Liz Sheridan, Jerry's doting mom on Seinfeld, dies at 93

Liz Sheridan, the veteran actress best known for playing Jerry's adoring mother on Seinfeld and the nosy neighbor Mrs. Ochmonek on ALF, died in her sleep of natural causes early Friday morning. She was 93.

Her longtime friend and representative Amanda Hendon confirmed the news to EW.

Born in 1929 in Rye, N.Y., Sheridan began her show business career as a singer and dancer in New York City nightclubs in the '50s. In 1952 she met and fell in love with a young James Dean, newly arrived in search of TV and theater work. Sheridan detailed their romance in her 2000 memoir Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life With James Dean.

Appearing in various TV and theater productions throughout the '60s and '70s, including a role in the 1977 musical Happy End alongside Christopher Lloyd and a young Meryl Streep, Sheridan scored her first major recurring role as Raquel Ochmonek on ALF, which ran from 1986 to 1990. But her biggest spotlight came playing Jerry Seinfeld's doting mom, Helen, on his titular sitcom.

Sheridan appeared in 21 episodes over the course of Seinfeld's '90s run, starting with the second episode, "The Stake Out." She was the only cast member aside from the four leads to show up at least once every season. Though she often appeared alongside the late Barney Martin as Jerry's father, Mort, that character was cast differently at the start.

Sheridan died less than two weeks after Estelle Harris, who played the shrill mother of George Costanza (Jason Alexander). Sheridan and Harris were the last surviving Seinfeld parent actors.

Seinfeld paid tribute to his TV mom Friday afternoon, posting a photo of them on social media and writing, "Liz was always the sweetest, nicest TV mom a son could wish for. Every time she came on our show it was the coziest feeling for me. So lucky to have known her."

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