Marcia Strassman

Marcia Ann Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was an American actress and singer. She played Nurse Margie Cutler on M*A*S*H, Julie Kotter on Welcome Back, Kotter, and Diane Szalinski in the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).

Marcia Strassman
Strassman in 1975
Born	Marcia Ann Strassman (1948-04-28)April 28, 1948 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 24, 2014(2014-10-24) (aged 66) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer, television personality
Years active	1963–2014
Known for	Welcome Back, Kotter Honey, I Shrunk the Kids M*A*S*H
Spouse	Robert Collector ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1989)​
Children	1

Life and career

Strassman was born in New York City and raised in Passaic, New Jersey. Among her earliest acting credits was an appearance in an episode of The Patty Duke Show. In 1963, at age 15, she succeeded Liza Minnelli in the role of Ethel Hofflinger in the Off-Broadway musical Best Foot Forward.^[1]

In 1967, she became a recording artist for Uni Records. Her debut single, "The Flower Children", was a top-40 hit in many West Coast U.S. markets, hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco; the track also hit #3 in Vancouver, British Columbia (both at CKLG 730 AM and CFUN 1410 AM in July 1967).^[2] However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country; the record stalled at #105 in the United States, and just sneaked into RPM's Top 100 for Canada, peaking at #95.^[3] The song also reached #95 on Cashbox Top 100 Singles chart ^[4]

Her follow-up release, "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill", charted in Denver, Colorado, but virtually nowhere else.^[5] A third single, "Star Gazer" (1968) (produced by Kim Fowley), failed to chart anywhere and brought Strassman's brief recording career to a close. Returning to acting after a gap of a few years, she landed the recurring role of Nurse Margie Cutler in six early episodes of M*A*S*H.^{[citation needed]}

She landed the role of Julie Kotter, the wife of title character high school teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) on the ABC comedy series Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The series lasted four years. Strassman was told that Kaplan wanted her off the series, and stated in an interview that working on the series made her "miserable".^[6] Kaplan read the interview and realized series producer James Komack was separately telling the two actors they didn't like each other, and Kaplan informed Strassman that he actually wanted more balance between Kotter's work and home environments, which would afford her the chance to do more on the series. Kaplan, a guest host on The Tonight Show that week, had Strassman on to tell the story as an interview guest; she recalled the incident decades later on a Biography Channel special about the history of Kotter.^[7]

In the 1970s, Strassman did guest spots on Time Express, The Rockford Files, and The Love Boat, among other shows. In 1980, she starred as Lenina Crowne in a television production of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. She co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Good Time Harry that year. She guest-starred on the Magnum, P.I. episode "Heal Thyself", where she played Dr. Karen Harmon, a former nurse with whom the title character served in Vietnam. In 1982, she played Maria Giannin in the romantic comedy Soup for One.^[8]

In 1989–90, she had a co-starring role on the 21 Jump Street spin-off, Booker, starring Richard Grieco in the title role. She guest starred on Murder, She Wrote in 1996. Strassman had movie roles as Rick Moranis's wife in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992). In 1994, she reprised her role from those movies in the 3-D film spin-off Honey, I Shrunk the Audience! She later went on to play Nancy Sterngood on the television series Tremors (2003).

Death

In March 2007, Strassman was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer that had spread to her bones. Her memoir, in which she discussed her life, career and illness, was published in 2008.^[9] Strassman died of the disease at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, on October 24, 2014. She was 66 years old. She had a daughter, Elizabeth Collector (from her 1984 to 1989 marriage to Robert Collector).^[10][8][11]

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Changes	Kristine
1982	Soup for One	Maria Giannini
1985	The Aviator	Rose Stiller
1989	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids	Diane Szalinski
1991	Fast Getaway	Lorraine
1991	And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird	Sarah Carson
1992	Honey, I Blew Up the Kid	Diane Szalinski	Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1993	Another Stakeout	Pam O'Hara
1994	Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!	Diane Szalinski	Short film
1995	Cops n Roberts
1996	Earth Minus Zero	Debbie Heller
2002	Gale Force	Kim Nelson
2003	The Movie Hero	Mrs. Gardner
2003	Power Play	Susan Breecher
2005	Reeker	Rose Tuckey

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1964–1965	The Patty Duke Show	Adeline / Gladys / Model	3 episodes
1967	Ironside	Samantha Dain	Episode: "The Man Who Believed"
1972	Wednesday Night Out		Television movie
1972–1973	M*A*S*H	Nurse Margie Cutler	6 episodes
1973	Love Story		Episode: "Mirabelle's Summer"
1974	Police Story	Jacqueline	Episode: "The Ripper"
1974	Marcus Welby, M.D.	Julie Sellers	Episode: "The Latch-Key Child"
1975	Journey from Darkness	Nancy	Television movie
1975–1979	Welcome Back, Kotter	Julie Kotter	94 episodes
1976	City of Angels	Marge Carruthers	Episode: "The Losers"
1976	Brenda Starr	Kentucky Smith	Television movie
1977	The Love Boat II	Pat McFarland	Television movie
1978	The Love Boat	Stephanie Lewis	Episode: "Last of the Stubings/Million Dollar Man/The Sisters"
1978	Fantasy Island	Kay Penny / Katherine Patrino	Episode: "The Funny Girl/Butch and Sundance"
1979	Time Express	Sara Mason	Episode: "Rodeo/Cop"
1979	The Rockford Files	Whitney Cox	Episode: "Only Rock 'n' Roll Will Never Die: Parts 1 & 2"
1980	Once Upon a Family	Pam Ferguson	Television movie
1980	Brave New World	Lenina Disney	Television movie
1980	Good Time Harry	Carol Younger	7 episodes
1981	Likely Stories, Vol. 1		Television movie
1982	Magnum, P.I.	Dr. Karen Harmon	Episode: "Heal Thyself"
1983	At Ease	Olivia Taylor	Episode: "Love Sick"
1984	E/R	Dr. Eve Sheridan	Episode: "Pilot: Parts 1 & 2"
1985	Shadow Chasers	Stella Pence	Episode: "Shadow Chasers: Part 1"
1987	Stingray	Councilwoman Sondra Decker	Episode: "Gemini"
1987	Amazing Stories	Nel Lewise	Episode: "Such Interesting Neighbors"
1987	Haunted by Her Past	Rita Kamen	Television movie
1987	I Married Dora	Nina	Episode: "A Matter of Moulding"
1988	ABC Afterschool Specials	Mary Watson	Episode: "Daddy Can't Read"
1988	CBS Summer Playhouse	Elaine	Episode: "Tickets, Please"
1989	TV 101	Mrs. Myers	3 episodes
1989	Miss Teen USA 1989	Co-host
1989–1990	Booker	Alicia Rudd	22 episodes
1992	Mastergate	Merry Chase	Television movie
1992	Civil Wars	Marcia Kellogg	Episode: "A Bus Named Desire"
1994	Phenom	Catherine	Episode: "Men Are Dogs"
1995	Family Reunion: A Relative Nightmare	Margaret McKenna	Television movie
1995	Touched by an Angel	Lisa Patcherik	Episode: "Interview with an Angel"
1995	Charlie Grace	Andrea Farrell	Episode: "Bring Me the Head of Darnell Sims"
1995–1997	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	Hairyette / Harryette / Weatherperson	5 episodes
1996	Murder, She Wrote	Terri Garman Holbert	Episode: "The Dark Side of the Door"
1996	The Rockford Files: Friends and Foul Play	Dr. Trish George	Television movie
1996	Highlander	Betsy Fields	Episode: "Glory Days"
1997	L.A. Heat	Martha	Episode: Rap Sheet"
1997	Tracey Takes On...	Mallory Blair	Episode: "Politics"
1997	Rugrats	Miss Appleby	Episode: "Dust Bunnies/Educating Angelica"
1997	Baywatch	Rena Jaffe	Episode: "Out of the Blue"
1999	Odd Man Out	Wendy Flemming	Episode: "Batman Forever"
2000	Noah Knows Best	Martine Beznick	13 episodes
2001–2002	Providence	Meredith	8 episodes
2003	Tremors	Nancy Sterngood	13 episodes
2004	Third Watch	Sergeant Laura Wynn	4 episodes
2006	Twenty Good Years	Mackenzie	Episode: "The Crying Game"
2014	Looking for Mr. Right	Opal	Television movie

Discography

• "The Flower Children" / "Out of the Picture" (1967)
• "The Groovy World of Jack & Jill" / "The Flower Shop" (1967)
• "Self-Analysis" / "Star Gazer" (1968)

Bibliography

Biography

• Strassman, Marcia & Marshall, Penny (Foreword) (2008). Life with a Side Order of Cancer. Richmond, VA: Palari Publishing.

References

1. Best Foot Forward 2015-02-09 at the Wayback Machine at the Internet Off-Broadway Database.
2. "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. July 15, 1967. p. 7. ISSN 0006-2510.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents: Across The Charts The 1960s. Record Research. p. 371. ISBN 978-0898201758.
4. "Cash Box Top 100 6/10/67". Tropicalglen.com. 1967-06-10. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
5. Marcia Strassman profile, las-solanas.com; accessed October 26, 2014.
6. Windeler, Robert (November 6, 1978). "A Set Becomes a Set-to as Mrs. Kotter Takes on Gabe, and the Sweathogs Take Sides". People. 10 (19). ISSN 0093-7673.
7. "Welcome Back Kotter/The Facts of Life/Roseanne". Biography. Episode 1–06. 22 April 2008. A&E.
8. "Marcia Strassman dies at 66; actress starred in 'Welcome Back, Kotter'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
9. Strassman, Marcia (2008). Life with a Side Order of Cancer. Palari Publishing. pp. 1–220. ISBN 978-1928662150.
10. III, Harris M. Lentz (May 7, 2015). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014. McFarland. ISBN 9780786476664. Retrieved February 1, 2018 – via Google Books.
11. "Marcia Strassman, Wife on 'Welcome Back, Kotter', Dies at 66". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 27, 2014.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marcia Strassman.

• Marcia Strassman discography at Discogs  
• Marcia Strassman at IMDb
• at the TCM Movie Database
• Marcia Strassman at AllMovie
• Marcia Strassman(Aveleyman)