Born June 15, 1963 in Culver City, California,
Helen is a star actress. Helen is the product of a theater director father,
and photographer mother. Helen grew up in Los Angeles and New York, and
decided on an acting career at the early age of nine. At age ten, she
had an agent, and landed a role in the 1973 television movie "Pioneer
Woman". After appearing as an adolescent in such TV series as Amy
Prentiss, Swiss Family Robinson, The Fitzpatricks, and It Takes Two, Helen
found a recurring role on the medical melodrama St. Elsewhere. She also
earned acclaim for her role in the TV movie, "Quarterback Princess".
In this role she played a high school girl bent on leading her school's
otherwise all male football team to the state championships.
Helen made her feature film debut with the film
"Rollercoaster". She has also had supporting roles in such films
as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Peggy Sue Got Married",
"The Waterdance", and "Mr. Saturday Night". Helen
earned star status in her role as the smart urban career woman and wife
"Jamie" on the much loved TV sitcom, Mad About You. Over the
course of the show's seven seasons, Helen has won four consecutive Emmy
Awards and has became one of America's best loved television couples with
costar Paul Reiser.
Helen's hard work and television stardom finally
translated to big screen success in the latter half of the 1990's. In
1996, she starred in the summer action blockbuster "Twister",
which became one of the top-grossing movies of that year. A year later,
she won acclaim from both critics and audiences along with an Academy
Award for Best Actress. In her performance in "As Good As It Gets",
Helen starred alongside Best Actor winner Jack Nicholson. This film was
written and directed by James L. Brooks. Helen's Oscar win sent her straight
to Hollywood's A-list, her next starring appearance was on stage, playing
the charming Viola in the 1998 production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth
Night".
In 2000, Helen returned to the big screen with
several long awaited efforts, including "Pay It Forward", co-starring
Kevin Spacey, "What Women Want", costarring Mel Gibson, "Dr.
T and the Women", starring Richard Gere, and "Cast Away",
costarring Tom Hanks. In 2001, Helen has co-starred opposite writer-director
Woody Allen in "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion".
Filmography
AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Tom Hanks
(2002) (TV) .... Herself
NBC 75th Anniversary Special (2002) (TV) .... Herself
74th Annual Academy Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Introducer: Documentary
Highlights
Curse of the Jade Scorpion, The (2001) .... Betty Ann Fitzgerald
... aka Im Bann des Jade Skorpions (2001) (Germany)
What Women Want (2000) .... Darcy McGuire
Cast Away (2000) .... Kelly Frears
Pay It Forward (2000) .... Arlene 'Arley' McKinney
Dr. T & the Women (2000) .... Bree Davis
51st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, The (1999) (TV) .... Jamie Buchman
Twister: Ride it Out (1998) .... Jo Harding
Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1998) (TV) .... Viola
As Good As It Gets (1997) .... Carol Connelly
Twister (1996) .... Dr. JoAnne Thornton-Harding
Kiss of Death (1995) .... Bev Kilmartin
Sexual Healing (1993) .... Rene
"Wild West, The" (1993) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... Abbie
Bright
In the Company of Darkness (1993) (TV) .... Gina Pulasky
Trancers III (1992) (V) .... Lena
... aka Death Lives (1992) (V)
... aka Future Cop III (1992) (V)
... aka Trancers 3: Deth Lives (1992) (V)
"Mad About You" (1992) TV Series .... Jamie Buchman
Mr. Saturday Night (1992) .... Annie
Bob Roberts (1992) .... Hospital Reporter, Rose Pondell
Only You (1992) .... Claire Enfield
Waterdance, The (1992) .... Anna
Trancers II (1991) .... Lena Deth
... aka Future Cop II (1991)
... aka Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (1991) (USA: video box title)
... aka Trancers II: The Two Faces of Death (1991)
Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story (1991) (TV) ....
Pamela Smart
Into the Badlands (1991) (TV) .... Blossom
"My Life and Times" (1991) TV Series .... Rebecca Miller
"Captain Planet and the Planeteers" (1990) TV Series (voice)
.... Additional Voices
... aka "New Adventures of Captain Planet, The" (1993) (USA:
fourth season title)
Incident at Dark River (1989) (TV) .... Jesse McCandless
... aka Dark River - A Father's Revenge (1989) (TV)
Next of Kin (1989) .... Jessie Gates
Miles from Home (1988) .... Jennifer
... aka Farm of the Year (1988)
Frog Prince, The (1988) .... Princess Henrietta
Shooter (1988) (TV) .... Tracey
Stealing Home (1988) .... Hope Wyatt (adult and pregnant)
Project X (1987) .... Teri
Nativity, The (1986) (voice) .... Mary
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) .... Beth Bodell (Peggy's Daughter)
"Galtar and the Golden Lance" (1985) TV Series (voice) ....
Additional Voices
Trancers (1985) .... Leena
... aka Future Cop (1985)
Waiting to Act (1985) .... Tracy
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985) .... Lynne Stone
Sweet Revenge (1984) (TV) .... Debbie Markham
... aka Bittersweet Revenge (1984) (TV)
... aka Code of Honor (1984) (TV)
... aka Her Revenge (1984) (TV)
"St. Elsewhere" (1982) TV Series .... Clancy Williams (1984-1986)
Choices of the Heart (1983) (TV) .... Cathy
... aka In December the Roses Will Bloom Again (1983) (TV)
Quarterback Princess (1983) (TV) .... Tami Maida
Bill: On His Own (1983) (TV) .... Jenny Wells
"It Takes Two" (1982/I) TV Series .... Lisa Quinn
Desperate Lives (1982) (TV) .... Sandy Cameron
Child Bride of Short Creek (1981) (TV) .... Naomi
Miracle of Kathy Miller, The (1981) (TV) .... Kathy Miller
Best Little Girl in the World, The (1981) (TV) .... Unknown
I Think I'm Having a Baby (1981) (TV) .... Phoebe
Angel Dusted (1981) (TV) .... Lizzie Eaton
... aka Angel Dust (1981) (TV) (Europe: English title: video title)
Transplant (1979) (TV) .... Janice Hurley
"Fitzpatricks, The" (1977) TV Series .... Kerry Gerardi
Rollercoaster (1977) .... Tracy Calder
Spell, The (1977) (TV) .... Kristina Matchett
Having Babies (1976) (TV) .... Sharon McNamara
... aka Giving Birth (1976) (TV) (USA)
Death Scream (1975) (TV) .... Teila Rodriguez
... aka Streetkill (1975) (TV)
... aka Woman Who Cried Murder, The (1975) (TV)
"Swiss Family Robinson" (1975) TV Series .... Helga Robinson
... aka "Island of Adventure" (1975) (UK)
Swiss Family Robinson, The (1975) (TV) .... Roberta
All Together Now (1975) (TV) .... Susan Lindsay
"Amy Prentiss" (1974) TV Series .... Jill Prentiss
Pioneer Woman (1973) (TV) .... Sarah Sargeant
... aka Pioneers (1973) (TV)
