:Laura Esterman

{{Short description|American actress}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Laura Esterman

|image =

|birth_date =

|birth_place = New York City, US

|occupation = Actress

|years_active = 1969–present

|awards = {{Plainlist|

}}

}}

Laura Esterman is an American actress, known for portraying Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe in contemporary radio dramas, and for her Drama Desk Award and Obie Award winning performance in the 1992 original stage production of Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room.

Early life

Esterman studied acting at HB Studio.{{cite web|url=https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/|title=Alumni|author=|date=|website=hbstudio.org|accessdate=15 February 2019}}

Career

Esterman made her Broadway debut in the 1969 revival of The Time of Your Life. Her other Broadway credits include The Waltz of the Toreadors, God's Favorite, Teibele and Her Demon, The Suicide, Metamorphosis and The Show-Off.{{IBDB name|id=39749}}

In 1972, Esterman played the Madonna Vampyra in the ZBS Foundation radio play The Fourth Tower of Inverness, the first in the long-running Jack Flanders series. Esterman returned to ZBS in 1982 to star as the title character in the first Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe serial, and has reprised the role many times in the decades to come, most recently Ruby 15: Creatures of the Light in 2025. Many of her Ruby appearances are credited to a stage name, "Blanche Blackwell". Esterman also returned as the Madonna Vampyra in the 2000 sequel, Return to Inverness.

Esterman has also worked in television and film. Her television credits include Remington Steele, St. Elsewhere, The Facts of Life, L.A. Law, Family Ties, Law & Order, Third Watch and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit among others. Her movie credits include Alone in the Dark, Ironweed, Awakenings, The Doors, Addams Family Values, The Confession and Arranged among others.

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"

|+

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

1982

|Alone in the Dark

|Woman Voyager

|

1987

|Ironweed

|Nora

|

1988

|Me and Him

|Bag Lady

|

1990

|Awakenings

|Lolly

|

1991

|The Doors

|New York Journalist

|

1993

|Addams Family Values

|Cousin Ophelia

|

1999

|The Confession

|Sarah's Cousin

|

2000

|Chinese Coffee

|Actor in play / Messenger

|

2001

|Suspended Animation

|Vanessa Boulette

|

2004

|From Other Worlds

|Psychiatrist

|

2007

|Arranged

|Judit

|

2011

|The Green

|Mrs. Heller

|

2017

|Can Hitler Happen Here?

|Miriam Kohen

|

2018

|Human Affairs

|Journalist

|

= Television =

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

!Notes

1970

|NET Playhouse

|Mary Magdalene

|Episode: "Generation of Leaves: Jesus - A Passion Play for Americans"

1980

|Another World

|Felice Carpenter

|Episode #1.4124

1984

|Remington Steele

|Miss Conover

|Episode: "A Pocketful of Steele"

1985

|St. Elsewhere

|Psychiatrist

|Episode: "Cheers"

1985

|The Facts of Life

|Ms. Resnick

|Episode: "Into the Frying Pan"

1985

|Children of the Night

|Arlene

|Television film

1987

|L.A. Law

|Gloria Rheinhold

|Episode: "Fifty Ways to Floss Your Lover"

1987

|Family Ties

|Waitress

|Episode: "Matchmaker"

1995, 1999

|Law & Order

|Evelyn Walcoff / Florence Cooley

|2 episodes

2000

|Third Watch

|Marge

|Episode: "Alone in a Crowd"

2000

|Law & Order: SVU

|Mrs. Sandomir

|Episode: "Noncompliance"

2009

|Life on Mars

|Sue Moyer

|Episode: "Home Is Where You Hang Your Holster"

2009

|Law & Order: Criminal Intent

|Elderly Landlady

|Episode: "Identity Crisis"

2011

|Mildred Pierce

|Mrs. Kramer

| rowspan="2" |3 episodes

2020

|I Know This Much Is True

|Ruth Rood

2021

|The Blacklist

|Ada Rosenberg

|Episode: "The Avenging Angel (No. 49)"

References

{{reflist}}