Helen Slater(I)
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Helen Slater was born in Bethpage, New York, to Alice Joan (Citrin), a lawyer and peace activist, and Gerald Slater, a television executive. She was raised in Massapequa, Long
Island, New York, and is of Eastern European Jewish descent. Appearing in many shows as a child, she attended the
New York High School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1982. Having
made her acting debut in
Amy & the Angel (1982),
co-starring with James Earl Jones and
Matthew Modine. Helen took her career
very seriously. Within months of her graduation, she attended auditions
for the upcoming spin-off of the famous
Superman (1978) franchise,
Supergirl (1984). It was to be shot in
England at Pinewood Studios, where the first "Superman" movies were
filmed. Slater even spoke to
Christopher Reeve about playing a
superhero to assure herself she could do it. After being the first to
present herself for audition, she was cast as the lead in the film and
her career took off.
Although Supergirl (1984) received
mixed reviews, most critics were impressed with Helen's abilities. In
fact, the critics' consensus was that she did a better job at keeping a
secret identity (a mousy schoolgirl) than Reeve did as Clark Kent. In
her next film, she was cast as a modern-day "Joan of Arc" in
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)
with Yeardley Smith and
Peter Coyote. The film, though not
particularly successful, has managed to attract a somewhat cult
following. She next appeared in one of her best-received roles, that of
the female half of the bumbling husband-and-wife team that kidnaps
Bette Midler in the comic blockbuster,
Ruthless People (1986), and
scored again in the hit
The Secret of My Success (1987).
Both roles helped to cement her status as an actress of note. Next, she
and her friend, Melanie Mayron, starred
in the feminist comedy,
Sticky Fingers (1988), a critical
but not financial success. It was in this film and her next,
Happy Together (1989), that she
was able to prove that she could do comedy as well as drama. She went
on to do more feature films such as
City Slickers (1991),
A House in the Hills (1993)
and Lassie (1994), before making regular
appearances on television. Her regional stage credits include
appearances in such plays as "Grease" and "Shakespeare and Friends". On
Broadway, she starred in "Responsible Parties" and "Almost Romance".
She also attended classes at both NYU and UCLA, trying to broaden her
acting abilities. On television, she has appeared in
Caroline in the City (1995),
as well as many others. She also became a spokeswoman for Preference by
L'Oreal in both TV and print ads. She is an accomplished pianist and
now has an album out called "One of These Days". She co-founded the New
York theater group, The Naked Angels, with her friend
Gina Gershon. In 1990, she married
award-winning editor Robert Watzke and
they have a daughter, born in 1995. She stepped out of the limelight
for a couple of years, appearing mainly in the occasional TV show, but
came back strong in 2003, showing moviegoers and TV audiences how great
an entertainer she really is.
