R.I.P Alaina Hall (Olivia from Sesame Street)

Born in Springfield, Ohio, Reed Hall began her career in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. She was among the original cast members in the 1974 off-Broadway production of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road. Reed Hall also appeared in productions of Hair, Chicago, and Eubie!.

(John Lennon and Alaina kiss during opening of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road)

In 1976, Alaina Reed Hall won the role of Olivia on the children’s series Sesame Street. Her character was a photographer and kid sister of Gordon. In 1985, Reed co-starred on the sitcom 227, frequently traveling between New York (where Sesame Street is taped) and Los Angeles (where 227 was taped). Due to this frantic schedule, she left Sesame Street in 1988.
After 227 ended in 1990, Reed Hall appeared in guest roles on various television series including Herman’s Head and Blossom. She also provided the voice for the animated characters on Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? and Sonic the Hedgehog. In 1995, Reed Hall co-starred on the short-lived WB sitcom Cleghorne!, starring Ellen Cleghorne. The following year she appeared in the television film The Cherokee Kid. She has since had recurring roles on Ally McBeal, Any Day Now, and ER.
In addition to stage and television work, Reed Hall has also appeared in several films including Death Becomes Her (1992), opposite Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep, Cruel Intentions (1999), and the 2007 independent feature I’m Through with White Girls (The Inevitable Undoing of Jay Brooks).
She was 63. The cause of her death has not yet been officially reported but the actress had been battling cancer for some time.