Marcia Strassman

Marcia A. Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 25, 2014) was an American actress and singer, best known for her roles as Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter and as Diane Szalinski in the 1989 feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; its sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid; and the 3-D film spin-off Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, which was shown at several Disney theme parks through mid-2010.

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, hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco; the track also hit #3 in Vancouver, British Columbia (both at CKLG 730 AM and CFUN 1410 AM in July 1967). However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country; the record stalled at #105 in the U.S., and just sneaked into RPM's Top 100 for Canada, peaking at #95. Strassman's follow-up 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 the ABC TV series Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The series lasted for four years. Strassman clashed with co-star Gabriel "Gabe" Kaplan and she stated that working on the show made her "miserable".[5] In the 1970s, Strassman also appeared as a guest star on Time Express, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, and other prime time dramas.

In 1980, she starred as Lenina Crowne in a TV production of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, she also costarred in the short-lived sitcom Good Time Harry that year. She guest-starred several times on Magnum, P.I., first introduced in the episode "Heal Thyself" where she played Dr. Karen Harmon, a former nurse he served with in Vietnam, who became a doctor after returning home. In 1982, she played Maria in the romantic comedy Soup For One.

In 1989–90, she had a co-starring role in the short-lived 21 Jump Street spinoff, Booker, which starred Richard Grieco in the title role. Strassman also had movie roles as the wife of Rick Moranis's scientist character in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992). In 1994, she reprised her role from those movies in the 3-D film spin-off Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!. She later went on to play Nancy Sterngood in the TV show, Tremors (2003).

Strassman died of breast cancer at her home in Sherman Oaks, California. She was 66 years old.

Discography

• "The Flower Children" / "Out Of The Picture" (1967)
• "The Groovy World Of Jack & Jill" / "The Flower Shop" (1967)
• "Self-Analysis" / "Star Gazer" (1968)