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although the actress only appeared in one episode, she is often most remembered for it. In 1996, she took on another role in the universe as Aroya in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for one episode.
Remembering Jill Jacobson’s legacy
Over the years, Jacobson held minor roles in memorable series and films such as Quantum Leap in 1989, Who’s the Boss in 1990 and Murphy Brown in 1994. Jacobson also appeared in five episodes of the soap Days of Our Lives (1995) as Nurse Nancy.
Aside from her acting career, Jacobson will be remembered for her work with the American Cancer Society, for which she was a spokesperson and award recipient.
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