An actress who came to her career relatively late in life, Zelda Rubinstein has made two roles her own: a wise-mouthed psychic and a down-to-earth police dispatcher. Rubinstein worked for twenty years in medical labs before undergoing a "midlife crisis" and moving to Europe in the late 1970s. She lived in Siam, Denmark and Rome doing odd jobs until returning to the USA and an acting career in 1980.
The 4'3" actress had a tough time being cast at first and did a lot of voice-over work (with one role as a Munchkin in "Under the Rainbow") before being cast as a no-nonsense psychic in the "Poltergeist" films ("Poltergeist" 1982, "Poltergeist II: The Other Side" 1986, and "Poltergeist III" 1988). She played a dramatic role as a domineering mother in the Spanish-made film "Anguish" (1987), and reached her widest audience in the quirky TV drama "Picket Fences". Her character was killed off (by falling into a freezer) in 1995. Rubenstein went to guest on the NBC series "Caroline in the City" and "The Pretender" and narrated the Fox Family Channel/ABC Family series "Scariest Places on Earth" (2001- ).
Profession(s):
Actor, voice actor, dishwasher, medical laboratory technologist
Sometimes Credited As:
Education
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
University of California Berkeley, California drama
California State University Fullerton, California drama
1992 - 1995 Had a recurring role as police dispatcher Ginny Weedon on the CBS series "Picket Fences"
1988 Once again portrayed Tangine Barrons in "Poltergeist III"
1987 Formed her own production company, ZR Productions
1986 Reprised the role of Tangina Barrons in "Poltergeist II: The Other Side"
1984 Had a small part in the John Hughes' comedy "Sixteen Candles"
1982 Portrayed psychic Tangine Barrons in "Poltergeist," a role she reprised in two sequels
1981 Feature film debut "Under the Rainbow"
1980 Returned to school to study acting
1980 First TV credit, as voice actor on cartoon "Flintstone Family Adventures"
Worked in blood banks as medical laboratory technologist in late 1960s and early 70s (dates approximate)