Seinfeld And ALF Actress Liz Sheridan Is Dead At 93

Seinfeld Liz Sheridan
(Image credit: NBC)

Actress Liz Sheridan was part of the casts of some iconic TV shows, including Seinfeld and ALF, and delivered plenty of laughs over the long years of her career. Sadly, the actress has now passed away. She was 93 years old at the time of her death. 

The actress died overnight in her sleep due to natural causes, according to friend and representative Amanda Hendon, via Deadline. News of her death has become public just five days after her birthday on April 10. TMZ reports that she is survived by her son and her daughter-in-law, following the passing of her husband in 2003. 

Liz Sheridan had a long and prolific career on the small screen, with her earliest TV credit going back to an episode of Kojak in 1977. She went on to have many guest-starring roles, including in some iconic shows like the original One Day at a Time (with a premise that was revived in 2017 and then saved in 2019), St. Elsewhere, Bob Newhart's Newhart (known for its huge twist ending), and Moonlighting

She later appeared in multiple episodes of Santa Barbara and The A-Team (although as different characters over two episodes) before landing her role in ALF, where she played nosy neighbor Raquel Ochmonek for more than 30 episodes between 1986 and 1990.  Liz Sheridan is undoubtedly best remembered, however, for her role as Helen Seinfeld, a.k.a. Jerry Seinfeld's mom on Seinfeld

Sheridan appeared in more than 20 episodes of Seinfeld, ranging from early in the first season in 1990 to an appearance in the infamous series finale in 1998. She often appeared opposite Barney Martin as the father of the fictionalized version of Jerry Seinfeld. Back in 2009 in a conversation with the Big J Show, she shared that in her experience, "the set was wonderful because there were no fights, no arguments" and "everybody helped everybody else."

Known for being protective of her son as well as delivering laughs, Helen Seinfeld was a memorable part of a show that has gone on to become an unforgettable part of pop culture in the '90s and beyond, and that's thanks to Liz Sheridan's performance. Just take a look at her appearance in "The Pen" episode from Season 3 of the sitcom (which was also the only Seinfeld episode not featuring Jason Alexander as George Costanza):

Liz Sheridan's work in television leaves a strong legacy, and she'll be remembered for Helen Seinfeld in particular for as long as people continue to watch and love Seinfeld. If you want to relive the laughs that she brought as Helen, you can find the full series streaming with a Netflix subscription now. 

Following her work on the beloved comedy, she contributed to shows including Numb3rs and American Dad, with her final acting credit listed the 2010 film Trim. Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Liz Sheridan in this difficult time.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).

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