US actress Marcia Strassman, best known for her roles in 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter” and 1989 film “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” has died aged 66.
Strassman, who played Julie, the wife of Gabe Kaplan’s character in “Welcome Back Kotter,” had been battling breast cancer for seven years.
Her sister Julie said she died at home in Sherman Oaks, California, on Friday.
Singer and actress Cher paid tribute to Strassman, her “funny, talented friend.” Strassman began acting as a teen in New York and in 1966 replaced Liza Minnelli in the off-Broadway musical “Best Foot Forward.”
She moved to Hollywood at 18 and her five-decade career encompassed numerous film and TV roles including nurse Margie Cutler on the first series of “Mash.”
She found fame with “Welcome Back Kotter,” which also gave a big break to fellow cast member John Travolta.
She also starred alongside Rick Moranis in “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” and the sequel “Honey I Blew Up The Kid.”
