Editing Marcia Strassman (section)

==Life and career==
Strassman succeeded [[Liza Minnelli]] in the role of Ethel Hofflinger in the [[Off-Broadway]] musical ''[[Best Foot Forward (musical)|Best Foot Forward]]''.<ref>[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1610 ''Best Foot Forward''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209234314/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1610 |date=2015-02-09 }} at the [[Internet Off-Broadway Database]].</ref>

In 1967, she became a recording artist for [[Uni Records]]. Her debut single, "The Flower Children", was a top-40 hit in many West Coast U.S. markets, hitting #4 in San Diego and #2 in San Francisco; the track also hit #3 in [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] (both at CKLG 730 AM and CFUN 1410 AM in July 1967).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=From the Music Capitals of the World|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=7|date=July 15, 1967|issn=0006-2510}}</ref> However, the single failed to break out nationally in either country; the record stalled at #105 in the United States, and just sneaked into RPM's Top 100 for Canada, peaking at #95.<ref>{{cite book|title=Joel Whitburn Presents: Across The Charts The 1960s|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|author-link=Joel Whitburn|year=2008|publisher=Record Research|page=371|isbn=978-0898201758}}</ref> The song also reached #95 on ''Cashbox'' Top 100 Singles chart <ref>{{cite web|url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19670610.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 6/10/67 |website=Tropicalglen.com |date=1967-06-10 |access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref>
[[File:The Flower Children - Billboard ad 1967.png|thumb|left|''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' advertisement for "The Flower Children", 1 April 1967]] 


Her follow-up release, "The Groovy World of Jack and Jill", charted in [[Denver, Colorado]], but virtually nowhere else.<ref>[http://las-solanas.com/arsa/artists_item.php?rtid=7692 Marcia Strassman profile], las-solanas.com; accessed October 26, 2014.</ref> A third single, "Star Gazer" (1968) (produced by [[Kim Fowley]]), failed to chart anywhere and brought Strassman's brief recording career to a close. Returning to acting after a gap of a few years, she landed the recurring role of Nurse Margie Cutler in six early episodes of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metv.com/stories/this-overlooked-m-a-s-h-nurse-was-a-pop-singer-and-part-of-a-disney-favorite |title=This overlooked M*A*S*H nurse was a pop singer and part of a Disney favorite |author=MeTV Staff |date=March 2, 2021 |website=[[MeTV]] |access-date=May 15, 2023}}</ref>

She landed the role of Julie Kotter, the wife of title character high school teacher Gabe Kotter ([[Gabe Kaplan]]) on the ABC comedy series ''[[Welcome Back, Kotter]]'' in 1975. The series lasted four years. Strassman was told that Kaplan wanted her off the series, and stated in an interview that working on the series made her "miserable".<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20072119,00.html |title=A Set Becomes a Set-to as Mrs. Kotter Takes on Gabe, and the Sweathogs Take Sides|first=Robert|last=Windeler|journal=[[People (magazine)|People]]|volume=10|number=19|date=November 6, 1978|issn=0093-7673}}</ref> Kaplan read the interview and realized that series producer [[James Komack]] was separately telling the two actors that they didn't like each other, and Kaplan informed Strassman that he actually wanted more balance between Kotter's work and home environments, which would have afforded her the chance to do more on the series. Kaplan, a guest host on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' that week, had Strassman on to tell the story as an interview guest; she recalled the incident decades later on a [[FYI (U.S. TV channel)|Biography Channel]] special about the history of ''Kotter''.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Welcome Back Kotter/The Facts of Life/Roseanne |series=Biography|network=[[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]]|number=1-06|airdate=22 April 2008}}</ref>

In the 1970s, Strassman did guest spots on ''[[Time Express]]'', ''[[The Rockford Files]]'', and ''[[The Love Boat]]'', among other shows. In 1980, she starred as Lenina Crowne in a television production of [[Aldous Huxley]]'s ''[[Brave New World (1980 film)|Brave New World]]''. She co-starred in the short-lived sitcom ''[[Good Time Harry]]'' that year. She guest-starred on the ''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'' episode "Heal Thyself", where she played Dr. Karen Harmon, a former nurse with whom the title character served in Vietnam. In 1982, she played Maria Giannin in the romantic comedy ''[[Soup for One (film)|Soup for One]]''.<ref name=latobit/>

In 1989–90, she had a co-starring role on the ''[[21 Jump Street]]'' spin-off, ''[[Booker (TV series)|Booker]]'', starring [[Richard Grieco]] in the title role. She guest starred on ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' in 1996. Strassman had movie roles as [[Rick Moranis]]'s wife in ''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Kids]]'' (1989) and ''[[Honey, I Blew Up the Kid]]'' (1992). In 1994, she reprised her role from those movies in the 3-D film spin-off ''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!]]'' She later went on to play Nancy Sterngood on the television series ''[[Tremors (TV series)|Tremors]]'' (2003).