Actress Katherine Helmond, an Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress who played two very different matriarchs on the ABC sitcoms B次元官网网址淲hoB次元官网网址檚 the Boss?B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪oap,B次元官网网址� has died, her talent agency said Friday. She was 89.
Helmond died of complications from AlzheimerB次元官网网址檚 disease last Saturday at her home in Los Angeles, talent agency APA said in a statement.
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A native of Galveston, Texas, HelmondB次元官网网址檚 credits date back to the 1950s and she worked steadily in small roles through the decades. But her real fame, and all seven of her Emmy nominations, didnB次元官网网址檛 start arriving until she was nearly 50.
She was probably best known for playing Mona Robinson, Judith LightB次元官网网址檚 mother on B次元官网网址淲hoB次元官网网址檚 the Boss?,B次元官网网址� which also starred Tony Danza and a young Alyssa Milano.
She won a best supporting Golden Globe for her work in 1989.
B次元官网网址淢y beautiful, kind, funny, gracious, compassionate, rock,B次元官网网址� Milano mourned on Twitter. B次元官网网址淵ou were an instrumental part of my life. You taught me to hold my head above the marsh! You taught me to do anything for a laugh! What an example you were!B次元官网网址�
On the show, Light was an uptight single mother who hired the 1980s heartthrob Danza to be her live-in housekeeper, and Helmond was her foil, a lover of nightlife, pursuer of men and flaunter of sexuality who would have been at home on B次元官网网址淭he Golden Girls,B次元官网网址� which ran during the same years.
B次元官网网址淜atherine Helmond was a remarkable human being and an extraordinary artist; generous, gracious, charming and profoundly funny,B次元官网网址� Light said in a statement. B次元官网网址淪he taught me so much about life and inspired me indelibly by watching her work. Katherine was a gift to our business and to the world.B次元官网网址�
Danza tweeted, B次元官网网址淲e all lost a national treasure today. No words can measure my love.B次元官网网址�
An only child, raised by her mother and grandmother, who began acting while a girl in Catholic school, Helmond began her professional career in theatre and returned to it often, earning a Tony Award nomination in 1973 for her Broadway role in Eugene OB次元官网网址橬eillB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Great God Brown.B次元官网网址�
She was a favourite of director Terry Gilliam, who put her in his films B次元官网网址淏razil,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址漈ime Bandits,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淔ear and Loathing in Las Vegas.B次元官网网址�
In B次元官网网址淏razil,B次元官网网址� a dystopian comedy from 1985, she played a surgery-addicted woman whose elastic face became one of the most memorable images from the cult film.
Her major break came with B次元官网网址淪oap,B次元官网网址� a parody of soap operas that aired from 1977 to 1981. She played wealthy matriarch Jessica Tate, one of two main characters on the show, which co-starred Robert Guillaume and was also a breakthrough for Billy Crystal, who played her nephew.
She was nominated for Emmys for all four seasons of the show and won a best actress in a comedy Golden Globe in 1981.
Helmond kept working into her 80s doing mostly voice work, most notably as the Model T Lizzie in the Pixar B次元官网网址淐arsB次元官网网址� films.
She had a recurring role on B次元官网网址淓verybody Loves RaymondB次元官网网址� from 1996 to 2004 as the title characterB次元官网网址檚 mother-in-law.
B次元官网网址淜atherine Helmond was such a class act and incredibly down to earth,B次元官网网址� tweeted actress Patricia Heaton, who co-starred with Ray Romano on the show. B次元官网网址淪he was terrific as my mother on B次元官网网址楨verybody Loves RaymondB次元官网网址� and I looked up to her as a role model.B次元官网网址�
She is survived by her husband of 57 years, David Christian, her half-sister, Alice Parry, and many nieces and nephews, her agencyB次元官网网址檚 statement said.
A memorial is being planned.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
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