Rutanya Alda

Rutanya Alda
Born	Rutanya Skrastiņa (1942-10-13) October 13, 1942 Riga, Latvia
Other names	Ruth Alda, Ruth Avots
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1968–present
Spouse	Richard Bright (1977–2006; his death)
Children	Jeremy Bright (b. 1988)

Rutanya Alda (born October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress.

Life

Rutanya Alda was born as Rutanya Alda Skrastiņa in Riga, Latvia, the daughter of Vera (née Ozoliņš), a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet. She was married to actor Richard Bright from 1977 until his death in 2006; they had one son, Jeremy.

Career

With a career spanning nearly 50 years in show business and over a hundred roles, Alda might be best known for her performances in The Deer Hunter as Steven's wife, Angela, as well as for the cult classic Mommie Dearest, as loyal Crawford housekeeper Carol Ann, and Amityville II: The Possession, having been nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award two years in succession (1982 and 1983) for the latter roles. She has also won a Clio and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additionally, Alda has appeared on numerous television programs, such as Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and as a featured character on the Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton TV series, Beauty and the Beast, as well as commercials and stage work.

Selected filmography

• Greetings (1968)
• Love and Kisses (1970)
• The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
• The Long Goodbye (1973)
• Scarecrow (1973)
• Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
• Deadly Hero (1976)
• Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)
• Swashbuckler (1976)
• The Fury (1978)
• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Rocky II (1979)
• When a Stranger Calls (1979)
• You Better Watch Out (1980)
• Mommie Dearest (1981)
• Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
• Vigilante (1983)
• Racing with the Moon (1984)
• Girls Nite Out (1984)
• Rappin' (1985)
• The Stuff (1985)
• Black Widow (1987)
• Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989)
• Gross Anatomy (1989)
• Prancer (1989)
• Rainbow Drive (1990)
• Article 99 (1992)
• Leaving Normal (1992)
• The Dark Half (1993)
• Zelda (TV film) (1993)
• They (TV film) (1993)
• The Ref (1994)
• Safe Passage (1994)
• Double Jeopardy (TV film) (1996)
• American Perfekt (1997)
• Steel (1997)
• My First Mister (2001)
• The Glass House (2001)
• Love Comes Softly (TV film) (2003)
• Detective (TV film) (2005)
• Late Phases (2014)

Selected TV series appearances

• Cannon (1 episode, 1973)
• Hi, Mom! (3 episodes, 1970)
• ABC Weekend Specials (1986)
• Spenser: For Hire (1987)
• Beauty and the Beast (1988)
• Santa Barbara (5 episodes, 1990)
• Tales from the Crypt (1991)
• Law & Order (2 episodes, 1992 / 2008)
• Silk Stalkings (1995)
• Gun (1997)
• To Have & to Hold (1998)
• Judging Amy (2001)
• John Doe (2002)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (episode "In the Dark", 2004)
• Mystery Woman (2005)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005)
• Cold Case (2006)

Further reading

• "The Lady of the House" by Lee Gambin, Fangoria magazine #317, October 2012, pages 56–57, 97. Interview of Rutanya Alda regarding her role in Amityville II: The Possession. Three-page article has four photos of Alda, one recent, with additional images related to the film.

External links

• Rutanya Alda at IMDb
• Rutanya Alda at AllMovie