42 years later, Dolly Parton‘s ultimate movie reunion was the perfect ending for her acting career. A cultural icon and country music legend, Parton sadly passed away at age 80 on August 25, 2026. The two-time Oscar nominee, Emmy winner, and multiple Grammy Award winner was a force to be reckoned with; her career in music and entertainment spanned more than six decades, with her star shooting into the stratosphere with the release of her big-screen debut, 9 to 5, in 1980.
Starring alongside Hollywood legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, 9 to 5 became a cult classic. The movie, which spawned a sitcom remake starring Parton’s younger sister, Rachel Dennison, in her role as Doralee Rhodes, as well as a musical adaptation, follows the overworked and underappreciated office worker trio of Judy (Fonda), Violet (Tomlin), and Doralee as they imagine and somewhat violently fight for a future in which they get even with their misogynistic, narcissistic boss.
The three icons had fabulous comedic chemistry in the movie, a major reason for its impressive $103 million domestic box office haul, equivalent to roughly $417 million today — though Parton’s catchy original song, also named “9 to 5,” surely had something to do with the movie’s success, too. Given 9 to 5′s lasting cinematic legacy, it’s no wonder Netflix reunited the trio for an on-screen appearance in 2022, in what would turn out to be Parton’s last piece of character acting.
The Cast Of 9 To 5 Reunited For Dolly Parton’s Final Acting Role
Fonda, Tomlin, and Parton were reunited in the series finale of Netflix’s long-running comedy, Grace and Frankie. Debuting in 2015 as part of Netflix’s first wave of high-profile original hits, Grace and Frankie was and remains one of the streamer’s best comedies, following Jane Fonda’s high-strung, business-savvy Grace and Lily Tomlin’s easy-going, artistic Frankie as they embark on a new chapter of their lives together when their respective husbands leave them for each other.
Grace and Frankie, created by Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman and legendary sitcom producer Howard J. Morris, featured an incredible cast — Grace and Frankie’s ex-husbands were portrayed by The West Wing‘s Martin Sheen and Law & Order‘s Sam Waterston — as well as a slew of impressive recurring and one-off guest stars, including Ernie Hudson, Craig T. Nelson, Sam Elliott, Estelle Parsons, Lisa Kudrow, and in the final episode, the one and only Dolly Parton.
In the finale, Grace and Frankie have a near-death experience during an event celebrating Frankie’s life. There to greet them in limbo is Parton as an afterlife administrative worker named Agnes, who helps bring them back to life when the best friends realize they aren’t done living together just yet. The empty office setting in the afterlife is a fun, cheeky nod to the actresses’ first role together, and Parton brought her sympathetic charm to the part as Agnes helps Grace and Frankie resume their lives with a big, red “Return” stamp.
Grace And Frankie’s Finale Was The Perfect End To Dolly Parton’s Screen Career
Grace and Frankie was the perfect bookend for Dolly Parton’s acting career, and not just because she was reunited with old friends Fonda and Tomlin. Thematically and comedically, the show had a lot in common with Parton’s theatrical debut. At its core, 9 to 5 was about women taking charge and campaigning to have their worth recognized in the workplace during an era that systematically undervalued women’s contributions.
Grace and Frankie is currently Netflix’s longest-running original show, producing 94 episodes in seven seasons.
Grace and Frankie, meanwhile, sees the titular duo wage a similar war against the world’s continued sexism and ageism. They launch multiple businesses together, made by and for women of their demographic, including a vibrator for women with arthritis and other joint issues and a toilet that helps those with reduced mobility stand up more easily. They continually have to prove that they’re still capable of functioning independently when their children become worried about them living together alone in the beach house, too, more so than their ex-husbands are ever really forced to deal with.
Dolly Parton was an international treasure, and her final cameo role in Grace and Frankie, as brief as it was, had a big impact. It’s hard to imagine a better scripted TV sendoff than being reunited with the co-stars that helped launch her incredible acting career alongside her musical, philanthropic, and theme park pursuits.
All episodes of Grace and Frankie are available to stream on Netflix.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
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Marta Kauffman
- Directors
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Marta Kauffman
