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has lent his comic timing and vocal talents to such recent animated projects as
“Tarzan II” and “Happy N’ever After.”
KATHERINE HELMOND (Lizzie) is best known for her role as Jessica
Tate in ABC’s controversial sitcom “Soap,” for which she won a Golden Globe
Award in 1981. In 2004, the actress was nominated for her 6 th Emmy, this time
for her performance in “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and she also starred in
the 2004 ABC Christmas show “Mr. St. Nick” along with Kelsey Grammer,
Charles Durning and Brian Bedford.
Helmond was a recurring character on the series “Everybody Loves
Raymond,” playing the mother of Ray’s wife, Deborah. Before that, she costarred
in the ABC hit “Coach” with Craig T. Nelson for three years, following
eight hit seasons in “Who’s the Boss?” with Tony Danza. She was nominated for
a Golden Globe for her role as the luscious Mona four times and won the award
in 1988. In 1986, Helmond was given the London TV Times Award for the
actress who had brought the most joy to the viewing audience.
In 1983, she added another dimension to her work with her acceptance
into the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women – a
prestigious program for women who have achieved prior success in other areas
of the entertainment industry. Upon completion of her project for the AFI, she
immediately turned to professional directing via “Benson,” the ABC series
starring Robert Guillaume. By 1984, she had directed four episodes of this
successful show. In addition, she later directed episodes of “Who’s The Boss?” In
1987, the Arts and Entertainment cable channel aired the one hour drama
“Bankrupt,” which Helmond had directed for the AFI. The program focused on
a couple’s emotional bankruptcy, and was written by David Christian,
Helmond’s husband.
Recently, the actress co-starred in a production of “Ms. Scrooge” for USA
cable, co-starring as Marley with Cicely Tyson as Ms. Scrooge. Helmond has
amassed an impressive list of TV credits, including early guest-starring
appearances on many of the top-rated series as well as Steve Allen’s Emmywinning
“Meeting of the Minds” (in which she played Emily Dickinson.) She has
also had major roles in a diverse cross-section of television films, including
“World War III,” “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” “Wanted: The
Sundance Woman,” “The Legend of Lizzie Borden,” and the mini-series “Pearl”
and “Diary of a Mad Hitchhiker.”
Returning to her stage roots, Katherine had her name in lights on
Broadway in 1993 starring opposite Hal Gould in “Mixed Emotions.” Most
recently, she starred in a Chicago revival of “Mornings at Seven,” and in New
York in productions of “The Vagina Monologues” and “The Oldest Profession,”
by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Paula Vogel.
Additionally, throughout her career, Helmond has found herself involved
with feature films. Three of Hollywood’s top directors selected her for significant
roles: Alfred Hitchcock (“Family Plot,”) Robert Wise (“Hindenburg”), and John
Hancock (“Baby Blue Marine.”) In 1980, she starred in “Time Bandits” for Terry
Gilliam. Next, she went on to receive praise for her role in his highly acclaimed
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