New York’s SWAT team is still in mourning. Following the death of Richard Belzer, who played Inspector John Munch on the series for 17 years, at the age of 78 last February, actress Joanna Merlin has passed away. The actor who played Judge Lena Petrovsky died this week at the age of 92.
His death was announced on the school’s Instagram page Tish Art School from New York, where the actor has been teaching since 1998. “It is with sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved Joanna Merlin. Joanna has been a member of the theater faculty since 1998, teaching several generations of our actors.”
Joan Ratner, her real name, was born on July 15, 1931 in Chicago. He began his career on the Broadway stage in three highly acclaimed productions, including the 1960 adaptation. Beckett With Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn. In 1964, he starred in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, which was heavily adapted by Norman Jewison in 1971. Subsequently, he created many musical comedies on stage, such as e.g. Evewhose musical libretto was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
In terms of cinema, she began in 1956 playing the role of the daughter of Jethro (Moses’ father-in-law) in Cecil B. In DeMille’s monumental epic The Ten Commandments. Subsequently, he mostly played small roles in fiction both on the small and big screens. However, sometimes in important works, like Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz. In 1980, she played the famous ballet teacher Miss Olive Berg in Alan Parker’s cult film Fame.
As a casting director on Broadway and in film since the 1970s, Joanna Merlin has always worked regularly in addition to gaining recognition in the artistic community. In this capacity, he was notably the casting director for Michael Cimino’s The Year of the Dragon; Jack Burton’s Adventures in the Tangerine’s Claw by John Carpenter; Bernardo Bertolucci’s masterpiece “The Last Emperor”; or Jean-Jacques Anne’s lover.
But his most recognizable role is that of the franchise New York Special Forces. Although she appeared a few times in the original series in the mid-1990s, it was her role as the strict and pragmatic judge Lena Petrovsky in 43 episodes of the series from 2000 to 2011 that left a lasting impression on her career.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
