Biography

Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1929 – February 23, 2019) was an American film, theater, and television actress, and director. Over her five decades of television acting, she was known for her starring role as ditzy matriarch Jessica Tate on the ABC prime time soap opera sitcom Soap (1977–1981) and her co-starring role as feisty mother Mona Robinson on Who's the Boss? (1984–1992). She also played Doris Sherman on Coach and Lois Whelan, the mother of Debra Barone, on Everybody Loves Raymond. She guest starred on a number of TV shows including True Blood, Strong Medicine, Providence, The Love Boat, The Bionic Woman (1976), The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bob New hart Show, Mannix, and Gunsmoke.