Katherine Helmond - Personal Life

Personal Life

Helmond was born in Galveston, Texas in 1929, the only child of Joseph P. and Thelma (née Malone) Helmond. She was raised by her mother and grandmother, both devout Catholics. She attended a Catholic primary school and appeared in numerous school plays. After her stage debut in As You Like It, she began working in New York in 1955. She later operated a summer theatre in the Catskills for three seasons and taught acting in university theatre programs. She made her television debut in 1962, but would not achieve fame until the 1970s. She was also busy onstage, earning a Tony nomination for her performance on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's The Great God Brown (1973).

She appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Family Plot (1976). She also appeared in Brazil (1985) as Jonathan Pryce's mother. In 1983, she studied at the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop, and went on to direct four episodes of the television series Benson, as well as one episode of Who's the Boss? (1984). She picked up Emmy nominations for her role as Mona Robinson, a liberated grandmother in Who's the Boss, and as Lois Whelan in Everybody Loves Raymond. Helmond has continued working, receiving acclaim for her stage performance in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues.