Randee Heller (born 1947) is an American television and film actress. Her most notable roles were in the film The Karate Kid and one of its sequels, as Daniel Larusso's mother, and on the 1970s serial sitcom Soap as Jodie Dallas' roommate Alice, one of the first lesbian characters in television history. She also had a starring role as Carol in the 1979 made-for-TV movie Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of Freddie Prinze.
Heller was born in Brooklyn, New York. She began her career in musicals on Broadway in such musicals as Grease — where she played Rizzo — and Godspell, eventually moving to California in 1978. Her groundbreaking role as Alice received mixed reviews, not for her acting but for the way some critics argued the role played into a television tradition of making lesbian characters psychologically troubled. The Boston Herald, for example, identifies Alice as "TV's first recurring lesbian character," noting that she "first tries to throw herself off a bridge, then falls for Jodie (Billy Crystal), a confused gay man, and finally runs off," and commenting that the characterization shows how "the networks have generally depicted lesbians either as suicidal losers or sexual predators."
After leaving Soap, the actress went on to create the role of Lucille LaRusso in the Karate Kid series, appearing in the first and third installments. Her characterization generally received praise from critics, with reviewer Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune naming her absence from the second film as one of its greatest flaws: "Heller`s honest portrayal of a single parent trying to raise an adolescent was one of the genuine pleasures of the original film." Co-star Ralph Macchio agreed, stating in one interview with Siskel, "I argued for her . Those scenes with her were some of my favorites in the original — they had some real emotion — and I honestly don't know why she isn't there. I haven't seen the sequel, but (when the film focuses) just on Miyagi, well, he's a great character, but after a while he can become sort of a walking fortune cookie with all of his sayings."
In addition to her role in the Karate Kid series, she appeared in the feature films Fast Break (1979), Bulworth (1998), Monster-in-Law (2005), and Crazylove (2005). As of January, 2007, IMDb was reporting her as attached to the film Rambo, being released on January 25, 2008.
Heller has made guest appearances in the television series Nip/Tuck, Judging Amy, Felicity, the children's series Drake & Josh, Fame, and The White Shadow, among many others. She had leading roles in three short-lived situation comedies, Second Chance (1987), Better Days (1986), and Mama Malone (1984). Her TV-movie appearances include And Your Name is Jonah (1979). In 2000, Heller performed with Barbra Streisand in her concert Timeless, which was broadcast over American television.
Heller also has maintained a stage career, appearing in such productions as Bermuda Avenue Triangle, The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, and Cabaret. Her role in Cabaret was particularly well received, with one reviewer remarking that "she proved in her first five minutes that she knows how to develop a character, command a stage and deliver a song. Heller made a role that seems peripheral in some productions into a central part of the story. When her engagement to her Jewish beau, Herr Schultz, is called off, it symbolizes many of the small human tragedies brought about by Nazi hate."
