Gina Hecht () is an American

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early life

Hecht was born in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, the daughter of stage actress Pauline Hecht, and decided to embark on a career as an actress at the age of ten. After high school she earned a degree from the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a public art school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants a high school diploma, in addition to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina Sc ...

. She is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Career

Hecht's big break came in 1979 when she was hired for the role of Jeanie DaVinci on the successful TV series ''

Mork & Mindy ''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', " My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extrater ...

''. Her first film role was in the 1982

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

movie ''

Night Shift The shift plan, rota or roster (esp. British) is the central component of a schedule (workplace), shift schedule in shift work. The schedule includes considerations of shift overlap, shift change times and alignment with the clock, vacation, train ...

'', alongside

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler (born October 30, 1945) is an American actor, producer, director, and author. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984), Winkler has distinguished himself as a character acto ...

and

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

. In addition to a career on TV and in films, she has also worked the stage. In 2011, she appeared in Neil Simon's ''

The Prisoner of Second Avenue ''The Prisoner of Second Avenue'' is a 1975 American black comedy film written by Neil Simon, directed and produced by Melvin Frank and starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. Neil Simon adapted the screenplay from his 1971 Broadway play. Plot ...

'' alongside

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...

. Hecht had a recurring role on ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...

'' as Judge Rachel Lasser from 2015 to 2019.

Personal life

In 1988, she married writer and actor Brian Herskowitz. She has a sister, Esther, and a brother, Harold.

Filmography

Television

* 1979–1981: ''

'' as Jeanie DaVinci * 1979: ''

Hizzonner ''Hizzonner'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC on Thursday nights from May 10 to June 14, 1979. David Huddleston not only starred, he was also executive producer, wrote the theme song, and did the majority of the casting. Syno ...

'' as Melanie * 1987: '' Everything's Relative'' as Emily Cabot * 1988: '' HeartBeat'' as Patty * 1989: ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

'': "Panic at Malibu Pier" as Gina Pomeroy * 1990: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'': " A Matter of Perspective" as Manua Apgar * 1992: '' Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story'' as Deanne * 1992–1993: ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...

'': "

The Pick "The Pick" is the 53rd episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It is the 13th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on December 16, 1992 on NBC. In this episode, Elaine mistakenly mails out a Christmas card in which her nipple is exposed ...

", " The Shoes", " The Pilot" as Dana Foley, George's therapist * 1994: ''

Without Warning Without Warning may refer to: Film and television * ''Without Warning'', alternate title selected by contest for ''The Story Without a Name'' (1924) * ''Without Warning!'', a 1952 film noir * ''Without Warning'' (1980 film), a film starring Jac ...

'' as Barbara Shiller * 1995: ''

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as w ...

'': "You Say Tomato" as teacher * 1997: ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'' as Richard's Date * 2001: '' Jag Past Tense'' as Jane Maples madwoman * 2005: '' Pizza My Heart'' as Gloria Montebello * 2009: ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...

'': " The Coffee Cup" as Judge Mary Gallagher * 2009–2012: ''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

'': " Mash-Up", " Goodbye", "

Glee, Actually "Glee, Actually" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series ''Glee'', and the seventy-sixth episode overall as well as the show's third Christmas-themed episode. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed b ...

" as Puck's mom * 2013: '' The Middle'': "Life Skills" as Ms. Schaefer * 2015–2019: ''

'' as Judge Rachel Lasser * 2020–Present: ''

Dave Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

'' as Carol * 2023: Tacoma PD "Gone Dutch" as Laura the Widow

Film

* 1982: ''

'' as Charlotte Koogle * 1985: '' St. Elmo's Fire'' as Judith * 1986: '' Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star'' as Newscaster * 1987: ''Unfinished Business'' as Vickie * 1993: ''

Family Prayers ''Family Prayers'' is a 1993 American drama film starring Joe Mantegna, Anne Archer, Paul Reiser and Patti LuPone. It was directed by Scott Rosenfeld. It is notable for being the first film role of Brittany Murphy, who had a non-speaking role. Pl ...

'' as Arlene * 1995: ''One Night Stand'' as Cy Watson * 1998: ''Can I Play?'' as Nancy * 1999: ''

EDtv ''EDtv'' is a 1999 American satirical comedy film directed by Ron Howard. An adaptation of the Quebecois film '' Louis 19, King of the Airwaves (Louis 19, le roi des ondes)'' (1994), it stars Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrels ...

'' as Party Girl * 2001: ''Odessa or Bust'' as God * 2002: ''

Clockstoppers ''Clockstoppers'' is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Jonathan Frakes and produced by Julia Pistor and Gale Anne Hurd. The film centers on future tech "Hypertime" devices which speed up the users' molecules, crea ...

'' as Meter Maid * 2008: ''

Seven Pounds ''Seven Pounds'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino, written by Grant Nieporte, and starring Will Smith as a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people; Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper also ...

'' as Dr. Briar * 2008: '' The Last Word'' as Hilde Morris * 2017: ''Fight Your Way Out'' as Jane Stone

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Gina Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Houston American film actresses American television actresses University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)