Helen Siff Dies: ‘You Don’t Mess With The Zohan’, ‘Hail, Caesar!’ Actor Was 88
Veteran character actor Helen Siff, known for her roles in films such as You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Hail, Caesar! and The Karate Kid, died Thursday in Los Angeles of complications from surgery for “a long, painful, illness,” her family told our sister site The Hollywood Reporter. She was 88.
“Those who worked with Helen knew her not just as a talented performer, but as someone who brought professionalism, dedication and genuine kindness to every set,” the family told THR. “She understood that every role, no matter how large or small, was an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to the story being told.”
Born on June 2, 1937, in Woodmere, NY, Siff’s earliest screen credits came in television with her role as a waitress on CBS’ Lou Grant in 1981. She went on to appear in numerous series, including Cagney & Lacey, the role of Mrs. Brantley in L.A. Law, Highway To Heaven, Doogie Howser, M.D., Miss Flider in Knot’s Landing, Mrs. Wilson in Dragnet, Laura Duxberry in Simon & Simon, as well as appearances in Modern Family, Ellen, as Leona in Married…With Children, Sister, Sister, Mad About You, Dharma & Greg, Strong Medicine and My Name is Earl, S.W.A.T., Mom, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Good Trouble, among others.
Her film work includes her portrayal of a cashier in John G. Avildsen’s The Karate Kid (1984), Mrs. Skitzer in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (2008) and a maid in the Coen brothers’ Hail, Caesar! (2016). She also appeared in 1976’s Rocky, Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) and most recently as Alice Marks in The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu (2001).
On stage, Siff originated the role of Helga in the 1993 Off-Broadway comedy Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral, and she starred in productions including Lilies of the Field, Lost in Yonkers, and Over the River and Through the Woods.
