The Last of Seinfeld's Surviving 'Parents' Has Died

Liz Sheridan, who played Helen Seinfeld, was 93
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 16, 2022 5:45 AM CDT

April hasn't been a kind month to Seinfeld's matriarchs. Roughly two weeks after Estelle Harris—famed for her role as George Costanza's highly vocal mother on the show—died at age 93, the actress who played Jerry Seinfeld's mother died. Liz Sheridan died five days after her 93rd birthday, reports the Los Angeles Times. Her rep confirmed that she died in her sleep early Friday of natural causes. Though the longtime actress was best known for her role as Helen Seinfeld, she also appeared in several dozen episode of ALF in the late '80s as displeased neighbor Raquel Ochmonek. Deadline reports Sheridan appeared in more than 20 episodes of Seinfeld all the way through to the show's 1998 finale.

Her early days were just as fascinating: Sheridan had a romance with James Dean (recounted in her 2000 book, Dizzy and Jimmy: My Life with James Dean), was good friends with Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame, and appeared on Broadway in 1977 with Christopher Lloyd and Meryl Streep in Happy End. Jerry Seinfeld took to Twitter with a tribute: "Liz was always the sweetest, nicest TV mom a son could wish for. Every time she came on our show it was the coziest feeling for me. So lucky to have known her." Deadline notes Sheridan was the final surviving Seinfeld "parent"; Jerry Stiller (Frank Costanza) died in 2020 and Barney (Morty Seinfeld) died in 2005.

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