Editing Rhea Perlman (section)

== Career ==
===Career beginnings===

Perlman began her acting career with a small role as an attendant in the [[off-off-Broadway]] play ''Dracula Sabbat'', which ran from September 1970 to June 1971.<ref name="brant" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Dracula Sabbat at Judson Poets Theater and others 1970–1971|url=http://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/86265-dracula-sabbat-at-judson-poets-theater-and-others-september-11-1970-june-24-1971|website=About The Artists|access-date=May 6, 2017}}</ref> In 1972, she played a bit role in the film ''[[Hot Dogs for Gauguin]]''. That same year she appeared in [[Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective]]'s production of ''Up – An Uppity Revue'', along with her future husband, [[Danny DeVito]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Cheers: funniest lines|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/05/20/cheers-funniest-lines/cheers0/|access-date=May 6, 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=May 20, 2016}}</ref>

One of her first notable parts was a recurring role on the television show ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' as Zena, the sweet girlfriend of [[Louie De Palma]] (played by DeVito). Following that, she had a role in a small play portraying a much tougher character.<ref name="gq">{{cite news|last1=Raftery|first1=Brian|title=Cheers Oral History|url=https://www.gq.com/story/cheers-oral-history-extended|access-date=May 5, 2017|work=[[GQ]]|date=September 27, 2012}}</ref>  Producers [[Glen and Les Charles]] saw her in that play, which led to her landing the role as wisecracking barmaid [[Carla Tortelli]] on their sitcom ''[[Cheers]]'' in 1982. 

===''Cheers''===

The series struggled with ratings in its first season, but by the time it ended in 1993, it was one of the most popular and successful shows of all time, winning 20 Emmy awards out of 95 nominations.<ref name="gq" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Shapiro|first1=Mitchell E.|last2=Jicha|first2=Tom|title=The Top 100 American Situation Comedies: An Objective Ranking|date=2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-2340-5|pages=8–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3vXCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA8|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>

Perlman won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series|Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy]] four times: in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1989.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rhea Perlman|url=http://www.emmys.com/bios/rhea-perlman|publisher=Television Academy|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref> Over her 11 seasons on ''Cheers'', she was nominated for an Emmy every year but 1992, becoming the ''Cheers'' star to have the most wins and nominations. She was also nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film|Best Supporting Actress]] six times, more than anyone else in that category.  In 2011, NBC named Carla Tortelli as one of the greatest TV characters of all time.<ref>{{cite news|title=50 Greatest TV Characters|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/50-greatest-tv-characters/41/|access-date=May 5, 2017|date=March 29, 2011}}</ref>

In 1986, Perlman starred in an episode of [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Amazing Stories (1985 TV series)|Amazing Stories]]'' titled "The Wedding Ring," which also starred DeVito as her character's husband.

===Motion pictures===
[[File:RheaPerlmanAug2011.jpg|thumb|right|Perlman at a ceremony for Danny DeVito to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2011]]

In the 1990s, Perlman starred in several TV movies and motion pictures. In 1992, she starred in the made-for-TV-movie, ''[[To Grandmother's House We Go]]'' opposite [[Ashley Olsen]] and [[Mary-Kate Olsen]], playing the wife of [[Jerry Van Dyke]]'s character; the couple kidnapped the Olsen Twins' characters, hoping to cash in on ransom before Christmas. Other TV films in which she starred included the dramas ''[[A Place to Be Loved]]'' and ''In Spite of Love.'' Perlman's motion picture roles included ''[[There Goes the Neighborhood (film)|There Goes The Neighborhood]]'' (1992), ''[[Canadian Bacon (film)|Canadian Bacon]]'' (1995), ''[[Carpool (1996 film)|Carpool]]'' (1996), ''[[Sunset Park (film)|Sunset Park]]'' (1996), and ''[[Matilda (1996 film)|Matilda]]'' (1996). She had a cameo in the film ''[[10 Items or Less (film)|10 Items Or Less]]'' (2006), and also starred in the 2007 independent film ''[[Love Comes Lately]].''

In 1994, Perlman voiced 9-Eye in [[The Timekeeper]], a [[Circle-Vision 360°|Circle-Vision]] show at the [[Magic Kingdom]] in [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]]. She later starred in the 1996 sitcom ''[[Pearl (TV series)|Pearl]]'' as the title character and was featured on the 2001 TV drama ''[[Kate Brasher]].'' Among her notable guest appearances was on the fourth-season premiere of ''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]'', which starred ''Cheers'' co-star [[Ted Danson]]. Perlman also appeared in a 2000 television film ''[[How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale]],'' in which she impersonated [[Jacqueline Kennedy|Jackie Kennedy]]. She also portrayed a therapist called Dr. Parella in the 2000 film ''[[Secret Cutting]],'' which follows the story of a young girl named Dawn who [[Self-harm|self-injures]]. In 2007, Perlman appeared as Bertha in the West End of London in the comedy ''[[Boeing Boeing (play)|Boeing Boeing]].'' In 2008, she starred in the [[Hallmark Channel]] original movie, ''The Christmas Choir,'' and appeared in ''[[Beethoven's Big Break]]'' in 2008 as [[Patricia Benji]]. In 2009, she appeared as Tanya's mother on the series ''[[Hung (TV series)|Hung]]'' for [[HBO|Home Box Office Networks]]. In 2011, Perlman had a guest appearance as Mittens in one episode of ''[[Wilfred (U.S. TV series)|Wilfred]].''

In 2009, Perlman and her daughter [[Lucy DeVito]] starred in the [[off-Broadway]] play ''[[Love, Loss, and What I Wore]]'', adapted by [[Nora Ephron|Nora]] and [[Delia Ephron]], at the [[Westside Theatre]].<ref name="nytimes2009" /> From 2014 to 2017, she starred in a recurring role on ''[[The Mindy Project]]'' as Danny's mother, Annette Castellano.

In 2023, Perlman earned critical praise for playing [[Barbie]] creator [[Ruth Handler]] in [[Greta Gerwig]]'s film ''[[Barbie (film)|Barbie]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-24 |title=Barbie's Creator Appeared In The Movie — But She Was Totally Different IRL |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/barbie-movie-ruth-handler-rhea-perlman-cameo-explained |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=Bustle |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Peters |first=Fletcher |date=2023-07-28 |title=Rhea Perlman Puts a Fantastic Twist on Barbie's Real Creator |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/who-is-ruth-handler-barbies-iconic-tax-evading-creator |access-date=2023-07-28}}</ref>

=== Writing ===
Perlman is the author of the illustrated children's book series ''[[Otto Undercover]],'' whose six books to date (as of the middle of May 2012) are ''Born to Drive,'' ''Canyon Catastrophe,'' ''Water Balloon Doom,'' ''Toxic Taffy Takeover,'' ''The Brink of Ex-stink-tion,'' and ''Brain Freeze.''