House of Cards actress Elizabeth Norment, who played Kevin Spacey’s executive secretary Nancy Kaufberger on the Netflix series, died recently at age 61.
The veteran actress’ sister Kate told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday, Oct. 28, that Norment died on Oct. 13 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. Other details about her death are not yet known.
Norment’s character worked under the administration of Frank Underwood, the diabolical main character played by Spacey on the Emmy-nominated political drama series. Nancy remained loyal to Underwood and his right-hand man Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) beginning from Frank’s time in the House of Representatives until his sudden and deliberate ascent into the West Wing.
Her scenes were mainly office-based, but at one point, her character offered a lending hand to Stamper and gave Rachel Posner (a troubled runaway played by Rachel Brosnahan) a place to stay in her home.
House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon mourned Norment’s loss to THR, saying he and the cast were “deeply saddened by Elizabeth’s passing.” Willimon added: “She was a talented actress, a warm soul and good friend to us all.”
Norment’s career extended beyond House of Cards and spanned over three decades. The Washington D.C. native studied at the Yale School of Drama, and appeared on TV shows like ER and Mad About You. The actress also had small roles in movies like The Woman in Red (1984) and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997). She portrayed Eunice Kennedy in a 1985 CBS miniseries entitled Robert Kennedy and His Times.
The late actress is survived by her mom Nancy, sisters Kate, Sarah and Martha, her brother Clarence, as well as six nieces and nephews.
