Helen Slater
| Sci-Fi/Fantasy | |
| IMDB.com | Helen's Website |
Helen Slater was born Helen Rachel Schlacter to Gerald Schlachter
and Alice Joan Citrin, in Massapequa, Long Island, New York.
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 the after-school special Amy & the Angel (1982),
co-starring with James Earl Jones and Matthew Modine - the only film
in which she appeared as a brunette - 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/I), 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.