Helen Siff, a veteran character actor known for roles in Modern Family, Will & Grace and 2016’s Hail, Caesar!, has died at the age of 88.
She died Thursday in Los Angeles from complications following a surgery for a “long, painful illness,” her family announced in a statement.
“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,” they said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “She understood that every role, no matter how large or small, was an opportunity to contribute something meaningful to the story being told.
“She had the rare gift of making even the smallest part memorable,” they added.
Siff’s acting career spanned five decades, encompassing numerous screen and stage roles.
The New York native’s first on-screen credit, according to IMDb, was in a single 1981 episode of the drama series Lou Grant, led by Ed Asner. A few years later, she landed a role in the original 1984 Karate Kid as a cashier. In 1993, she originated the role of Helga in the off-Broadway production of Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral, an interactive comedy about a Jewish funeral gone awry.
She was also best known for playing Mrs. Skitzer in 2008’s action comedy You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, with Adam Sandler, John Turturro and Rob Schneider. In 2016, she played a Malibu Maid in the Coen brothers’ comedy mystery Hail, Caesar!, starring George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill and Alden Ehrenreich.
She additionally appeared in movies like Rocky (1976), Big Top Pee-wee (1988), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994) and The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu (2001).
Meanwhile, Siff’s other memorable TV roles included Cagney & Lacey, Silver Spoons, L.A. Law, Knots Landing, Ellen, Married … With Children, Dharma & Greg, Scrubs, Will & Grace, My Name Is Earl, Modern Family, S.W.AT., Mom, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Good Trouble.
Her final TV appearance was in a 2023 episode of Apple TV+’s one-season comedy High Desert, starring Patricia Arquette and Bernadette Peters.
She was an identical twin sister of Carol Infield Sender, whom she appeared alongside in her first TV commercial for Subaru in 1976.
Siff was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years, Marshall, who died in 2007 from complications of Alzheimer’s. Their son Bruce also died in 1999.
She is survived by sisters Carol and Janet, a son Matt, daughters Susie, Karen, Vicki and Jenny, a Hollywood script supervisor; and grandchildren Chelsea, Zach, Robert, Josh, Spencer, Megan and Dean.
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