Rutanya Alda (born October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress. She began her career in the late 1960s, and would go on to have supporting parts in The Deer Hunter (1978), Rocky II (1979), and the cult film Mommie Dearest (1981). She also appeared in a lead role in the horror films Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and Girls Nite Out (1984).

Life

Rutanya Alda was born as Rutanya Skrastiņa (Rūta Skrastiņa) in Riga, Latvia, the daughter of Vera (née Ozoliņš), a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet. Alda spent the first seven years of her life in a displaced persons camp in Germany amidst World War II. She then relocated with her family to the United States, briefly living in Chicago before settling in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Career

With a career spanning nearly 50 years in show business and over a hundred roles, Alda might be best known for her performances in The Deer Hunter as Steven's wife, Angela, as well as for the cult classicMommie Dearest, as loyal Crawford housekeeper Carol Ann, and Amityville II: The Possession,[3] having been nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award two years in succession (1982 and 1983) for the latter roles. She has also won a Clio and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additionally, Alda has appeared in numerous television programs, such as Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and as a featured character in the Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton TV series Beauty and the Beast, as well as commercials and stage work.

In 2009, she appeared in Stolen, playing the elder version of Jessica Chastain's character, and had a supporting role in the horror film Late Phases (2014). Between 2014 and 2016, Alda appeared in the web series Old Dogs & New Tricks.

Personal life

She was married to actor Richard Bright from 1977 until his death in 2006, when he was hit by a bus in New York City. They had one son, Jeremy.