An excellent character actress of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Crouse had established herself as an outstanding off-Broadway actress in such roles as Ophelia opposite William Hurt's "Hamlet" and Viola in "Twelfth Night; she won an OBIE in her then-husband David Mamet's "Reunion" in 1980. After a strong cameo in "The Verdict" (1982), a moving performance as an Ethel Rosenberg-inspired character in "Daniel" (1983) and an Oscar-nominated turn in "Places in the Heart" (1984), Crouse played a cool, impressive lead in "House of Games" (1987), written and directed by Mamet. Her film career picked up in
