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Katherine Helmond

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7.1 Good

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Recent Role:: Gloria Gold on Harry's Law

Gender:: Female

Born:: 7-5-1934

Birthplace:: Galvelston,Texas

Birth Name:: Catherine Marie Helmond

American actress Katherine Helmond spent nearly thirty years becoming an overnight success. Working fitfully in New York and regional theatre throughout the '50s and '60s, Helmond made ends meet by working as a drama teacher. Her first fleeting film appearances were in the Manhattan-based Believe in Me and The Hospital, both shot in 1971. She received a sizeable role in 1975's The Hindenburg, which utilized local repertory actors from throughout the midwest; she also worked with Hitchcock in 1976's Family Plot. In 1977, Katherine was cast as Jessica Tate, the scatterbrained, hedonistic… More matriarch on the TV sitcom Soap. She remained with the series until its cancellation in 1981; Soap left poor Jessica Tate facing a firing squad, and didn't reveal her fate until Helmond's guest appearance on the Soap spinoff Benson, wherein she played Jessica's ghost. In 1983, Katherine enrolled in the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop; she helmed the short subject Bankrupt and also several episodes of TV's Who's the Boss, in which she played Mona Robinson from 1984 through 1990. Keeping her hand in films, Katherine Helmond became a favorite of ex-Monty Python director Terry Gilliam, who cast the actress as a vain matron undergoing a really radical facelift in 1984's Brazil.

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Katherine Helmond and Stephen Moyer on True Blood from the episode

Katherine Helmond on Melissa and Joey from the episode 'In Lennox We Trust'.

Katherine Helmond, Melissa Joan Hart, Joey Lawrence, Taylor Spreitler and Nick Robinson on Melissa and Joey from the episode 'In Lennox We Trust'.

Katherine Helmond and Nick Robinson on Melissa and Joey from the episode 'In Lennox We Trust'.

From the Forums

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Favorite Katherine Helmond Character?

My favorites are of course, Jessica and Mona. I love the classics.

sgtpepper1985

5 comments, last one May 14, 2007 + Add Comment
Welcome to the TV.com Forums for Katherine Helmond

Welcome to the TV.com Forums for Katherine Helmond. Here is your area to discuss, dissect and debate all things about this person.

1 comments, last one Jul 31, 2006 + Add Comment

Katherine Helmond News

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TV's Greatest Grandmas
In honor of Mother's Day (it's this Sunday, people!), an appreciative list of our favorite television grannies.
- 05/07/10 2:47 PM
- Ilana Diamond
TV's Greatest Grandmas
In honor of Mother's Day (it's this Sunday, people!), an appreciative list of our favorite television grannies.
- 05/07/10 2:47 PM
- Ilana Diamond

Fans' Reviews

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10 Perfect

Yea Kathy! hide show

Diffidently a theatre actress. She used her gestures very vividly and when she made Jessica dramatic, I laughed my head off! She played Jessica Tate very well. Katherine just brightens my day whenever I had a bay day. I just pop in a Soap DVD and relax. I hope to be like her someday.

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sgtpepper1985 Added Aug 24, 2005 All my reviews