Biography
Mercedes Ruehl is an American actress who has appeared on film, theater, and television who has received numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, two Obie Awards, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.
Age
She is 76 years old as of 28 February 2024. She was born in 1948 in Jackson Heights, New York, United States. Her real name is Mercedes J. Ruehl.
Family – Education
Ruehl was born to schoolteacher Mercedes J. Ruehl and FBI agent Vincent Ruehl. Her father was of German and Irish origin, while her mother was of Cuban and Irish descent. During her childhood, the family traveled frequently due to Vincent Ruehl’s FBI missions, and they lived in several states including Silver Spring, Maryland. She and her brother, Peter, were raised Catholics. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle in 1969 with a BA in English. Her brother, Peter, relocated to Australia in 1987 and was a newspaper writer until his death in 2011.
Husband – Children
Ruehl married painter David Geiser in 1999, after adopting a kid named Jake, born in 1995. When she was 28, she had another son, Christopher, whom she placed for adoption in 1976. They were reunited in the late 1990s, when Jake turned 21, and Christopher later became his godfather. Ruehl and Geiser listed their Hampton home for sale in 2017; the same year, Ruehl announced that they were no longer together but remained close. On October 14, 2020, Geiser, 73, died unexpectedly of heart illness while sleeping at home.
Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $20 million.
Height
She stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m).
Power
She appeared as Connie Teresi, Tony Teresi’s wife and stayed loyal to Tony whilst he was incarcerated for 25 years in the American crime drama thriller television series Power. She is shown to be sick, and Tommy briefly encounters her while heading to her house to give Sammy money. This money was later found to be for Connie’s therapy for her illness. She is suspicious about Tommy’s identity, but Sammy advises her not to learn too much about him.
After Teresi gets released from prison, Connie becomes suspicious of how he got out so quickly. Teresi informs her that he is working with the NYPD to arrest Ghost and Tommy, which upsets Connie, but Teresi explains that he is doing it so that he may spend time with her before she dies. Connie and Tony eat dinner with Tommy and Lakeisha, and Connie begins to like Tommy. She later has a little dispute with Kate Egan because she and Connie loathe each other.
She is admitted to a hospice, and Tony pays her a final visit; she discovers that Tommy is a snitch, but he assures Connie that he is not snitching on Tommy. This is the last time she is seen, although given her short life expectancy, she is most certainly dead.
Mom at Sixteen
She appeared as Terry Jeffries in the 2005 Lifetime Television film Mom at Sixteen. Jacey Jeffries, 16, recently gave birth to her baby Charley. Instead of giving him up for adoption as planned, she decided to keep him. Her mother, Terry, claims Charley is hers, allowing Jacey to live a somewhat regular life as she prepares to graduate. Jacey still has affections for Charley’s father, college student Brad, and feels bad that he is ignorant Charley exists. Her attempts to contact Brad were unsuccessful due to her own nervousness.
During a class debate at her new school, Jacey accuses some of her classmates for promiscuity. Donna Cooper, her health teacher, is particularly interested in her comments. Donna’s husband, swim coach Bob, persuades Jacey to join the swimming team. Jacey slips unconscious after ingesting tranquilizers taken from her mother and finds up in hospital. Donna and Bob, who are unable to conceive, are dismayed to learn that their last round of in-vitro fertilization failed.
Frasier
Ruehl plays Kate Costas in Season 3 of Frasier. Kate becomes the new station manager of KACL in She’s The Boss and rapidly establishes her presence. She first fires Father Mike owing to low ratings on his show, and then briefly banishes Frasier and Roz to the evening shift after Frasier rejects her offer to perform themed shows. Kate and Frasier eventually come to an agreement, but their love-hate relationship persists until they have an affair during a labor dispute.
In It’s Hard To Say Goodbye If You Won’t Leave, Kate leaves KACL after accepting a new job offer in Chicago. She is subsequently replaced on screen by Kenny Daly, who serves as the station manager until the end of the series, when he is replaced by Roz. She replaced Tom Duran as station manager. Kate once got her finger bitten off by a lizard, not Bulldog. She describes herself as a cat person and has a cat. She also speaks Japanese.
Movies
♦ 1976 – Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
♦ 1986 – Heartburn
♦ 1987 – Radio Days
♦ 1988 – Big
♦ 1989 – Slaves of New York
♦ 1990 – Crazy People
♦ 1991 – Another You
♦ 1993 – Lost in Yonkers
♦ 1994 – On Hope
♦ 1997 – Roseanna’s Grave
♦ 1999 – The Minus Man
♦ 2000 – What’s Cooking?
♦ 2002 – Spooky House
♦ 2004 – Zeyda and the Hitman
♦ 2010 – Goldstar, Ohio
♦ 2014 – Chu and Blossom
♦ 2016 – Good Business
♦ 2019 – Hustlers
TV Shows
♦ 1990 – The Cosby Show
♦ 1995 – Indictment: The McMartin Trial
♦ 1995–96 – Frasier
♦ 1998 – Gia
♦ 2000 – All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story
♦ 2001 – Mr. Life
♦ 2002 – Guilt by Association
♦ 2004 – Everyday Life
♦ 1-800-Missing
♦ 2004 and 2009 – Law & Order
♦ 2005 – Mom at Sixteen
♦ 2006 – So Here’s What Happened
♦ 2006–08 – Entourage
♦ 2007 – Psych
♦ 2009 – Loving Leah
♦ 2012 – El Jefe
♦ 2013 – Doubt
♦ 2015 – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
♦ 2016 – Life in Pieces
♦ 2016 – The Mysteries of Laura
♦ 2016 – 2 Broke Girls
♦ 2017 – NCIS
♦ 2017–18 – Power
♦ 2018–20 – Bull
♦ 2022 – New Amsterdam