Lisa Banes death: Celebrities and fans praise actor’s ‘unwavering kindness and graciousness’

Gone Girl actor died after a hit-and-run incident in New York

Lisa Banes death: Celebrities and fans praise actor’s ‘unwavering kindness and graciousness’ (Getty Images)

Tributes have poured onto social media honouring actor Lisa Banes, who died aged 65 after a hit-and-run incident in New York.

“I am deeply saddened at the news of Lisa Banes’s passing,” wrote actor and comedian Seth MacFarlane. “We had the good fortune to work with her on The Orville this past year. Her stage presence, magnetism, skill and talent were matched only by her unwavering kindness and graciousness toward all of us. A tremendous loss…”

“Just busted,” wrote singer Jill Sobul. “Lisa Banes was magnificent, hilarious, and big-hearted - always helped me though the hard times. She was so beloved by so many.”

“Terribly sad news about Lisa Banes,” wrote actor Dana Delany. “She was a consummate actor who commanded the stage. We worked together on China Beach & I wish there had been more. My heart goes out to her wife and family.”

“This is how I will always remember Lisa Banes,” wrote actor Kevin Conroy. “We shared a cottage in San Diego, 1982, SD Old Globe Shakespeare Festival. Our first dinner in our little house as we struggled to cook dinner! With Lisa everything was an adventure.”

A star of film, TV and theatre, Banes had been crossing the street when she was struck by a motorised scooter earlier this month, while on the way to meet her wife, Kathryn Kranhol.

A representative told Entertainment Tonight that Banes died on Monday 14 June, commenting: “We are heartsick over Lisa’s tragic and senseless passing.

“She was a woman of great spirit, kindness and generosity and dedicated to her work, whether on stage or in front of a camera and even more so to her wife, family and friends.

“We were blessed to have had her in our lives.”

A New York Police Department spokesperson has said no arrests have been made.

Banes starred as Marybeth Elliott alongside Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl, the 2014 thriller based on the novel by Gillian Flynn.

She also appeared opposite Tom Cruise in the 1988 film Cocktail and in TV series including Nashville and Masters of Sex with Michael Sheen.