Tall brunette leading and character actress of TV and occasional feature films who first gained attention as Gabe Kaplan's wife on the sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter". As Julie Kotter, Strassman provided an appealing voice of sanity amid the antics of the show's zany high schoolers and devotedly listened to Kaplan's closing monologues each week. She failed to latch onto another successful TV series after "Kotter" went off the air, but kept busy through the 1980s in guest spots on "Magnum P.I." and "Amazing Stories". Strassman received her largest career exposure when she copped the role of Rick
