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Randee Heller
Randee Heller (born Randee Antzis; June 10, 1947) is an American television and film actress. Her first high-profile role was as Alice in the 1970s sitcom Soap, portraying one of television's first lesbian characters.
Heller is also known for her portrayal of Lucille LaRusso in the films The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part III and in the streaming series Cobra Kai, as well as her appearances as Bert Cooper's and Don Draper's elderly secretary Ida Blankenship on the series Mad Men.
Heller was born on June 10, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up in West Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, of Russian Jewish heritage. After initially attending Emerson College in Boston, she returned to Long Island to graduate in 1969 from Adelphi University, where she studied theater.
The summer after graduation, Heller was cast in an Off-Broadway production of Godspell. She assumed the role of Rizzo in the Broadway musical production of Grease. In 1978, Heller moved from New York to California to pursue film and television work.
Heller's role as Alice, one of the television's first lesbian characters, on the TV series Soap received mixed reviews, with criticism primarily directed not at her acting but at the stereotyping of her character. The Boston Herald said that the characterization shows how "the networks have generally depicted lesbians either as suicidal losers or sexual predators." For example, it identifies Alice as "TV's first recurring lesbian character," noting that she "first tries to throw herself off a bridge, then falls for Jodie (Billy Crystal), a confused gay man, and finally runs off." Ahead of filming, producers ordered Heller's newly permed hair straightened at the network's insistence. Of a later episode in which Alice introduces her girlfriend, Heller said, "I went to kiss her in rehearsals and they said, 'No no no … you can’t do that.' I said, 'But she’s my girlfriend!' 'No, no no no, we can’t do that, we just cannot do that.' So it was so careful, it was so delicate in those days that you couldn’t really do your thing. … They wanted me to be a heterosexual homosexual." Heller would appear as a lesbian character again in a 2010 episode of Grey's Anatomy "Almost Grown," playing the partner of a female patient with a brain tumor.
After leaving Soap, Heller gained the role of Lucille LaRusso, the mother of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), in the Karate Kid movie series, appearing in the first and, as a cameo, third installments, to positive notices from critics. Reviewer Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune noted her absence from the second film, "Heller's honest portrayal of a single parent trying to raise an adolescent was one of the genuine pleasures of the original film." Ralph Macchio also "argued for her [inclusion]. Those scenes with her were some of my favorites in the original – they had some real emotion – and I honestly don't know why she isn't there." Heller was also the voice that says "Hey Rock, you're a bum" in the first Rocky movie.
Other films include Fast Break (1979), Bulworth (1998), Monster-in-Law (2005), and Crazylove (2005).
Heller had a starring role as Carol in the 1979 TV movie Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze. She has made guest appearances in television series including Murder, She Wrote, Less Than Perfect, ALF, Nip/Tuck, Judging Amy, Felicity, the children's series Drake & Josh, Night Court, Fame, and The White Shadow. Heller was a regular on the one-season program Husbands, Wives & Lovers (1978). She played leading roles in three short-lived sitcoms: Mama Malone (1984), 1986's Better Days (TV series), and Second Chance (1987). Heller's TV-movie appearances include Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze and And Your Name is Jonah (both 1979). She had a recurring role in the fourth season (2010) of AMC's Mad Men as Bert Cooper's and Don Draper's elderly secretary Ida Blankenship. For this role, Heller received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Additionally, she played the recurring role of Ryan's neighbor Margot on the American version of Wilfred in the 2010s.
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Randee Heller
Randee Heller (born Randee Antzis; June 10, 1947) is an American television and film actress. Her first high-profile role was as Alice in the 1970s sitcom Soap, portraying one of television's first lesbian characters.
Heller is also known for her portrayal of Lucille LaRusso in the films The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part III and in the streaming series Cobra Kai, as well as her appearances as Bert Cooper's and Don Draper's elderly secretary Ida Blankenship on the series Mad Men.
Heller was born on June 10, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up in West Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, of Russian Jewish heritage. After initially attending Emerson College in Boston, she returned to Long Island to graduate in 1969 from Adelphi University, where she studied theater.
The summer after graduation, Heller was cast in an Off-Broadway production of Godspell. She assumed the role of Rizzo in the Broadway musical production of Grease. In 1978, Heller moved from New York to California to pursue film and television work.
Heller's role as Alice, one of the television's first lesbian characters, on the TV series Soap received mixed reviews, with criticism primarily directed not at her acting but at the stereotyping of her character. The Boston Herald said that the characterization shows how "the networks have generally depicted lesbians either as suicidal losers or sexual predators." For example, it identifies Alice as "TV's first recurring lesbian character," noting that she "first tries to throw herself off a bridge, then falls for Jodie (Billy Crystal), a confused gay man, and finally runs off." Ahead of filming, producers ordered Heller's newly permed hair straightened at the network's insistence. Of a later episode in which Alice introduces her girlfriend, Heller said, "I went to kiss her in rehearsals and they said, 'No no no … you can’t do that.' I said, 'But she’s my girlfriend!' 'No, no no no, we can’t do that, we just cannot do that.' So it was so careful, it was so delicate in those days that you couldn’t really do your thing. … They wanted me to be a heterosexual homosexual." Heller would appear as a lesbian character again in a 2010 episode of Grey's Anatomy "Almost Grown," playing the partner of a female patient with a brain tumor.
After leaving Soap, Heller gained the role of Lucille LaRusso, the mother of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), in the Karate Kid movie series, appearing in the first and, as a cameo, third installments, to positive notices from critics. Reviewer Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune noted her absence from the second film, "Heller's honest portrayal of a single parent trying to raise an adolescent was one of the genuine pleasures of the original film." Ralph Macchio also "argued for her [inclusion]. Those scenes with her were some of my favorites in the original – they had some real emotion – and I honestly don't know why she isn't there." Heller was also the voice that says "Hey Rock, you're a bum" in the first Rocky movie.
Other films include Fast Break (1979), Bulworth (1998), Monster-in-Law (2005), and Crazylove (2005).
Heller had a starring role as Carol in the 1979 TV movie Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze. She has made guest appearances in television series including Murder, She Wrote, Less Than Perfect, ALF, Nip/Tuck, Judging Amy, Felicity, the children's series Drake & Josh, Night Court, Fame, and The White Shadow. Heller was a regular on the one-season program Husbands, Wives & Lovers (1978). She played leading roles in three short-lived sitcoms: Mama Malone (1984), 1986's Better Days (TV series), and Second Chance (1987). Heller's TV-movie appearances include Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze and And Your Name is Jonah (both 1979). She had a recurring role in the fourth season (2010) of AMC's Mad Men as Bert Cooper's and Don Draper's elderly secretary Ida Blankenship. For this role, Heller received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Additionally, she played the recurring role of Ryan's neighbor Margot on the American version of Wilfred in the 2010s.