Estelle Harris death: Seinfeld star and voice of Mrs Potato Head in Toy Story dies, aged 93

Seinfeld star Estelle Harris, who also voiced Mrs Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise, has died, aged 93.

Harris’s son, Glen, announced the news, stating that she died on Saturday (2 April) of natural causes in California – just weeks before she turned 94.

“It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25pm,” Glen told Deadline. “Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.”

Harris played the mother of Jason Alexander’s George Costanza in beloved NBC sitcom Seinfeld. She appeared in 27 episodes overall between the years of 1992 and 1998.

Born in New York in 1928, Harris first started acting in amateur community theatre before finding success on stage and screen. Her credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, written by and starring Seinfeld’s Larry David, ER, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Cybill and Married... with Children.

Her voice became known by a younger generation after she was cast as Mrs Potato Head in Toy Story 2. She returned to voice the character in its third and fourth instalments, released in 2010 and 2019 respectively.

Paying tribute to his mother’s continued success, Glen said: “Her passion was her work, and her work was her passion.”

Meanwhile, Alexander paid tribute to his screen mother, writing on Twitter: “One of my favorite people has passed – my tv mama, Estelle Harris. The joy of playing with her and relishing her glorious laughter was a treat.

“I adore you, Estelle. Love to your family. Serenity now and always,” he continued, referencing the line spoken by George’s father in Seinfeld, played by Jerry Stiller.

Harris is survived by three children, as well as three grandsons and a great-grandson.

Alexander paid tribute to Harris on Twitter following the news of her death.