Marcia Strassman on ScifiSyFy.com
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Marcia A. Strassman (born April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was the actress that portrayed Nancy Sterngood in Tremors: The Series. She replaces Charlotte Stewart who couldn't portray Nancy due to contract issues. She was an American actress best-known for her roles as Julie Kotter in the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter and Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its first sequel.
Biography[]
Strassman was born in New York City. Among her earliest acting credits was an appearance in an episode of The Patty Duke Show. In 1967, she became a recording artist for UNI Records. Her debut single, "The Flower Children", was a top 40 hit in many West Coast U.S. markets, most notably hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco; the track also hit #2 in Vancouver, Canada (CKLG 730 AM or CFUN 1410 AM in July 1967). However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country, stalling at #103 (U.S.). Strassman's followup release, "The Groovy World of Jack & Jill," charted in Denver but virtually nowhere else. A third single, 1968's "Star Gazer" (produced by Kim Fowley), failed to chart anywhere and brought Strassman's brief recording career to a close.
Returning to acting after a gap of a few years, Strassman landed the recurring role of nurse Margie Cutler in the earliest episodes of M*A*S*H. She appeared in six episodes.
She landed her best-known role as Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The series lasted for four years. Strassman also appeared as a guest star on such '70s fare as The Rockford Files, The Love Boat; season 1 ep. 15, and other prime time dramas.
She was frequently mistaken for WKRP in Cincinnati cast member Jan Smithers, to whom she bears a close resemblance. In 1980 she starred as Lenina Disney in a BBC production of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World".
In 1989–90, she had a costarring role in the 21 Jump Street spinoff, Booker. Strassman also had movie roles in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992).
In March 2007, she was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, which has since spread to her bones until her death in 2014.