Tanya Roberts

Date of Birth:
15 October 1955
Bronx, New York, USA

Birth Name:
Victoria Leigh Blum

Date of Death:
4 January 2021 (aged 65)

Career Overview

Tanya Roberts was both a Bond Girl—appearing in A View to a Kill (1985), the final outing of Roger Moore as 007—and the final addition to the original Charlie’s Angels lineup (1980–81) as Julie Rogers.

Born Victoria Leigh Blum in the Bronx, she was the daughter of an Irish pen salesman and a Jewish mother. She left high school at 15, married young, and hitchhiked across the US until her mother-in-law had the marriage annulled.

Back in New York, she met psychology student Barry Roberts while standing in a cinema queue. She proposed to him in a subway station and they soon married. Roberts studied acting under Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen.

In her early years she worked as an Arthur Murray dance instructor and model before moving into off-Broadway theatre. Film and TV roles soon followed, often emphasising her striking 5' 8" (1.73 m) presence. Her legs were famously showcased in the horror cult film Tourist Trap (1979).

Roberts became known for fantasy and adventure roles, including The Beastmaster (1982) and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1984). Though not always critically praised, she became a recognisable figure of 80s genre cinema.

Her major TV break came when she replaced Shelley Hack on Charlie’s Angels. After one season, she returned to film, starring primarily in thrillers, horror films, and glossy adventure features.

A highlight was her comic, self-aware turn as Velda in Mike Hammer: Murder Me, Murder You (1983). When the film was expanded into a series, she was replaced by Lindsay Bloom due to schedule conflicts.

Roberts continued working steadily through the 1980s and 1990s, including appearing in the CD-ROM adventure game The Pandora Directive (1996). Later, she reached a new audience as Midge Pinciotti on the hit sitcom That ’70s Show.

Passing

Tanya Roberts collapsed on Christmas Eve 2020 after walking her dogs and was hospitalised. She passed away on 4 January 2021 at age 65. Her death was widely reported by UK media including the Daily Mail, Sky News, and the Daily Mirror.