Rachel Ticotin Strauss is an American film and television actress. She has appeared in films such as ''

Fort Apache, The Bronx ''Fort Apache, The Bronx'' is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film is about a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, Murphy (Paul Newman), and his young partner Corelli (Ken Wahl), who work in a crime-ridden precinct ...

''; '' Total Recall'', ''

Falling Down ''Falling Down'' is a 1993 American action film directed by Joel Schumacher, written by Ebbe Roe Smith and released by Warner Bros. in the United States on February 26, 1993. The film stars Michael Douglas in the lead role of William Foster, a di ...

'', and ''

Con Air ''Con Air'' is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Simon West and starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. Written by Scott Rosenberg and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film centers on a prison break aboard a J ...

''. She has appeared in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

legal drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...

'' Law & Order: LA'' as Lt. Arleen Gonzales, and guest starred in the "Warriors" episode of '' Blue Bloods'' in 2013 (season 3, episode 15), appearing as "Carmen Castillo".

Early life

Ticotin (pronounced "tick-oh-tin") was born in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City, the daughter of Iris Torres, a Puerto Rican educator, and Abe Ticotin, a Russian-Jewish used-car salesman. Her sister, Nancy Ticotin, is also an actress. She also has three brothers, Marcus, Daniel, and David A. Ticotin, a

first assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to t ...

who lives in

Calabasas, California Calabasas (from Spanish language, Spanish ''calabazas'' "gourds") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, between the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains, Santa Susanna mounta ...

, with his wife Alexis and their children. Her brother Daniel, now known as Sahaj, is a musician and lead singer for the rock group Ra. Ticotin grew up, and received her primary and secondary education, in the Bronx. Her parents enrolled her in the

Ballet Hispanico Ballet Hispánico is an American dance company based in Manhattan, New York. It was founded by the Puerto Rican-Mexican-American dancer and choreographer Tina Ramirez in 1970 and presents dances reflecting the experience of Hispanic and Latino ...

of New York, where she took

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

lessons.

Career

In 1978, Ticotin made her film debut as a dancer in the film ''

King of the Gypsies The title King of the Gypsies has been claimed or given over the centuries to many different people. It is both culturally and geographically specific. It may be inherited, acquired by acclamation or action, or simply claimed. The extent of the p ...

.'' She also acted in the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of

Miguel Piñero Miguel Piñero (December 19, 1946 – June 16, 1988) was a playwright, actor and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café. He was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement. Early years Piñero was born on December 19, 1946, in Gura ...

's ''The Sun Always Shines for the Cool''. During this period, she received an onscreen credit as a

production assistant A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a member of the film crew and is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production. The job of a PA can vary greatly depending on the budget ...

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

's '' Dressed to Kill''. Her first big break came when, working as a production assistant alongside her brother David in 1981, she was given a significant role as ''Isabella'',

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

's love interest in the movie ''

''. That same year, she was listed as one of 12 promising new actors in John Willis' ''Screen World'' Vol. 33. In 1983, she landed a regular role on

's television drama ''Love and Honor''. Other television series in which she has appeared include: '' Ohara'' (1987), ''Women on the Inside'' (1991), ''Crime & Punishment'' (1993), and '' Disney's Gargoyles'' (1994). Ticotin's film work includes: ''

Critical Condition Medical state is a term used to describe a hospital patient's health status, or condition. The term is most commonly used in information given to the news media, and is rarely used as a clinical description by physicians. Two aspects of the pati ...

'' (1987) as Rachel Atwood, '' Total Recall'' (1990) as Melina alongside

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

and

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...

, ''

Where the Day Takes You ''Where the Day Takes You'' is a 1992 American crime drama thriller film directed by Marc Rocco and starring Dermot Mulroney, Sean Astin, Balthazar Getty, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ricki Lake, James LeGros, Laura San Giacomo, David Arquette, Christian Sl ...

'' (1992) as Officer Landers, ''

'' (1993) as Detective Sandra Torres, ''

First Time Felon ''First Time Felon'' is a 1997 drama film starring Omar Epps. Plot A young inexperienced drug dealer and Vice Lords gang member, Greg Yance (Omar Epps), is arrested for drug possession in his hometown, Chicago. Because of Yance having five grams o ...

'' (1997) as Mcbride alongside

Omar Epps Omar Hashim Epps (born July 20, 1973) is an American actor, rapper, and producer. He has been awarded nine NAACP Image Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Movie Award, one Black Reel Award, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. Epps's film role ...

, and ''

'' (1997) alongside

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gu ...

, in which she earned an

ALMA Award The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and ...

for her role as prison guard Sally Bishop. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Inez, the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

mother of Don Juan in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy ''

Don Juan DeMarco ''Don Juan DeMarco'' is a 1995 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Johnny Depp as John Arnold DeMarco, a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Clad in a cape and domino mask, DeMarco undergoes psychiat ...

'', with

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

playing the title role. Ticotin has participated in over 40 films and television series, appearing in '' Man on Fire'' (2004) as Mariana and ''

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'' is a series of five bestselling young adult novels by Ann Brashares: ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001),'' ''The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (2003),'' '' Girls in Pants'' (2005), '' Foreve ...

'' (2005). Ticotin was cast as Vangie Gonzalez Taylor in the second season of

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

's television series ''

American Family The traditional family structure in the United States is considered a family support system involving two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. However, this two-parent, heterosexual, nuclear family ...

'' alongside

Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in ''Miami Vice'' (1984–1989), ''American Me'' (1992) (which he also dir ...

Esai Morales Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films '' Bad Boys'' with Sean Penn and '' La Bamba'' with Lou Diamond Phillips (1987). His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series '' ...

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch ( Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress. She first won attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer ...

, and

Kate del Castillo Kate del Castillo Negrete Trillo () is a Mexican-American actress. At the age of 19, del Castillo became known for her lead role in the telenovela ''Muchachitas'' for Televisa in 1991. Afterwards, she continued her career in film and television ...

. Ticotin also appeared on television in season two of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

series ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' as Captain Teresa Cortez, mother of

Michelle Rodriguez Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. Rodriguez began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Award and Gotha ...

's character

Ana Lucia Cortez Ana Lucia Cortez is a fictional character on the ABC television series ''Lost'', played by Michelle Rodriguez. Ana Lucia made her first appearance as a guest star in the first season finale, and became part of the main cast for season two. After ...

. In September 2010, she joined the cast of the NBC

'' Law & Order: LA'' as Lt. Arleen Gonzales in place of

Wanda De Jesus Wanda De Jesus (born August 26, 1958) is an American actress. She was the fourth actress to portray Santana Andrade in NBC's soap opera '' Santa Barbara''. Aside from her work on soap operas, De Jesus appeared in several TV shows in a guest sta ...

, who originally played the role. Ticotin reshot the scenes originally performed by De Jesus.

Personal life

She was married to actor

David Caruso David Stephen Caruso (born January 7, 1956) is a retired American actor and producer, best known for his roles as Detective John Kelly on the ABC crime drama ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–94) and Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the CBS series ''CSI: Miami ...

from 1984 to 1987, with whom she has a daughter (Greta), born in 1984. Since 1998, she has been married to actor

Peter Strauss Peter Lawrence Strauss (born February 20, 1947) is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Early life Strauss was born in C ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

ALMA Awards The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and ...

*1998: Nominated, “Outstanding Actress in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series” – ''First Time Felon'' *1998: Nominated, “Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film” – ''Con Air''

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

*1991: Nominated, “Best Supporting Actress” – ''Total Recall'' Blockbuster Entertainment Award *1998: Nominated, “Favorite Supporting Actress in an Action/Adventure Film” – ''Con Air''

References

External links

*
Profile of Rachel Ticotin among the cast of ''American Family''
at PBS.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Ticotin, Rachel Living people Actresses from New York City People from the Bronx American people of Russian-Jewish descent American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Jewish American actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses American actresses of Puerto Rican descent 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)