The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Murder, She Wrote
For 12 seasons, "Murder, She Wrote" was the definitive cozy murder mystery show. Set in the small and charming yet dead-body-filled fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, the show wormed its way into the hearts of procedural fans everywhere with its familiar structure and unlikely hero — middle-aged mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury). While the actor behind the beloved amateur sleuth passed away in 2022, "Murder, She Wrote" lives on, both in the form of much-watched reruns and in an upcoming movie adaptation.
Little is known about the new version of "Murder, She Wrote" at this point, but screenwriters Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo have said that the story will relate back to Cabot Cove and Jessica in some capacity. When it comes to potential cameos from old cast members, the pool is unfortunately limited, as several of the series' lead actors have passed away in the decades since the show ended. But who could show up in a future "Murder, She Wrote" story? A handful of actors who appeared on the show more than five times are still acting, while some others appear to have mostly retired. Some castmates who appeared in a number of episodes but typically played multiple characters — including Gregg Henry, James Sloyan, Alexander Folk, Richard Beymer, and Joe Dorsey – aren't included here, but they're still alive and well.
Louis Herthum (Dep. Andy Broom)
If you pop on an episode of "Westworld" or "True Blood," you might see a familiar face: Louis Herthum, the actor who played Deputy Andy Broom in season 8 through 12 of "Murder, She Wrote." Deputy Broom appeared in latter seasons as the assistant to new sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak), and (remarkably, given the Cabot Cove death rate) he made it out of the series alive.
Louisiana-born actor Herthum was only in his 30s when he appeared on "Murder, She Wrote," and he's had a prolific acting career since. Aside from playing robot protagonist Dolores' father Peter in "Westworld" and werewolf pack leader J.D. in "True Blood," Herthum has also recently starred in shows like Apple's "Home Before Dark," A&E Western "Longmire," and Prime Video's "The Peripheral." He's also acted in films including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Last Exorcism," and "The Mist."
Herthum is also the president and founder of Ransack Films, a Louisiana-based production company with credits including "The Rain Makers," "Favorite Son," and "The Ghost." Herthum also worked with Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker on the 2018 Biggie and Tupac film "City of Lies," which he says fell through the cracks because of "some kind of legal issue."
With 25 appearances as Andy under his belt, Herthum became friendly with Lansbury over the years. He memorialized the actress in a piece of writing shared by the New York Post in October, reminiscing about a time she reassured a flustered guest star and revealing that the pair kept in touch via email over the years. "She was always so down-to-earth," Herthum wrote. "I can't tell you how many people said they used to see her in Whole Foods all the time, doing her own shopping and talking to people. She never demanded star treatment."
Will Nye (Dep. Floyd)
Like Deputy Andy, Deputy Floyd appeared in the later seasons of "Murder, She Wrote" as an assistant to Ron Masak's sheriff Mort Metzger. Deputy Floyd also survived the murder-filled show, but disappeared from it after the season 7 finale "The Skinny According to Nick Cullhane" — an episode that was originally planned as a possible series finale.
While not much is publicly known about Nye's life post-"Murder, She Wrote," the actor went on to appear in several other projects, including the fantasy romance "Heart and Souls" and episodes of shows like "Home Improvement" and "Coach." Nye appeared in "The Trip" episode of "Seinfeld" — which saw Jerry and George visit LA — and played a police officer again in the 1997 "Columbo" TV movie "A Trace of Murder." Nye seems to have largely stopped acting in the '90s, but per IMDb, he did appear in a 2011 stage production of "Frankenstein," which was led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller and directed by Danny Boyle.
Michael Horton (Grady Fletcher)
Unlike many of the younger relative characters introduced into beloved 20th century shows (here's looking at you, Cousin Oliver), Grady Fletcher was a welcome addition to any episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Jessica's nephew popped up now and again throughout the show's run, but he was also responsible for its inciting incident: in the show's pilot episode, he secretly gets Jessica's first novel published. Jessica loved Grady, but she couldn't always keep him out of trouble, and the character ended up accused of murder more than once throughout his 12 episodes on the show.
Still, Grady made it out of Cabot Cove alive and could theoretically show up in a future "Murder, She Wrote" project if the folks making it decide to go the legacy sequel route. Actor Michael Horton hasn't appeared in a film role since 2002, when he guested on an episode of "Judging Amy" as as Principal Alvin Harvey. Before that, Horton played different characters in three different Star Trek titles ("First Contact," "Voyager," and "Insurrection," for the Trekkies) and a handful of other movies and shows. He also had a key voice role in the children's TV institution "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which he appeared in on and off from 1983 to 2001.
Horton is also a digital media enthusiast who helped found the Los Angeles Creative Pro User Group. In 1999, Horton wrote on the LACPUG website, he got tired of acting and decided to try his hand at directing, teaching himself Final Cut Pro during the early days of computer-edited moviemaking. The educational group features a talent directory, tutorials, and more to encourage would-be filmmakers to learn the tools of the trade themselves. Horton is also married to Debbie Zipp, who played his on-screen wife Donna in "Murder, She Wrote."
Len Cariou (Michael Hagarty)
Actor Len Cariou was no stranger to Lansbury when he first appeared on "Murder, She Wrote" as MI-6 agent Michael Hagerty. The pair actually acted together in one of their most famed works, the original 1979 run of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Cariou originated the role of murderous barber Todd, while Lansbury played his cannibalizing accomplice and kinda-sorta love interest, pie-maker Mrs. Lovett.
Cariou appeared in just seven episodes of "Murder, She Wrote," but made a strong impression as a man whose top secret antics irked our humble hero Jessica. After his time on the show, he continued acting in dozens of roles, playing a corrupt cardinal in the Catholic church drama "Spotlight," a pastor with a literal skeleton in his closet in Denis Villeneuve's pitch-black crime saga "Prisoners," and (a nice change of pace) the kindly uncle who gifts Hailee Steinfeld's character a Transformer car in "Bumblebee."
The actor earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the 2009 miniseries "Into the Storm," and starred in the long-running CBS cop drama "Blue Bloods" as New York City Police Commissioner Henry Reagan. He also appeared on prestigious shows including "The West Wing," "Damages," and "When They See Us." A renowned theater actor, Cariou appeared on stage as recently as 2019 in "Harry Townsend's Last Stand," and just this year gave a special performance at a concert celebrating some of the most influential plays of all time.
Hallie Todd (Rhoda Markowitz)
A lesser-known character who still appeared in six episodes of the original series, Rhoda Markowitz played the secretary to Dennis Stanton. Stanton, you may recall, was a charming but morally dubious insurance investigator played by Keith Michell. Actress Hallie Todd appeared as Stanton's receptionist multiple times throughout the series, but also played one other character, Moira McShane, in a season 6 episode Jessica narrated rather than starred in.
Since her time on the show, Todd has appeared mostly in family films, including "The Ultimate Christmas Present" and "Lea to the Rescue." Todd will likely be familiar to millennials of a certain age, though, as she starred in 65 episodes of the Hilary Duff-led teen show "Lizzie McGuire," playing Lizzie's mom Jo. Her other post-Cabot Cove screen credits include "National Lampoon's Holiday Reunion," the 2020 inspirational drama "The Last Champion" (her most recent role), and shows like "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Kim Possible." Like most of the characters on this list, Rhoda escaped the death trap that is the show's small coastal town, leaving the door open for a future character return.