Shelley Morrison, whose 64-year acting career included playing the memorable maid Rosario on NBC’s “Will & Grace” from 1999 to 2006, died in Los Angeles on Sunday. She was 83.

Ms. Morrison died of heart failure, according to a statement from her husband, Walter Dominguez.

“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for L.G.B.T.Q. people,” Mr. Dominguez said in a statement. “She also took pride in portraying a strong, loving yet feisty Latina character.”

He added: “She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy.”

The daughter of Spanish immigrants, Ms. Morrison was born and raised in the Bronx, where a street sign carries her name at 159th Street and Grand Concourse Boulevard as part of the Bronx Walk of Fame. After moving to Los Angeles, she attended Los Angeles City College and began her stage career, becoming one of the city’s first female stage producers.

She would later move into film and television, including playing Sister Sixto on “The Flying Nun” in the late 1960s. She would appear in dozens of other television shows, including “Murder She Wrote,” “L.A. Law,” “Home Improvement” and “Columbo.”

But she was best known for her work on “Will & Grace,” where she played a maid to Karen, played by Megan Mullally. As one of the few characters willing to stand up to her socialite boss, Rosario became a fan favorite.

“She reminds me a lot of my own mother, who loved animals and children, but she would not suffer fools,” Ms. Morrison said of her character in a biography released by her publicist.

She and her husband met in 1973 and together adopted three sons and three daughters through a Native American ceremony. She lived in the same apartment building in Los Angeles for 69 years, promising her parents, who had also moved there, she would always take care of it.

Neil Vigdor contributed reporting.