Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American actress. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as Jessica Tate on the sitcom ''

Soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

'' (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as Mona Robinson on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984–1992). Helmond also appeared in a 1993 episode of ''

The Upper Hand ''The Upper Hand'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by ITV from 1 May 1990 to 14 October 1996. The programme was adapted from the American sitcom '' Who's the Boss?''. As in the former series, affluent single woman Caroline Wheatley ...

'', the British version of ''Who's the Boss?''. She also played Doris Sherman on ''

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

'' and Lois Whelan (the mother of

Debra Barone This is a list of fictional characters from ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', an American sitcom, originally broadcast on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a sportswriter ...

) on ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch an ...

''. She also appeared as a guest on several talk and variety shows. Helmond had minor or supporting roles in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's '' Family Plot'' (1976),

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam (; born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British filmmaker, comedian, animator, actor and former member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 13 feature films, including '' Time Bandits'' (1981), '' ...

's ''

Time Bandits ''Time Bandits'' is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaug ...

(1981)'' and ''

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

'' (1985), and

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play '' The Odd C ...

's '' Overboard'' (1987). She also voiced

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in the ''

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'' film franchise by

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between 2006 and 2017.

Early life

Helmond was born on July 5, 1929, in Galveston, Texas, the only child of Thelma (née Malone) and Joseph P. Helmond. She was raised by her mother and grandmother, both devout Catholics. She attended a Catholic primary school and appeared in school plays. For a semester, she attended

Bob Jones University , motto_lang = Latin , mottoeng = We seek, we trust , top_free_label = , top_free = , type = Private university , established = , closed = , f ...

in Greenville, South Carolina, and appeared in its film (Unusual Films Production) ''Wine of Morning''.

Career

After her stage debut in '' As You Like It'', Helmond began working in New York City in 1955. She later ran a summer theatre in the

Catskills The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

for three seasons and taught acting in university theatre programs. She made her television debut in 1962, but did not achieve a high profile until the 1970s. She also acted on stage, earning a

Tony award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination for her performance on Broadway in

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

's ''

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'' (1973). Her other appearances in Broadway productions included roles in ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...

'', ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'', and ''Mixed Emotions''. Helmond appeared in such feature films as ''Family Plot'' (1976), ''Time Bandits (1981)'', and ''Brazil'' (1985), in which she played the mother of

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2021 he was ...

's character. In 1983, she studied at the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop. She picked up Emmy nominations for her role as Mona Robinson in ''Who's the Boss'' and as Lois Whelan in ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. She also received acclaim for her stage performance in Eve Ensler's ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores c ...

''.

Helmond appeared in ''

The Legend of Lizzie Borden ''The Legend of Lizzie Borden'' is a 1975 American historical mystery television film directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Elizabeth Montgomery—in an Emmy-nominated performance—as Lizzie Borden, an American woman who was accused of murdering ...

'' (1975) as

Emma Borden Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...

, the title character's sister. She appeared in an episode of the short-lived 1976 CBS adventure series, ''

Spencer's Pilots ''Spencer's Pilots'' is an American adventure series that aired on CBS from September 17 to November 19, 1976. Created by Larry Rosen and developed by Alvin Sapinsley, the series stars Gene Evans.''The Tuscaloosa News'' (via Associated Press ...

'', starring

Gene Evans Eugene Barton Evans (July 11, 1922 – April 1, 1998) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television series, television films, and feature films between 1947 and 1989. Background Evans was born in Holbrook, Arizona and raised i ...

. Helmond gained prominence as Jessica Tate, the ditzy matriarch of the Tate family in ''

'' (1977–1981) on ABC. From 1984 to 1992, she played the role of Mona Robinson on the ABC sitcom ''Who's the Boss?''. From 1995 to 1997, she starred in the ABC sitcom ''

'' as Doris Sherman, eccentric owner of the fictional

Orlando Breakers ''Coach'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for nine seasons on ABC from February 28, 1989 to May 14, 1997, with a total of 200 half-hour episodes. The series stars Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional NCAA ...

professional football team. From 1996 to 2004, she had a recurring role on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' as Lois Whelan ( Ray Barone's mother-in-law). On July 25, 2010, she guest-starred on A&E Network's '' The Glades'' and as Caroline Bellefleur on HBO's ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on '' The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development. The ser ...

''.

Award nominations

Helmond was nominated for Broadway's 1973 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for Eugene O'Neill's ''The Great God Brown''. She was nominated for an Emmy for her role on ''Soap'' four times in a row (1978–1981) as Best Actress in a Comedy Series. In 1988 and 1989, she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on ''Who's the Boss?''. In 2002, she was nominated as Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. She won two Golden Globe awards for ''Who's the Boss?'' and ''Soap''.

Personal life

In 1957, Helmond married George N. Martin. After their divorce in 1962, she married her second husband, David Christian; they remained married until her death, residing in Los Angeles, New York City, Long Island, and London. She and Christian had a history as students of

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Death

Helmond died on February 23, 2019, from complications of Alzheimer's disease at her home in Los Angeles, aged 89. Her death was announced a week later.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Helmond, Katherine 1929 births 2019 deaths Age controversies 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Bob Jones University alumni Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease People from Galveston, Texas