Rutanya Alda (born Rūta Skrastiņa; October 13, 1942) is a Latvian-American actress.
Life
Rutanya Alda was born Rūta Skrastiņa in Riga, in German-occupied Latvia, the daughter of Vera (née Ozoliņa), a businesswoman, and Jānis Skrastiņš, a poet. Alda, her grandmother, her mother and her brother spent seven years in a refugee camp in Allied-occupied Germany after World War II. She then moved with her family to the United States, briefly living in Chicago before settling in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Career
She began her career in the late 1960s, and went on to have supporting movie roles in The Deer Hunter (1978), Rocky II (1979), and Mommie Dearest (1981). She also appeared in a lead role in the horror movies Amityville II: The Possession and Girls Nite Out (both 1982). She was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies) as "Worst Supporting Actress" two years in succession (1982 and 1983) for Mommie Dearest and Amityville II: The Possession. She has also won a Clio Award and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Personal life
She was married to actor Richard Bright from 1977 until his death in 2006, when he was hit by a bus in New York City. They had one son, Jeremy.