Marcia Strassman (born April 28, 1948 in New York City, United States) is 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.
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 US markets, most notably hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco. The track also hit the top 40 in Vancouver, Canada. However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country, stalling at #103 US. Strassman's followup release 'The Groovy World of Jack & Jill' charted in Denver but virtually nowhere else. item.php?rtid=7692" target="_blank">http://las-solanas.com/arsa/artists_item.php?rtid=7692 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 as nurse Margie Cutler in the earliest episodes of M*A*S*H. A regular character who was also shown in the opening titles sequence when the series began, she disappeared from the show and was cut from the title sequence after appearing in just 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 and other prime time dramas. Between 1989-1990 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). She is frequently mistaken for WKRP in Cincinnati cast member Jan Smithers to whom she bears a close resemblance.
This tall, willowy brunette (these days, frequently blonde) was born April 28, 1948, in New York City, one of four children. Raised in Passaic, New Jersey, she grew into a striking young teen and worked for a time as a model in a local children's department store. Trekking back to New York City equipped only with her modeling credentials and a natural singing talent, Marcia found herself performing in an off-Broadway show at the ripe old age of 15, replacing 17-year-old Liza Minnelli in the musical "Best Foot Forward." Inspired, Marcia ventured ahead with a number of stage roles, then broke into television and scored her first semi-regular role as an army nurse on the very first season of "M*A*S*H" (1972). Her big breakout role, and the one for which she will best be remembered, was as Gabe Kaplan's wife on the popular sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1975) for four seasons. Despite the steady work, she was fairly disillusioned at playing the relatively sane (i.e., overlooked) role of Julie Kotter. Most of the focus landed squarely on her husband, a Brooklyn schoolteacher (the show was based on Kaplan's real-life experiences as a teacher) and his interaction with student "Sweathogs" Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Ron Palillo and pre-megastar John Travolta. Stuck with essentially a reactive character, she gamely stayed with the show throughout its run. "Kotter" would be her only hit series despite a handful of attempts, but she managed to persevere in later years with guest spots on such shows as "Magnum, P.I." (1980), "Amazing Stories" (1985), "Highlander" (1992), "Sweet Justice" (1994) and "Providence" (1999). She would regain major attention one more time as (again) a wholesome wife, playing nerdy Rick Moranis' spouse in the surprise Disney hit Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). She reprised that role in the equally popular sequel, Honey I Blew Up the Kid (1992). In 1998 Marcia returned to her musical roots and performed with "Beauty and the Beast" star Susan Egan in "Hello Again," which was a revamped version of the Max Ophüls classic French film Ronde, La (1950). Here she played against type as a prostitute. Over the years Marcia has carved out a niche for herself not only as a fine actress but also as a social and labor activist, and has lent her skills and talents to many progressive causes.
