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Liz Sheridan
Liz Sheridan in an episode of ALF
Born	Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (1929-04-10)April 10, 1929 Rye, New York, U.S.
Died	April 15, 2022(2022-04-15) (aged 93) New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Actress dancer author
Years active	1950s–2010
Known for	ALF Seinfeld
Spouse	Dale Wales ​ ​(m. 1985; died 2003)​
Children	1
Father	Frank Sheridan

Elizabeth Ann Sheridan (April 10, 1929 – April 15, 2022) was an American actress. While best known for her roles as the nosy neighbor, Mrs. Ochmonek, on the sitcom ALF (1986–1990), and Jerry's mother, Helen, in Seinfeld (1990–1998), her decades-long career was extensive and included work on the stage and on large and small screens.

Early life

Sheridan was born in Rye, New York, 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", a shortened version of "Dizabeth", which is how her sister managed to pronounce her name when they were young.

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 "protective, Florida-living mom", Helen, on Seinfeld. She appeared in all nine seasons, from 1990 to 1998, the only actor to do so apart from the four leads, and was the last surviving actress to play one of the parents of the Seinfeld main cast members.

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 "Pancho" Villa, she realized she did not 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 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 friends and were known as 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 The pair adored horses and together they frequented the Santa Anita race track.

Sheridan died on April 15, 2022, at the age of 93.

Filmography

Film

Television

Book

• Sheridan, Liz. (2000) Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: A Love Story. New York: HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0-0603-9383-1

References

1. "Liz Sheridan Dies: 'Seinfeld' Mom & 'ALF' Actress Was 93". Deadline Hollywood. April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
2. ^ Holub, Christian (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan, Jerry's doting mom on Seinfeld, dies at 93". Entertainment Weekly.
3. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan, Who Played Jerry Seinfeld's Mom, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
4. ^ Pilato, Herbie J. (2012). Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade. pp. 6, 358, 366. ISBN 978-1-58979-749-9.
5. ^ Sheridan, Liz (2000). Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: a Love Story. New York, NY: Harper Entertainment. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-06-039383-0.
6. "Liz Sheridan". Internet Broadway Database.
7. "Happy End". Internet Broadway Database.
8. ^ "Liz Sheridan". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
9. ^ Barnes, Mike (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan, Jerry's Mom on 'Seinfeld,' Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
10. ^ "Liz Sheridan List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
11. ^ Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin (June 6, 2017). Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything. Simon and Schuster. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-4767-5611-0.
12. ^ Pedersen, Erik (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan Dies: 'Seinfeld' Mom & 'ALF' Actress Was 93". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
13. ^ Dasrath, Diana; Li, David K. (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan, actor best known as Jerry Seinfeld's TV mom, dies at 93". NBC News.
14. Driscoll, Molly (June 8, 2013). "The 20 Best TV Sitcoms Of All Time". Business Insider.
15. Seinfeld Season 9: Notes About Nothing – "The Blood" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2007.
16. ^ Andrew, Scottie (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan, 'Seinfeld' actress, dead at 93". CNN.
17. Ebert, Roger (August 26, 2009). "Andy Griffith and Seinfeld's mom: I would really rather not know". Roger Ebert.
18. Saslow, Rachel (August 18, 2009). "Media Scan: A Movie About Aging, a DVD for Exercise, a Book About Dieting". Washington Post.
19. "Liz Sheridan Interview". YouTube. November 11, 2009. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
20. Spoto, Donald (1996). Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean. New York City: Harper Collins. pp. 95–122. ISBN 978-0-06-017656-3.
21. ^ Leslie, Paul (March 2, 2012). "Liz Sheridan Interview on The Paul Leslie Hour". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
22. Lipton, Michael A. (June 24, 1996). "An Affair to Remember". People magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
23. Winkler, Peter (2016). The Real James Dean: Intimate Memories from Those Who Knew Him Best. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-61373-472-8.
24. Sheridan, Liz (2000). Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: a Love Story. New York, NY: Harper Entertainment. pp. 306–319. ISBN 978-0-06-039383-0.
25. "Dale Wales". My Heritage.
26. Kelley, Robin (2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. New York, NY: Free Press. pp. 227, 229. ISBN 978-0-684-83190-9.
27. "About". Stephanie Wales Creative Imagery. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
28. Vancheri, Barbara (May 10, 1998). "Liz sheridan: she'll be watching at home when the curtain falls". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. G-10.
29. Pilato, Herbie J. (2013). The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide to Her Magical Performances. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-1-58979-824-3.
30. Pilato, Herbie J. (2012). Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade. pp. 291, 293. ISBN 978-1-58979-749-9.
31. ^ "Liz Sheridan". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
32. ^ "Liz Sheridan – Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
33. "Liz Sheridan". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
34. Lentz, Harris M. (1989). Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits Supplement: Through 1987. McFarland. p. 833. ISBN 978-0-89950-364-6.
35. "Oh Madeline – Season 1, Episode 2: Mummy Dearest". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
36. Abbott, Jon (September 12, 2009). Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots. McFarland. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7864-5401-3.
37. "It's Your Move". BBC One. June 23, 1986. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
38. "Brothers – Season 2, Episode 12: Happy Birthday, Baby Brother". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
39. TV Guide. Vol. 38. Triangle Publications. 1990. p. 91.
40. Crowther, Linnea (April 15, 2022). "Liz Sheridan (1929–2022), Jerry's mom on "Seinfeld"". Legacy.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.

External links

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

• 1929 births
• 2022 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from New York (state)
• American female dancers
• American film actresses
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• American voice actresses
• Actors from Westchester County, New York
• Dancers from New York (state)