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Liz Sheridan, Seinfeld Mom and Broadway Dancer, Dead at 93

Photo: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Liz Sheridan, Seinfeld actress and Broadway dancer, died at age 93 in her New York City home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to the late actress — who was best known for playing his mother, Helen Seinfeld, in the hit sitcom — in a tweet Friday afternoon. “Liz was always the sweetest, nicest TV mom a son could wish for. Every time she came on our show it was the coziest feeling for me. So lucky to have known her,” tweeted Seinfeld. Fans also noticed Sheridan passed away within weeks of another Seinfeld mom, Estelle Harris, who played George’s mother.

Born in 1929 as ​​Elizabeth Ann Sheridan, Sheridan’s family gave her the nickname Dizzy after her sister mispronounced her name as “Dizabeth.” She used her nickname in her memoir that commemorated her romance with James Dean, Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life With James Dean: A Love Story. Their yearlong “magical” affair happened early in their careers, when she was a dancer on Broadway. Years later, when she transitioned into onscreen acting, Sheridan played another matriarch, nosy neighbor Raquel Ochmonek, on the NBC sitcom ALF. Despite her Seinfeld success, Sheridan told Entertainment Weekly in 1998 that it was “difficult” for her and her co-star Barry Martin, who played Jerry’s father, to get work due to their association with the series. However, Sheridan and Martin found a home in the theater-kid hangout, Denny’s, promoting their breakfast menu in the early 2000s.

Liz Sheridan, Seinfeld Mom and Broadway Dancer, Dead at 93