Marcia Strassman

Marcia Ann Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was an American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Nurse Margie Cutler on M*A*S*H, as Julie Kotter on Welcome Back, Kotter, and as Diane Szalinski in the film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).
== 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]
Her follow-up release, "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill", charted in Denver, Colorado, but virtually nowhere else.[4] 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 her best-known role as Julie Kotter, the wife of title character high school teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabriel "Gabe" Kaplan) on the ABC comedy series Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The series lasted four years. Strassman was told that co-star Kaplan wanted her off the series and she stated in an interview that working on the series made her "miserable".[5] 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 Strassman 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 Channelspecial about the history of Kotter.[6]
In the 1970s, Strassman appeared as a guest star on Time Express, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat and other primetime dramas. 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 several times on Magnum, P.I., first introduced in the 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.[7]
In 1989–90, she had a co-starring role on the 21 Jump Street spin-off, Booker, which starred Richard Grieco in the title role. She guest starred on the detective series Murder, She Wrote in 1996. Strassman had movie roles as the wife of Rick Moranis' scientist character 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. She died of the disease at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, on October 24, 2014. She was 66 years old, and is survived by her sister Julie, her brother Steven and her daughter, Elizabeth Collector (from her 1984 to 1989 marriage to Robert Collector).[8][7][9]
== Filmography ==
=== Movies ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes 	1969	Changes	Kristine	
1982	Soup for One 	Maria 	 	 	 	 	
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 	 	 	 	 	
1996	Highlander: The Series 	Betsy Fields 	 	 	 	 	
2002	Gale Force 	Kim Nelson 	 	 	 	 	
2003	The Movie Hero 	Blake's Mom 	 	 	 	 	
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. 	 	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 	 	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 	2-part episode 	 	 	 	
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 	2 episodes 	 	 	 	
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, Jordan's Mother 	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