Elsa Rabinowitz (September 21, 1929 – November 2, 2020), known professionally as Elsa Raven, was an American

character actress A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014 ...

, perhaps best known for her two years (1988–1990) on the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Amen Amen (, ; , ; , ; , ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic practices as a concluding word, or as a respons ...

'' and playing the mother of Vincent Terranova (

Ken Wahl Ken Wahl (born February 14, 1957) is an American retired actor. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in the CBS television crime drama '' Wiseguy''. Early life and career Wahl, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, Note: Only p ...

) on the TV series '' Wiseguy''. Raven is also known for her small but memorable role in ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'' (1985) as the clock tower lady with her phrase "Save the clock tower!" while gathering local donations to preserve the clock, whose complimentary leaflet later proves invaluable in the past. She played Ida Straus in the 1997 film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' along with Lew Palter, who played Isidor Straus, and had a voice role in the 1981 animated film '' American Pop''. Raven adhered to

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. Raven died on November 2, 2020, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, at the age of 91. Upon her death, she was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

and her ashes returned to her family.

Filmography

Film appearances

TV appearances

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raven, Elsa 1929 births 2020 deaths American film actresses American voice actresses American television actresses Actresses from Charleston, South Carolina 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American actresses Jewish American actresses 21st-century American Jews