Rutanya Alda

Rutanya Alda was born as Rutanja Skrastiņa (Rūta Skrastiņa) in Riga, Latvia, the daughter of Vera (née Ozoliņa), a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet.[1] Alda spent the first seven years of her life in a displaced persons camp in Germany amidst World War II.[2] She then relocated with her family to the United States, briefly living in Chicago before settling in Flagstaff, Arizona.[2]

With a career spanning nearly 50 years in show business and over a hundred roles, Alda might be best known for her performances in The Deer Hunter as Steven's wife, Angela, as well as for the cult classic Mommie Dearest, as loyal Crawford housekeeper Carol Ann, and Amityville II: The Possession,[3] having been nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award two years in succession (1982 and 1983) for the latter roles. She has also won a Clio and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additionally, Alda has appeared in numerous television programs, such as Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and as a featured character in the Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton TV series Beauty and the Beast, as well as commercials and stage work.

In 2009, she appeared in Stolen, playing the elder version of Jessica Chastain's character, and had a supporting role in the horror film Late Phases (2014). Between 2014 and 2016, Alda appeared in the web series Old Dogs & New Tricks.

She was married to actor Richard Bright from 1977 until his death in 2006, when he was hit by a bus in New York City.[4] They had one son, Jeremy.

• "The Lady of the House" by Lee Gambin, Fangoria magazine #317, October 2012, pages 56–57, 97. Interview of Rutanya Alda regarding her role in Amityville II: The Possession. Three-page article has four photos of Alda, one recent, with additional images related to the film.
• David Dye. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 4.

• Rutanya Alda on IMDb
• Rutanya Alda at AllMovie