I argued for her [inclusion]. Those scenes with her were some of my favorites in the original – they had some real emotion – and I honestly don't know why she isn't there. I haven't seen the sequel, but (when the film focuses) just on Miyagi, well, he's a great character, but after a while he can become sort of a walking fortune cookie with all of his sayings.
Heller was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in West Hempstead, on Long Island. Her mother was raised in Brooklyn and her grandparents were from Russia. She began her career in musicals on Broadway in such shows as Grease, where she played Rizzo, and Godspell. She moved from New York to California in 1978. Her groundbreaking role as Alice on the TV series Soap received mixed reviews. The criticism at the time was not for her acting but for the stereotyping of her character. The role played into a television tradition of making lesbian characters psychologically troubled. The Boston Herald said that the characterization shows how "the networks have generally depicted lesbians either as suicidal losers or sexual predators." For Example, it identifies Alice as "TV's first recurring lesbian character," noting that she "first tries to throw herself off a bridge, then falls for Jodie (Billy Crystal), a confused gay man, and finally runs off.".
In addition to the Karate Kid series, other films in which she appeared include Fast Break (1979), And Your Name Is Jonah (1979), Bulworth (1998), Monster-in-Law (2005), and Crazylove (2005).
Heller has made guest appearances in the television series Murder, She Wrote, Less Than Perfect, Mad Men, Nip/Tuck, Judging Amy, Felicity, the children's series Drake & Josh, Night Court, Fame, and The White Shadow, among many others. She had leading roles in three short-lived sitcoms, Second Chance (1987), "Better Days (TV series)," and Mama Malone (1984). Her TV-movie appearances include And Your Name is Jonah (1979). In 2000, Heller performed with Barbra Streisand in her concert Timeless, which was broadcast over American television.
She also played the role of Barbra Streisand's mother in the stage performances of Streisand's Timeless concerts in 2000. Heller also had a guest appearance on an episode of ALF, where she plays a kleptomaniac mother of one of Brian's friends. Heller was also the voice that says "Hey Rock, you're a bum" in the first Rocky movie.
Heller had a recurring role in the fourth season (2010) of AMC's Mad Men as Don Draper's secretary, Miss Blankenship. The character generated a large fan following, including a popular Facebook page. For this role she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Also, Heller was a regular on the one-season program Husbands, Wives & Lovers (1978).
