Gina Hecht (; born December 6, 1953) is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

Early life

Hecht was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, the daughter of stage actress Pauline Hecht, and decided to embark on a career as an actress at the age of ten. After high school she earned a degree from the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

. She is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Career

Hecht's big break came in 1979 when she was hired for the role of Jeanie DaVinci on the successful TV series ''

Mork & Mindy ''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', "My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrest ...

''. Her first film role was in the 1982

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

movie '' Night Shift'', alongside

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

and

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in ''Beetlejuice'' ( ...

. In addition to a career on TV and in films, she has also worked the stage. In 2011, she appeared in Neil Simon's ''

The Prisoner of Second Avenue ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' is a 1975 American black comedy film directed and produced by Melvin Frank and starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. The film was adapted from the 1971 play by Neil Simon. Plot The story revolves around the esc ...

'' alongside

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...

. In 1988, she was married to writer and actor Brian Herskowitz. She has a sister, Esther, and a brother, Harold. Hecht has been recurring on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...

'' as Judge Rachel Lasser from 2015 to 2019.

Personal life

Hecht married Brian Herskowitz in 1988.

Filmography

Television

* 1979–1981: ''

'' as Jeanie DaVinci * 1979: ''

Hizzonner ''Hizzonner'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC on Thursday nights from May 10 to June 14, 1979. Synopsis The series centered on Mayor Cooper, a widower with two grown children, Annie, a civil rights attorney, and James, a hippie ...

'' as Melanie * 1987: '' Everything's Relative'' as Emily Cabot * 1988: '' HeartBeat'' as Patty * 1989: ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...

'': "Panic at Malibu Pier" as Gina Pomeroy * 1990: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'': " A Matter of Perspective" as Manua Apgar * 1992: '' Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story'' as Deanne * 1992–1993: ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'': "

The Pick "The Pick" is the 53rd episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It is the 13th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on December 16, 1992. In this episode, Elaine mistakenly mails out a Christmas card in which her nipple is exposed to all he ...

", " The Shoes", "

The Pilot A pilot is a person who flies or navigates an aircraft. Pilot or The Pilot may also refer to: * Maritime pilot, a person who guides ships through hazardous waters * Television pilot, a television episode used to sell a series to a television netw ...

" as Dana Foley, George's therapist * 1994: '' Without Warning'' as Barbara Shiller * 1995: ''

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

: You Say Tomato as teacher * 1997: ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' as Richard's Date * 2001: '' Jag Past Tense'' as Jane Maples madwoman * 2005: '' Pizza My Heart'' as Gloria Montebello * 2009: ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...

'': " The Coffee Cup" as Judge Emily Gallagher * 2009–2012: ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'': " Mash-Up", "

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

", "

Glee, Actually "Glee, Actually" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series ''Glee'', and the seventy-sixth episode overall as well as the show's third Christmas-themed episode. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by A ...

" as Puck's mom * 2013: '' The Middle'': "Life Skills" as Ms. Schaefer * 2015–19: ''

'' as Judge Rachel Lasser * 2020-Present: ''

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

'' as Carol

Film

* 1982: '' Night Shift'' as Charlotte Koogle * 1985: ''

St. Elmo's Fire St. Elmo's fire — also called Witchfire or Witch's Fire — is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney, or animal hornHeidorn, K., Weather Element ...

'' as Judith * 1986: '' Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star'' as Newscaster * 1987: ''Unfinished Business'' as Vickie * 1993: ''

Family Prayers ''Family Prayers'' is a 1993 American drama film starring Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer, Paul Reiser and Patti LuPone. It was directed by Scott Rosenfeld. It is notable for being the first film role of Brittany Murphy, who had a non-speaking role. P ...

'' as Arlene * 1995: ''One Night Stand'' as Cy Watson * 1998: ''Can I Play?'' as Nancy * 1999: ''

EDtv ''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film ''Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, E ...

'' as Party Girl * 2001: ''Odessa or Bust'' as God * 2002: ''

Clockstoppers ''Clockstoppers'' is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Jonathan Frakes and produced by Gale Anne Hurd and Julia Pistor. The film stars Jesse Bradford, Paula Garcés, French Stewart, Michael Biehn, Robin Thomas, and Ju ...

'' as Meter Maid * 2008: ''

Seven Pounds ''Seven Pounds'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino starring actor Will Smith as a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people. Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper also star. The film was released in ...

'' as Dr. Briar * 2008: '' The Last Word'' as Hilde Morris * 2017: ''Fight Your Way Out'' as Jane Stone

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Gina 1953 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Houston American film actresses American television actresses University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni