Sad news: Zelda Rubinstein, the American actress best known as the psychic Tangina in Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist (and Madame Serena in Teen Witch!), has reportedly been taken off life support at L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai hospital. From Radaronline.com:
The petite actress, who played the medium in the 1982 Steven Spielberg blockbuster and it’s sequels, has been hospitalized for over a month…RadarOnline.com has learned the sad news that Rubinstein, 76, has been taken off of life support following the failure of two of her major organs. “Her lungs and kidneys have failed and she’s in and out of consciousness,” a friend of the actress tells RadarOnline.com. “It’s only a matter of time now.”
Beyond her film work, Rubenstein devoted herself—early and forever—to AIDS/HIV activism. From The Advocate:
Back in 1984, when the mere mention of aids induced panic, Poltergeist actress Zelda Rubinstein did something truly brave by lending her face to one of the first state-funded safe-sex campaigns directed at gay men. Posters depicting Rubinstein as a caring mom urging her “sons” to play safe were plastered all over Los Angeles’s buses and buildings before going national and then international-they were spotted on phone booths as far away as Madrid. “I paid a very big price careerwise,” Rubinstein says of the attention, which predated Elizabeth Taylor’s and Madonna’s AIDS involvement by at least a year.
Happy travels and congratulations on a life exceedingly well-lived, Ms. Rubinstein.
(Thanks to MetaFilter.)
May she run to the light.
Sad. She remains my # 1 celebrity sighting. I saw her eating Thai food at Tommy Tangs on Melrose about 12 years ago. She was sitting on at least three pillows.
I loved her best as the church organist in Sixteen Candles.
Years ago, I saw her in a stage show in DC. She was good.
I’d forgotten that great scene; thanks for the reminder. And the poster is adorable! Stunning and sad that she had to “pay a price” for it, though. She had such presence.
She looks so much like my grandma…it’s uncanny.
You spell her name two different ways, btw.
Teen Witch.
Oh man. This is the saddest celebrity death of the year, by far.
I met her when she came to our unit at Children’s hospital of Pittsburgh. ONe of our inpatient babies had dwarfism as did his 6 year old brother and Zelda and the brother fell crazy in love with each other. The 6 year old had never met an adult who was made like him and they had the most amazing time visiting.
Cool and talented lady, and didn’t know that about the public health poster. Good for her.
But she “paid a big price careerwise” for it? Really?
If you’re an ugly midget, there’s not that many roles for you and you’ll probably not become an A-list star. I doubt her AIDS activism is to blame.
@11 Probably not an a-lister for sure, but she’d be forever known as the “Dwarf in the AIDS ad.” If typecasting is bad for actors in general, its got to be career death for someone with extremely unique qualities.
This is such a bummer, too. I used to think she was the best thing about that show “Picket Fences.”
Millions will forever remember her if not just for her strong performance in Poltergeist. My sympathies to her family.
I love the way she scampers up those stairs.
Time to get her on your list at http://stiffs.com – that seems like a good pick.
Call me sick. I don’t care. She’s going on my list. http://www.stiffs.com
Solid pick.
As the guy who created that particular AIDS awareness campaign (and found Zelda for it) in 1984, I’m disappointed at the ignorance of some of these remarks. Let me clear things up:
1) Zelda wasn’t a dwarf, she was a little person; her body was proportionate. Goggle if you don’t know the difference. Most little people don’t like the term, “midget.” It’s demeaning.
2) Zelda’s career did indeed take a huge hit for doing this campaign at time when she was developing a huge cult following after her first “Poltergeist” film.” Her unique role as “Mother” was so successful and her images appeared in so many places across the country during those provocative years, that many producers were afraid to cast her in their films or productions. I know, I was there and hear some of them admit it.
Perhaps many of you don’t know what a huge stigma AIDS was back in those early years. Zelda was cast as “Mother” because real mothers of AIDS patients could not step forward at the time. People (gay and straight) were ignorant and afraid and anyone who had it were considered like lepers. It would be years before people thought differently.
Zelda Rubinstein was, in fact, the first celebrity spokesperson in any AIDS awareness campaign at a time when it was not fashionable or popular to do so. For years, “Mother” into bars, clubs–even bathhouses–to promote safe sex and never accepted a cent for her efforts. Zelda was a true pioneer in the battle against AIDS and she was most certainly a little giant among us.
-Tyler St. Mark