Marta Heflin
Marta Heflin ( born March 29, 1945 in Washington as Marta Michelle Heflin, † September 18, 2013 in Manhattan) was an American comedienne and actress with character roles in film, television and theater. She became internationally known mainly for her roles in the feature films A Star Is Born, A Perfect Couple, Come back, Jimmy Dean or King of Comedy.
Life and career
Marta Heflin Michelle was born in 1945 in Washington. Her father Martin Heflin was a public relations executive and her mother Julia, a journalist and theater director. Through the love of the mother for the stage Marta Heflin turned early to acting. The breakthrough as a serious actress she succeeded in 1967 when she was allowed in the stage version of the musical Brigadoon stand in for the meantime ill with pneumonia actress Karen Morrow and could excel in the prominent role as a soubrette Meg as an actress without a trial period.
In 1976, she was at the movies her feature film debut as an actress in a supporting role in Frank Pierson's musical film A Star Is Born in the ensemble of actors to Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson and Gary Busey. Two years later they occupied the director Robert Altman in his romantic drama A wedding in a supporting role. Excited by their strong presence, he gave Altman then in 1979 the female lead role of Sheila Shea in his film A perfect couple next to fellow actor Paul Dooley.
In 1980, she turned to Marta Heflin also briefly to television and she was seen in a small cameo in the Auschwitz drama starring Vanessa Redgrave Playing for Time by the directors Daniel Mann and Joseph Sargent. In 1981, she appeared in a small role in Jonathan Kaplan's The Gentleman Bandit with.
Robert Altman cast her again in 1982 as an actress in his award-winning drama Come Back, Jimmy Dean next to Sandy Dennis, Kathy Bates, Karen Black and Cher. In the same year she played under the direction of Martin Scorsese in the comedy King of Comedy in the occupation of Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Diahnne Abbott.
In her long career as an actress Marta Heflin also appeared in a number of stage plays, including on Broadway. She had major roles in Fiddler on the Roof, Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. She also played as a versatile comedienne often in known nightclubs of New York City.
She died after a long illness on September 18, 2013 at the age of 68 years in Manhattan.
Marta Heflin was the niece of Oscar-winning actor Van Heflin. Belonged to their relatives as a cousin of director Jonathan Kaplan and her uncle of film composer Sol Kaplan.