Lethal Weapon Actress Mary Ellen Trainor Dies at 62

The actress was struggling with pancreatic cancer

Mary Ellen Trainor, best known for her work in Lethal Weapon and Goonies, died at her home in Montecito, California. She was 62.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed the news on Monday that her longtime friend Mary Ellen Trainor passed away last month, on /4/20, after suffering complexities of pancreatic cancer.

Trainor was born on July 8, 1952, in San Francisco, California. She started his acting career with 1984 film “Romancing the Stone” under the direction of her then-husband Robert Zemekics. Actor Michael Douglas, who was also starring in the film, suggested Trainor to play the key role of Kathleen Turner’s sister in “Romancing the Stone.” She teamed with her husband and worked on the films like Back to the Future Part II (1989), Death Becomes Her (1992) and Forrest Gump (1994) before they divorced in 2000.  

Trainor played the character of Dr. Stephanie Woods, a police psychiatrist, in the all four films of Lethal Weapon series. She is also remembered for her work in 1985 Goonies for playing Irene Walsh, the mother of Mikey and Brand. Goonies was one of the many films Trainor did with the director Richard Donner. The film was about two kids who get a treasure map and bring some friends along to find it.

Talking about what she remembers most about working on Goonies, Trainor said in an interview. “The shenanigans of the kids. They all fell in love with each other. And Dick Donner encouraged that.”

Trainor’s other credits include Die Hard (1988), Scrooged (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Little Giants (1994) and Congo (1995). She was also featured few television series “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose” as Mrs. Judy Lewis, ABC’s “Relativity” and Rosewell on The WB. She made her last movie appearance in 2007 Cake: A Wedding Story.

Mary Allen is survived by her son, mother and siblings. A memorial service will take place on June 19 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Montecito at 11 a.m.

Source: Hollywood Reporter