Orange Is the New Black and Seinfeld star Kathryn Kates dies, aged 73

Announcing the sad news on Instagram, they said: “Our mighty @officialkathrynkates has passed away.

“She will always be remembered and adored in our hearts as the powerful force of nature she was.

“She loved this craft and had enough patience to fill 10 ships. A true icon. We will miss you.”

Kates bagged several small roles in the early 1980s before appearing on popular shows such as Seinfeld, Thunder Alley and Matlock by the mid-1990s.

She also had guest roles on Lizzie McGuire, Rescue Me and Judging Amy.

Later in her career, she starred in Shades of Blue and appeared in the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as the Sopranos spin-off movie The Many Saints of Newark.

She is perhaps most well known for her recurring role on the hit series Orange Is the New Black, where she portrayed the mother of Piper Chapman’s (Taylor Schilling) ex-fiancé, Larry (Jason Biggs).

More recently, she won Best Actress at the NYCTV Festival 2021 for her performance in Welcome to Sarajevo.

Kates was also known for her work in theatre and was an understudy in the 2017 Broadway show Significant Other.

She also appeared in many off-Broadway shows and was a founding member of the Colony Theatre in Los Angeles.

Kates is survived by her sister, Mallory, and brother, Joshua.