Marcia Strassman dead at 66: Actress known for 'Welcome Back, Kotter,' 'Honey ...
Marcia Strassman, the actress best known as the long-suffering wife on 'Welcome Back, Kotter' and in 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,' died Saturday after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. She was 66.
'She was the funniest, smartest person I ever met,' the actress' sister, Julie Strassman, told Deadline.com. 'And talented. She knew everything. Now I won't be able to call her and ask her questions.'
Her five-decade career started with guest appearances on the Patty Duke Show, before appearing as Nurse Margie Cutler in six episodes of 'M*A*S*H.'
But she remains best-loved as the on-screen wife of Gabe Kotter, a Brooklyn high school teacher played by Gabe Kaplan on 'Welcome Back, Kotter.' Kaplan would end every episode by telling Strassman's character a ridiculous anecdote about one of his family members.
'So sad that a sweet friend, kind person and wonderful actress lost her brave battle with cancer,' comic director Bob Weide tweeted.
The New York native appeared opposite Rick Moranis in 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' in 1989 as the mother of two teenagers mistakenly reduced to the size of bugs. She reprised the role in 'Honey, I Blew Up the Kid' in 1992.
Her appearances in film and television slowed down after her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007, which was Stage IV. It had already spread to her bones, she told Coping Magazine in a 2009 interview.
Her final years were spent advocating for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by her daughter, Lizzie, and brother, Steven.
nhensley@nydailynews.com
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