Helen Rachel Slater (born December 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for playing the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

superheroine

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

in the 1984 film ''

'', as well as appearing in films such as '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985), ''

Ruthless People ''Ruthless People'' is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and written by Dale Launer. It stars Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, and Helen Slater, with Bill Pull ...

'' (1986), '' The Secret of My Success'' (1987), ''

City Slickers ''City Slickers'' is a 1991 American Western comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby and Jack Palance, with supporting roles by Patricia Wettig, Helen Slater and Noble Willingham, and ...

'' (1991), ''

Chantilly Lace Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly,"Chantilly" ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century. The famous silk laces were introduced in the 18th cent ...

'' (1993), and ''

Lassie Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a 1938 short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a 1940 full-length novel, '' Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with anot ...

'' (1994). She provided the voice of

Talia al Ghul Talia al Ghul (; , ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character was created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Bob Brown (comics), Bob Brown, and first app ...

in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', portrayed Lara-El in ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'', and played Eliza Danvers in the 2015 ''

'' TV series.

Early life

Slater was born in

Bethpage, New York Bethpage (formerly known as Central Park) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Isla ...

to Alice Joan (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Citrin), a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

nuclear disarmament Nuclear disarmament is the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons. Its end state can also be a nuclear-weapons-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated. The term ''denuclearization'' is also used to describe the pro ...

peace activist based in New York City; and Gerald Slater, a television executive. Her parents divorced in 1974. 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 ...

. She has a brother, David, who is a lawyer in New York City. Slater attended Great Neck South High School and then transferred to the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

from which she graduated in 1982.

Career

Film and television

Slater played

in the 1984 film ''

''. She has starred in several further films including '' The Legend of Billie Jean'' (1985), ''

'' (1986), '' The Secret of My Success'' (1987), and ''

'' (1991). She has additionally found work as an actress in television and stage projects. Following ''Supergirl'', Slater has made multiple appearances in ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' media such as Superman's mother Lara-El in the TV series ''

'', Supergirl's adoptive mother Eliza Danvers in the ''Supergirl'' TV series, and Clark Kent's adoptive mother

Martha Kent Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent (often referred to as "Pa" and "Ma" Kent, respectively) are fictional characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. They are the adoptive parents of Superman, and live in the rural town of Smallville (co ...

in '' DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year'' and the associated film. Slater's likeness was used to portray Supergirl in a CGI

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

in the film ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'' (2023). In 1985,

included Slater as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication '' Fifty Who Made DC Great'' for her work on the ''Supergirl'' film.

Stage work

In 1987, Slater co-founded the New York theater group, Naked Angels, with

Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon (; born June 10, 1962) is an American actress and singer. She has starred in such films as ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Dem ...

. In 1991, she also co-founded, with her husband, Robert Watzke, the L.A. based theater group ''The Bubalaires''. Slater appeared in two

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

plays: ''Almost Romance'' and ''Responsible Parties''. She also starred in ''The Big Deal'' at the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

Music career

In 2003, she released the album, ''One of These Days,'' consisting of her original songs. The tracks were real-time recordings with Slater singing and playing piano, accompanied by six other musicians; no multitracking, editing, or dubbing was employed. In 2005, she released a second album, ''Crossword,'' which used the same recording approach as her first album. Both albums were produced by Phillip Swann. In 2008, Cortes Alexander recorded Slater's "Any Day Now" and "Love'll Come & Do Just That" on his album ''Swell.'' Since then, Slater has released four additional albums: ''Shine'' (2010), ''The Myth of Ancient Greece'' (2013) and ''The Ugly Duckling'' (2015), both made for children and ''Selkie'' (2019), an eleven-song

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

released as one continuous musical piece.

Writing

In 2010, Slater wrote a Supergirl story, "A Hero's Journey", which appeared in the fiftieth issue of the fifth volume of the ''Supergirl'' comic book.

Filmography

Discography

* ''One of These Days'' (2003) * ''Crossword'' (2005) * ''Shine'' (2010) * ''The Myth of Ancient Greece'' (2013) * ''The Ugly Duckling'' (2015) * ''Selkie'' (2019)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slater, Helen 1963 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers Actresses from New York (state) American children's musicians American comics writers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American women singer-songwriters Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Jewish American actresses Jewish American singers People from Bethpage, New York Singers from New York (state) William A. Shine Great Neck South High School alumni