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Marcia Strassman, who played Gabe Kotter’s wife Julie Kotter on “Welcome Back, Kotter,” has died following a prolonged battle against breast cancer. She was 66.
“They gave her 2½ years to live, but she lasted much longer,” her sister Julie said in a statement. “She was very courageous.”
Strassman starred for four seasons on “Welcome Back, Kotter” in the 1970s. Her character was asked to endure home visits from teacher Gabe Kotter’s troublesome students (called the “Sweathogs”), as well as Kotter’s cheesy jokes that often framed the episodes.
She also played nurse Margie Cutler on “M*A*S*H” and starred as the mother in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. Strassman additionally appeared in the TV series “Magnum, P.I.” and “Booker,” as well as “Third Watch” and “Providence.”
Strassman, whose acting career began as a teenager and had a role on “The Patty Duke Show,” also recorded pop singles in the late 1960s. In her later years, she became an advocate for breast cancer research.
