Liz Sheridan

Liz Sheridan
Born	Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (1929-04-10)April 10, 1929 Rye, New York, U.S.
Died	Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1950s–2010
Spouse(s)	Dale Wales (m. 1985; d. 2003)
Children	1
Parent(s)	Frank Sheridan (father)

Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (10 April 1929 – 15 April 2022) was an American actress and dancer. While best known for her roles as Jerry's mother in Seinfeld and the nosy neighbor, Mrs. Ochmonek, on ALF, her decades-long career was extensive and included work on the stage and large and small screens.

Early life

Sheridan was born in Manhattan on April 10, 1929. Her father, Frank Sheridan, was a classical pianist; her mother, Elizabeth Poole-Jones, was a concert singer. She was raised by her mother in Westchester County, New York, after her parents' separation. As a child, she was given the nickname "Dizzy".

Career

Sheridan began her professional life as a nightclub dancer and singer in the 1950s, and spent much of her early career living and working in the Caribbean. In the late 1960s, back in New York City, she performed in one of Julius Monk's annual cabaret reviews at Plaza 9, located in the Plaza Hotel. She also appeared in plays and musicals on Broadway, co-starring with Meryl Streep and Christopher Lloyd in the 1977 musical, Happy End, before moving to Los Angeles. Working in Hollywood, she came to prominence in supporting roles in over a dozen feature films and 60 prime time network television movies, mini-series, and series including Kojak, Archie Bunker's Place, St. Elsewhere, Newhart, Moonlighting, The A-Team, Who's the Boss, Hill St. Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Family Ties, Murder, She Wrote, and Double Rush. Her first major role was playing the nosy neighbor Raquel Ochmonek on the NBC TV series ALF, from 1986 to 1990. Following that she secured her most renowned and long-lived role, as Jerry's mother, Helen, on Seinfeld. She appeared in all nine seasons, from 1990 to 1998, the only actor to do so apart from the four leads.

In 2009, with Andy Griffith and Doris Roberts, Sheridan co-starred in the feature film Play the Game, a romantic comedy about a widowed grandfather who learns dating tricks from his serial romancer of a grandson. The film received attention for containing a sex scene between Sheridan and Griffith.

Personal life

While working as a dancer in New York City nightclubs, Sheridan met the then-unknown James Dean. She wrote a book, Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: A Love Story, chronicling their time together in the early 1950s. In it, she describes them as each other's first romantic love. "We had great times... We didn't want to be apart. We found a place and lived together... [before he really hit it big." At one point in their relationship, they found themselves traveling to Ohio with Major League Baseball player Clyde McCullough. During the trip, as they discussed baseball, she realized that if she and Dean were married she would be known as "Dizzy Dean", evoking thoughts of the baseball player of the same name.

Dean pursued work on the stage in New York City, with film roles in Hollywood soon to follow. Without sure footing or a serious plan, forging a future was not an option, thus bringing about the end of their relationship. "He was being hauled away into this career, and I couldn't follow him," she said in an interview.

Early in 1953, Sheridan departed New York City for the Virgin Islands. She lived for over a decade in St. Thomas and later Puerto Rico. She earned a living as a dancer and also by singing and playing piano. Together with a neighbor who had a dance troupe, she won a dance contest she choreographed for the first Carnival in St. Thomas. She also earned a $600 purse finishing first in a horse race, atop her stallion, Generalé.

After a brief engagement to Justus Villa (aka Pancho), she realized she didn't want to marry him, broke it off, and returned, for a time, to New York City. There, at a party, she again met Dean. Afterwards, in a cab, he told her, "Nothing's lost between us. It never will be. You're a part of me and I'm a part of you. I take you with me wherever I go." That was the last time she saw him.

Back in the Caribbean, she met jazz musician [William] Dale Wales (1917–2003) in Puerto Rico. They shared a life from 1960 until his death in 2003; they wed in 1985. Their daughter Stephanie is a photographer. Sheridan said, "I'm so unmotherly, I cannot tell you. I'm still a flower child somewhere. My daughter was more my friend than my daughter most of her life."

Sheridan and actress Elizabeth Montgomery were best friends: Dizzy and Lizzie. Montgomery only took on the nickname "Lizzie" following her performance in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie, The Legend of Lizzie Borden; Dizzy was a shortened version of "Dizabeth," which is how her sister managed to pronounce her name when they were young. Dizzy and Lizzie each adored horses and together they frequented the Santa Anita race track.

Sheridan died on April 15, 2022, at her home in Manhattan, five days after her 93rd birthday.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again	Mrs. Larson
1983	Star 80	Makeup Woman
1984	Nickel Mountain	Reception Nurse
1985	Avenging Angel	Nurse
1985	School Spirit	Mrs. Kingman
1986	Legal Eagles	Little Old Lady
1987	Who's That Girl	Nurse #1
1992	Only You	Mrs. Stein
1992	Wishman	Ms. Finger
1993	Brainsmasher... A Love Story	Ma Molly
1995	Forget Paris	Woman in Car
1996	Wedding Bell Blues	Mrs. Samuel Levine
1997	Always Say Goodbye	Muriel Evans
2002	Now You Know	Grandma
2004	Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes	N/A
2007	The Blacksmith and the Carpenter	God's Wife	Voice Short film
2009	Play the Game	Edna Gordon
2010	Trim	Helen

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Kojak	Rose	Episode: "Kojak's Days: Part 1"
1981	The White Shadow	Restaurant Customer	Episode: "B.M.O.C."
1981	Archie Bunker's Place	Lady	Episode: "Billie"
1982	World War III	Naomi Glass	Miniseries
1982	Gimme a Break!	Nurse Whales	Episode: "The Emergency"
1982	In the Custody of Strangers	Caseworker	Television film
1982	Tucker's Witch	Secretary	Episode: "Big Mouth"
1983	St. Elsewhere	Dr. Susan Mauri	Episode: "The Count"
1983	Oh Madeline	Mrs. Phelps	Episode: "Mummy Dearest"
1983	Scarecrow and Mrs. King	Lydia Lowell	Episode: "If Thoughts Could Kill"
1983	One Day at a Time	Mrs. Muller	Episode: "The Dentist"
1983, 1985	The A-Team	Hildegard Henderson / Tina Lavelle	2 episodes
1984	Second Sight: A Love Story	Mrs. Carlisle	Television film
1984	Three's a Crowd	Miss Rockwell	Episode: "Daddy's Little Girl"
1984	The Cartier Affair	Miss Carpenter	Television film
1984	Riptide	Everitt's Secretary	Episode: "Father's Day"
1985	Sins of the Father	Middle-Aged Woman	Television film
1985	It's Your Move	Eunice	Episode: "A Woman Is Just a Woman"
1985	Newhart	Mrs. Spencer	Episode: "Look Homeward, Stephanie"
1985	Moonlighting	Selma	Episode: "Pilot"
1985	Generation	Clara	Television film
1985	Santa Barbara	Nurse Greta Bayley	3 episodes
1985	Brothers	Zelda March	Episode: "Happy Birthday, Baby Brother"
1985	Who's the Boss?	Gertrude	Episode: "Custody: Part 2"
1985, 1986	Remington Steele	Greta Swenson / Woman in Hallway	2 episodes
1986	Hill Street Blues	Dorothy Miskin	Episode: "I Want My Hill Street Blues"
1986	Cagney & Lacey	Dr. Vernon	Episode: "Sorry, Right Number"
1986	Kate's Secret	Evelyn	Television film
1986	The Magical World of Disney	Hostess	Episode: "Sunday Drive"
1986	A Year in the Life	Lois	Episode: "The First Christmas"
1986–1990	ALF	Raquel Ochmonek	34 episodes
1987	Warm Hearts, Cold Feet	Amanda McPherson	Television film
1988	The Secret Life of Kathy McCormick	Mrs. Van Adams	Television film
1988	Family Ties	Ginny McCoy	Episode: "Heartstrings: Part 3"
1989	It's a Living	Sophie	Episode: "Matchmaker, Matchmaker"
1990	Piece of Cake	Mrs. Katz	Television film
1990	Good Grief	Widow Blackwell	Episode: "Warren Learns to Fly"
1990	Dr. Ruth's House	Jessica Dimmesdale	Television film
1990, 1994	Empty Nest	Mrs. Coover / Elspeth	2 episodes
1990–1998	Seinfeld	Helen Seinfeld	21 episodes
1991	Changes	Mrs. Hahn	Television film
1991	Murder, She Wrote	Rose Tessler	Episode: "Bite the Big Apple"
1992	Melrose Place	Woman Shopper	Episode: "My Way"
1994	Blossom	Mrs. Walker	Episode: "Blossom Gump"
1994–1997	Life with Louie	Mrs. Stillman	7 episodes
1995	Double Rush	Marge	Episode: "Slamming Into a Car Isn't Good"
1995	Sliders	Miss Miller	Episode: "Prince of Wails"
1995	Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan	Wendy Padison	Television film
1995	Cleghorne!	Madame Bourreau	2 episodes
1997	A Match Made in Heaven	Ruthie Klein	Television film
2005	Complete Savages	Mrs. O'Hara	Episode: "Crimes and Mini-Wieners"
2005	Numbers	Landlady	Episode: "Bones of Contention"
2007	American Dad!	Mrs. Rothberg (voice)	Episode: "An Apocalypse to Remember"

External links

• Liz Sheridan at the Internet Movie Database
• Liz Sheridan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Liz Sheridan at the Internet Off-Broadway Database