'BOSOM BUDDIES' CO-STAR SPERBER DIES.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Actress Wendie Jo Sperber, who starred opposite Tom Hanks on TV's ``Bosom Buddies'' and who in his words became ``a walking inspiration'' after she contracted cancer, has died. She was 46.

Sperber died at home Tuesday after an eight-year battle with breast cancer, publicist Jo-Ann Geffen said Wednesday.

A Los Angeles native, Sperber appeared in dozens of television shows and movies, including all three ``Back to the Future'' films.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, the actress became an advocate for cancer care. In 2001, she founded the weSPARK Cancer Support Center on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The center provides free emotional support, information and social activities for individuals and families affected by cancer.

``It's a very lonely disease,'' Sperber told the Daily News in an interview in 2002. At the time, she was in Stage 4 of the disease, which had spread throughout her body.

``People are feeling so isolated and in fear when they're diagnosed with cancer, so it's a huge step when they come here,'' she had said. ``You take it day to day, and do the best you can.''

``The memory of Wendie Jo is that of a walking inspiration,'' Hanks said in a statement Wednesday. ``She met the challenges of her illness with love, cheer, joy and altruism. We are going to miss her as surely as we are all better for knowing her.''

Sperber also had roles in Steven Spielberg's ``1941,'' Robert Zemeckis' ``I Wanna Hold Your Hand,'' and Neal Israel's ``Moving Violations'' and ``Bachelor Party.'' Her television credits include ``Murphy Brown,'' ``Private Benjamin,'' ``Will & Grace'' and ``8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.''

Sperber helped unveil and promote a breast cancer stamp for the U.S. Postal Service in 1998, Geffen said.

Sperber is survived by a son and daughter, her parents, two sisters and a brother.

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