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 Helen Slater mini-bio: Helen Slater was born Helen Schlacter to Gerald and Chrin Schlacter in Massapequa,
Long Island, New York. Appearing in many shows as a child, she attended the New
York High School of Performing Arts, graduating in 1982. Having made her acting
debut in the after-school special Amy & the Angel (1982), co-starring with James
Earl Jones and Matthew Modine - the only film in which she appeared as a brunette -
Helen took her career very seriously. Within months of her graduation, she attended
auditions for the upcoming spin-off of the famous Superman (1978) franchise,
Supergirl (1984). It was to be shot in England at Pinewood Studios, where the first
"Superman" movies were filmed. Slater even spoke to Christopher Reeve about playing
a superhero to assure herself she could do it. After being the first to present
herself for audition, she was cast as the lead in the film and her career took off.
Although Supergirl (1984) received mixed reviews, most critics were impressed with
Helen's abilities. In fact, the critics' consensus was that she did a better job at
keeping a secret identity (a mousy schoolgirl) than Reeve did as Clark Kent. In her
next film, she was cast as a modern-day Joan of Arc in The Legend of Billie Jean
(1985) with Yeardley Smith and Peter Coyote. The film, though not particularly
successful, has managed to attract a somewhat cult following. She next appeared in
one of her best-received roles, that of the female half of the bumbling
husband-and-wife team that kidnaps Bette Midler in the comic blockbuster Ruthless
People (1986), and scored again in the hit The Secret of My Succe$s (1987). Both
roles helped to cement her status as an actress of note. Next, she and her friend
Melanie Mayron starred in the feminist comedy Sticky Fingers (1988), a critical but
not financial success. It was in this film and her next, Happy Together (1989/I),
that she was able to prove that she could do comedy as well as drama. She went on to
do more feature films such as City Slickers (1991), A House in the Hills (1993) and
Lassie (1994), before making regular appearances on television.
Her regional stage credits include appearances in such plays as "Grease" and
"Shakespeare and Friends". On Broadway, she starred in "Responsible Parties" and
"Almost Romance". She also attended classes at both NYU and UCLA, trying to broaden
her acting abilities. On television, she has appeared in "Caroline in the City"
(1995), as well as many others. She also became a spokeswoman for Preference by
L'Oreal in both TV and print ads. She is an accomplished pianist and now has an
album out called "One of These Days". She co-founded the New York theater group The
Naked Angels with her friend Gina Gershon. In 1990, she married award-winning editor
Robert Watzke and they have a daughter, born in 1995. She stepped out of the
limelight for a couple of years, appearing mainly in the occasional TV show, but
came back strong in 2003, showing moviegoers and TV audiences how great an
entertainer she really is.
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