Katherine Helmond, star of "Soap," and "Who's the Boss?" has died at 89
March 1, 2019 7:05 PM Subscribe
Katherine Helmond, who played Jessica Tate on Soap, Mona on Who's the Boss? passed away at the age of 89 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease at her home in Los Angeles on February 23rd.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Helmond "toiled for years in small dramatic parts on television," her agent recommended trying comedy. Despite some stations airing the show well after prime-time, or refusing to air it altogether, and advertisers ducking the show, it ran for four seasons and Helmond made her mark as a comedian as well as dramatic actor. In a series full of gifted actors - Billy Crystal, Richard Mulligan, Robert Guillaume to name a few - she held her own, and then some.
She was nominated for an Emmy all four seasons of Soap, and again twice for Who's the Boss and won Golden Globes for both shows. In an 1989 interview with the LA Times, she said about her Boss character Mona, "I can be serious and I can be funny and vulnerable and blunt and brutal and loving. Yeah, a contemporary woman. I wanted to show a woman my age who doesn't fulfill the expectations (held) of grandmother and mother and nice lady in Connecticut--but someone who's in life, not outside looking in."
Helmond also had a successful stage career and appeared in many other shows and films, including Terry Gilliam's Brazil, a voice in Cars, and reprised her role as Jessica Tate in the Soap spin-off Benson.
Helmond is survived by her husband of 57 years, David Christian.
As a child of the 70s who grew up on Soap (score one for permissive parenting), I'm deeply saddened to learn of her passing.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Helmond "toiled for years in small dramatic parts on television," her agent recommended trying comedy. Despite some stations airing the show well after prime-time, or refusing to air it altogether, and advertisers ducking the show, it ran for four seasons and Helmond made her mark as a comedian as well as dramatic actor. In a series full of gifted actors - Billy Crystal, Richard Mulligan, Robert Guillaume to name a few - she held her own, and then some.
She was nominated for an Emmy all four seasons of Soap, and again twice for Who's the Boss and won Golden Globes for both shows. In an 1989 interview with the LA Times, she said about her Boss character Mona, "I can be serious and I can be funny and vulnerable and blunt and brutal and loving. Yeah, a contemporary woman. I wanted to show a woman my age who doesn't fulfill the expectations (held) of grandmother and mother and nice lady in Connecticut--but someone who's in life, not outside looking in."
Helmond also had a successful stage career and appeared in many other shows and films, including Terry Gilliam's Brazil, a voice in Cars, and reprised her role as Jessica Tate in the Soap spin-off Benson.
Helmond is survived by her husband of 57 years, David Christian.
As a child of the 70s who grew up on Soap (score one for permissive parenting), I'm deeply saddened to learn of her passing.
Did her and Tony Miselli ever actually do it? I hope so.
.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:09 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Space Coyote at 7:09 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I loved Soap as a kid, even though I was too young to get a lot of the jokes. She was amazing.
,
posted by bondcliff at 7:18 PM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
,
posted by bondcliff at 7:18 PM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
She was so great on Soap. She seemed like a pretty cool person generally.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:26 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 7:26 PM on March 1, 2019
.
posted by get off of my cloud at 7:29 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by get off of my cloud at 7:29 PM on March 1, 2019
I remember her best as the ogre's wife in Time Bandits.
"Well, you don't have to jump around. Just shout horribly and leer at them. You know, the way you used to."
.
posted by hanov3r at 7:43 PM on March 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
"Well, you don't have to jump around. Just shout horribly and leer at them. You know, the way you used to."
.
posted by hanov3r at 7:43 PM on March 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
I loved Mona. I had a teenage crush on Tony Danza and the rest of the characters were irrelevant.
posted by bendy at 8:09 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by bendy at 8:09 PM on March 1, 2019
Always and forever Jonathan Pryce's mother in the film Brazil.
.
posted by hippybear at 8:12 PM on March 1, 2019 [21 favorites]
.
posted by hippybear at 8:12 PM on March 1, 2019 [21 favorites]
.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:12 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by Chrysostom at 8:12 PM on March 1, 2019
I know being typecast or being known for one role is at best a mixed blessing in the acting world, but she was indelible to me as Jessica Tate (in a series that ended 38 years ago!). A quick glance over iMDB suggests I had seen her only three times since then (in the aforementioned Time Bandits and Brazil, as well as in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but as soon as I read the news I knew instantly who she was. Anyone else from Soap, except for Robert Guillaume and Billy Crystal, and maybe Donnelly Rhodes, I couldn’t pick out of a lineup.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:33 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:33 PM on March 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 8:35 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 8:35 PM on March 1, 2019
I was watching Soap today when this came out over the net. At the end of the episode they had posted "In Memoriam." Surreal.
.
posted by blurker at 9:08 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
.
posted by blurker at 9:08 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 9:16 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 9:16 PM on March 1, 2019
I always thought her best was this scene was from Brazil where she becomes "twice as beautiful as before".
.
posted by jabo at 9:59 PM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
.
posted by jabo at 9:59 PM on March 1, 2019 [3 favorites]
Today I learned Ms. Helmond had someone awesome and worthy enough to take on the job of being her long-time husband. I better check to see whether the other seemigly eternal existential deficiencies, cold fusion and someone having finally made adequate boxer shorts for Lord Flasheart, have also been remedied.
She was am utter joy to watch.
. Nope, for her: !
posted by zaixfeep at 10:24 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
She was am utter joy to watch.
posted by zaixfeep at 10:24 PM on March 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:33 PM on March 1, 2019
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:33 PM on March 1, 2019
Another kid who watched Soap before I really understood it, but it set a pattern for my reality. I adored Katherine Helmond, and I feel so bad for her husband.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 12:26 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 12:26 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
Loved her in Soap. In a high school English class, I was surprised to see her in a Shakespeare film (which I guess was "As You Like It")...I swooned. Google is flooded with the news of her passing, so whatever images of this play are out there seem to be buried.
posted by bonobothegreat at 1:50 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by bonobothegreat at 1:50 AM on March 2, 2019
I’ve never heard of Soap or her, should I watch it in her honour? Would it hold up? It seems like pretty old school American comedy.
posted by unliteral at 2:14 AM on March 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by unliteral at 2:14 AM on March 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
.
I watched a few episodes of "Soap" recently.
Ms. Helmond's portrayal of Jessica Tate was/is a classic.
unliteral: highly recommend watching.
posted by james33 at 3:19 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
I watched a few episodes of "Soap" recently.
Ms. Helmond's portrayal of Jessica Tate was/is a classic.
unliteral: highly recommend watching.
posted by james33 at 3:19 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:58 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 3:58 AM on March 2, 2019
When I was in middle school (!) I saw her as Ouisa in a regional production of Six Degrees of Separation. I went in thinking “ha ha, it’s Mona from Who’s the Boss” and came out knowing I had just seen something incredible. That performance stocks with me to this day.
!
posted by pxe2000 at 4:09 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
!
posted by pxe2000 at 4:09 AM on March 2, 2019 [4 favorites]
. I liked her! What a shame!
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:30 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 4:30 AM on March 2, 2019
Another vote for Soap. For those unfamiliar with the show, it was revolutionary and controversial for the time. It was one of the first shows to openly use race, homosexuality, women’s lib, and more as comedic plot points. It took all the soap opera tropes and cliches and jacked them up to 11 for comedic effect.
Watch this scene with Ms. Helmond as family matriarch Jessica Tate and Billy Crystal as her nephew. She had a gift of comedic timing. To this day, I still crack up at the punchline at the end: “MICKEY MOUSE HAD A GAY DOG???”
https://youtu.be/vudJivvHWqI
posted by zooropa at 4:30 AM on March 2, 2019 [17 favorites]
Watch this scene with Ms. Helmond as family matriarch Jessica Tate and Billy Crystal as her nephew. She had a gift of comedic timing. To this day, I still crack up at the punchline at the end: “MICKEY MOUSE HAD A GAY DOG???”
https://youtu.be/vudJivvHWqI
posted by zooropa at 4:30 AM on March 2, 2019 [17 favorites]
.
posted by dannyboybell at 5:41 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by dannyboybell at 5:41 AM on March 2, 2019
.
posted by double bubble at 7:37 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by double bubble at 7:37 AM on March 2, 2019
.
From another person who saw her on “Soap” when it was well past my bedtime.
posted by droplet at 8:11 AM on March 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
From another person who saw her on “Soap” when it was well past my bedtime.
posted by droplet at 8:11 AM on March 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
.
posted by the sobsister at 8:25 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by the sobsister at 8:25 AM on March 2, 2019
.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:26 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:26 AM on March 2, 2019
I hope she went out by doing the Chester Tate thing where he snapped his fingers and became invisible. My dad would do that throughout my childhood.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:59 AM on March 2, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 9:59 AM on March 2, 2019 [3 favorites]
I apologize humboldt32, but as a big Soap fan, I must inform you that it was Burt Campbell who was invisible
posted by Calibandage at 10:48 AM on March 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Calibandage at 10:48 AM on March 2, 2019 [5 favorites]
In terms of family dynamics, Soap was the original Arrested Development.
.
posted by she's not there at 11:07 AM on March 2, 2019 [8 favorites]
.
posted by she's not there at 11:07 AM on March 2, 2019 [8 favorites]
She also originated the role of Bananas Shaughnessy in John Guare’s wonderful House of the Blue Leaves off Broadway.
posted by Smearcase at 11:35 AM on March 2, 2019
posted by Smearcase at 11:35 AM on March 2, 2019
When I was a kid watching Soap, I have the shocking revelation that an older woman could be sexy. She was my first TV crush.
I saw just about everything she was in except Who's The Boss, that face, that voice, those acting chops...
.
posted by djrock3k at 7:22 PM on March 2, 2019
I saw just about everything she was in except Who's The Boss, that face, that voice, those acting chops...
.
posted by djrock3k at 7:22 PM on March 2, 2019
She made an interesting appearance in the quirky film 'Shadey' (1985)
posted by ovvl at 9:33 PM on March 2, 2019
posted by ovvl at 9:33 PM on March 2, 2019
Soap was the original Arrested Development
I prefer to think of Soap as the series that in a just world would have made Arrested Development redundant.
posted by flabdablet at 12:59 AM on March 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
I prefer to think of Soap as the series that in a just world would have made Arrested Development redundant.
posted by flabdablet at 12:59 AM on March 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
« Older "Are you sure I'll still be a virgin?" | For another four pound we could've had Edward... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:07 PM on March 1, 2019