Phyllis Somerville, actor of stage and screen, dies at 76

Phyllis Somerville, an actor with a lengthy career of roles in film, television and Broway productions, has died. She was 76.

Somerville’s manr Paul Hilepo says actor died Thursday in New York City of natural causes.

A native of Iowa, Somerville moved to New York in 1970s. She most recently appeared onst in Broway production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“She took pride in calling herself a New Yorker but she h salt of Earth mid-western roots which she was also proud of,” Hilepo said in an email.

On television, she appeared in “ Big C,” “NYPD Blue” and was in films like “Arthur” and was among “ Curious Case of Benjamin Button” cast members minated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Her last film credit was “Poms,” in which she appeared alongside Diane Keaton and Pam Grier in a comedy about older women who form a cheerleing squ.

In “ Big C,” she played foul-moud neighbor to Laura Linney's character, a straight-laced history teacher who is given a grim cancer progsis.