Katherine Marie Helmond was born on July 5, 1929, in Galveston, Texas, to a family with Irish Catholic heritage. After her parents' divorce, she was raised by her mother, Thelma (nee Malone) Helmond, and her maternal grandmother, both of whom had a significant influence on her life.
Helmond's early life was marked by her involvement in school plays and pageants, and she even took a job at a local theater while still in high school, where she honed her skills by hammering and sawing scenery, cleaning bathrooms, and operating the curtain.
After her stage debut in "As You Like It", Helmond worked in New York theaters during the 1950s and 1960s, operating a summer theater in the Catskills for three seasons and teaching acting in university theater programs. She made her TV debut in 1962, but it wasn't until the 1970s that she achieved breakthrough success.
Throughout her career, Helmond stayed busy on both TV and stage, earning a Tony nomination for "The Great God Brown" (1973) on Broadway and a Golden Globe for her role in ABC's cult sitcom Soap (1977). She also starred in the film Brazil (1985) as Jonathan Pryce's mother, who was addicted to plastic surgery and snooping in her son's life.
In addition to her acting work, Helmond was also a talented director, studying at the Directing Workshop of the American Film Institute in 1983 and directing four episodes of the series Benson (1979) as well as episodes of Who's the Boss? (1984). She received Emmy nominations for her roles in both series.
Helmond continued to work on stage and screen throughout the 2000s, earning acclaim for her performances in "The Vagina Monologues". She was married twice but had no children, and in her later years turned to Buddhism. She divided her time between her homes in Los Angeles, New York, and London.
