Rachel Tikotin is an American actress who has been performing since 1978 and has had leading roles in classic science fiction films and modern police procedurals. Born on November 1, 1958 in the Bronx, New York, Tikatin, who is half Puerto Rican on her mother’s side, began her acting career as a dancer in film. King of the Gypsies. Just a few years later, Tikotin ended up with a starring role in the police drama Fort Apache, The BronxA movie that would inform many of her future police and law enforcement performances.
since then, There were only a handful of years when Rachel Tikotin did not perform In a TV show or a movie. Although she is not always in the main cast, even her smaller roles tend to have at least one important moment as memorable as anything else in the movie or episode. She has the capacity to completely own a sequence and leave a mark with just a few lines. One of the best Puerto Rican actors working, Ticotin has appeared in franchise TV shows, cult movies and everything from groundbreaking series to beloved adaptations.
10
Ohara (1987-1988)
Assistant U.S. it. Attorney Teresa Storm (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
Ohara is a late ’80s police procedural TV show starring an unconventional LA-based Japanese-American police officer, Lt. Ohara (Pat Morita). Instead of fighting crime with guns and violence, Ohara focuses on meditation and the occasional display of martial arts to solve his crimes. In season 2, he was paired with a more conventional partner, Lt. George Shaver (Robert Clohessy).
Also in season 2, the US it. Attorney Teresa Storm, played by Rachel Ticotin. Teresa Storm, while occasionally at odds with Ohara and his methods, also proves to be a valuable ally more than once to him and Shaver. Tikotin gives dignity and stature to the role. Ohara is notable for being One of the first TV shows to star a Japanese-American Lead in Morita. The series only lasted two seasons and saw several story changes during that time, including making Ohara and Shaver private investigators.
9
Lost (2004-2010)
Captain Teresa Cortez (2 episodes, 2005-2006)
The six-season series Lost was one of the most watched television shows ever and is often ranked among the greatest television series ever made. Taking place on a mysterious island after a plane crash strands a group of travelers, Lost Offers a puzzle box mystery with flashbacks and flash forwards that provide new clues about the story and insights into the characters. One of the characters, Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez), has flashbacks revealing that she was a Los Angeles police officer.
Tikotin is perfect as a character who has to be both a quiet police officer and a loving mother looking for her daughter.
Her superior at the precinct is Teresa Cortez (Rachel Ticotin), who also happens to be her mother. After Ana is shot in the line of duty and loses her baby, Teresa struggles with the decision to let her daughter back on the force, but eventually relents to her wishes. Tikotin is perfect as a character who has to be both a quiet police officer and a loving mother looking for her daughter. Her call to Ana when her daughter wants to come home is as moving as it is tragic considering what happens next when Ana boards Oceanic Flight 815.
8
Falling Down (1993)
Detective Sandra Torres
Falling Down, directed by Joel Schumacher, follows an ordinary man played by Michael Douglas, who becomes increasingly frustrated with social flaws. As his day unfolds, his escalating anger leads him down a path of psychotic and violent outbursts, challenging the boundaries of order and chaos in Los Angeles.
- Director
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Joel Schumacher
- Release date
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February 26, 1993
- runtime
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113 minutes
Falling down is a 1993 psychological thriller by Joel Schumacher, starring Michael Douglas as William Foster, a divorced and unemployed defense engineer who treks across LA to make it to his daughter’s birthday party on time. On the way, he encounters more and more provocative and dangerous events that force him to fight with his own thoughts about life, poverty, and commercialism. Rachel Ticotin plays Detective Sandra Torres, an officer who ends up tracking Foster and receives a fatal gunshot wound in return.
Falling down has undergone several critical revaluations over the yearsWith audiences and reviewers noting how well Foster’s descent from sadness into madness was portrayed on screen. Tikotin is in her comfort zone as a police officer, and she plays the character with an intelligence to match Foster’s villainy. Although she’s no hero, Tikotin is charming enough that it’s a shock when she dies.
7
American Family (2002-2004)
Vangie Gonzalez Taylor (6 episodes, 2002)
in American familyThe first broadcast television series with a predominantly Latino cast, Edward James Olmos plays Jess Gonzalez, a moody war veteran and barber who has to look out for his five grown children. He and his wife Berta (Sônia Braga) are constantly on the lookout for a better life for their family and much of American family deals with the upward mobility struggles many Latinos have in American society.
Rachel Ticotin co-stars as Vangie Gonzalez Taylor, one of Jess’ daughters who works as a clothing designer. Vangie is an intelligent and headstrong young woman who puts her creativity and business acumen to good use as a clothing designer. American family was the first original primetime American episodic drama to appear on PBS in decades. The show made waves by centering on the Iraq War At a time when most have completely avoided the subject.
6
skin (2003-2005)
Laura Roam (6 episodes, 2003-2005)
All eight episodes of Skin They were filmed in 2003, but only three aired on Fox before the series was canceled. Then, in 2005, SOAPnet acquired the rights to the mini-series and aired the remaining five episodes of the show. It’s a shame Skin has such a fractured release schedule because the modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet is a fascinating adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, which actually manages to add some new ideas and nuances to the age-old story.
A strong judge, Laura could easily be a total villain or a total hero, but Tikotin’s complex performance makes her feel like a real person with dark and light sides.
Rachel Ticotin co-stars as Laura Roam, Adam’s (DJ Cotrona) mother. As Adam is the stand-in for Romeo, Laura is essentially the matriarch of the Capulet family, Lady Capulet. Unlike the characters in the play, the parents are painted in much more complex and gray strokes. A strong judge, Laura could easily be a total villain or a total hero, but Tikotin’s complex performance makes her feel like a real person with dark and light sides.
5
The Sisters of the Traveling Pants Franchise (2005, 2008)
Carmen’s mom
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a 2005 film about four teenage friends – Lena, Tibby, Bridget and Carmen – who share a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly despite their different body types. As they embark on separate summer adventures, the pants become a symbol of their enduring friendship and support. Starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel, the film explores themes of growing up and personal discovery.
- Director
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Ken Kwapis
- Release date
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June 1, 2005
- Figure
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Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Jenna Boyd, Bradley Whitford
- runtime
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113 minutes
Based on the novels by Anne Brashares, The sister of the traveling pants From 2005 onwards The Sisters of the Traveling Pants 2 From 2008, coming-of-age comedy dramas that follow a group of four friends who stay connected across distances by passing around a magical pair of jeans. Rachel Ticotin plays Carmen’s (America Ferrera) mother, one of the four main storylines of both films. In each film, Carmen leans on her mother for at least one pivotal moment.
Her mother is a strong and loving figure and Tikotin gives her all the necessary warmth and wisdom that could be desired in a part like this. The four young women in the movies are all still going through the growing pains of life, so a character like the one played by Tikotin is crucial to provide a mature counterbalance that the girls can look to for help and advice.
4
Con Air (1997)
Watch Sally Bishop
Con-Air is a 1990s action crime-thriller starring Nicolas Cage as ex-U.S. Poe, in an act of self-defense and passion, is court-martialed for accidentally killing the man he protected his wife from. Having served his time and reached parole, Poe is on his way home with one problem – the transport plane he’s on has been hijacked by some dangerous residents, led by one of the worst in the United States.
- Director
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Simon West
- Release date
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June 5, 1997
- runtime
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115 minutes
- Budget
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$75 million
Since its release in 1997, con air has become a cult favorite of action movies and Nicolas Cage fans alike. The film centers on a prison break that occurs on a prisoner transport aircraft while it is in the air. Cameron Poe (Cage) is a former Army Ranger who works with the authorities to regain control of the plane after the people onboard take over. Rachel Ticotin plays Sally Bishop, the only female corrections officer on the plane.
Johnny 23 (Danny Trejo) is a serial rapist who attacks Sally, but Poe comes to her defense and saves her. Together, they make their way through the plane trying to land it safely. Tikotin had to act terrified and in control in quick succession When her character is almost assaulted. She may be scared, but Tikotin’s steely look makes it clear that she has the confidence and know-how to survive the plane ride.
3
Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981)
Isabella
Only Rachel Ticotin’s second professional acting role, Fort Apache, The Bronx is a crime drama starring Paul Newman as Murphy, a sad, lonely veteran police officer in the Bronx. When Murphy meets Isabella (Tikotin), his life takes a turn for the better as they begin a romance. When an aggressive new police captain arrives on the scene, the neighborhood’s strict peace threatens to overturn and send Murphy back over the edge.
As a recovering drug user, Isabella’s role is a difficult role that many actors would struggle to take on with enough empathy.
It’s a hard-boiled police film, and it inspired the long-running police drama Hill Street Blues. Tikotin’s early career turn as the love interest nurse is utterly endearing. As a recovering drug user, Isabella’s role is a difficult role that many actors would struggle to take on with enough empathy. Even after Isabella returns to using heroin, Ticotin plays her with a deep sound of emotion that makes her decisions tragic, but completely understandable.
2
Total Recall (1990)
Melina
Based on Philip K. Dick’s short story “We can remember it for you wholesale”, Total Recall tells the story of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a construction worker who receives an implanted memory of an adventure in humanity’s colony on Mars. Quaid finds his memories in real time, captured by agents of a mysterious organization as he works to topple the tyrannical regime of a Martian dictator (Ronnie Cox).
- Director
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Paul Verhoeven
- Release date
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June 1, 1990
- Figure
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Marshall Bell, Ronnie Cox, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside, Arnold Schwarzenegger
- runtime
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113 minutes
- Budget
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$65 million
Rachel Ticotin co-stars alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the science fiction classic, Complete recall. In the film, Ticotin plays Melina, a Martian freedom fighter that Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) meets (or thinks he meets) when he regains memories of a fantastic adventure he was a part of on the Red Planet. Complete recall is often ranked among the best science fiction movies ever and was even remade in 2012.
Melina is a strong and enigmatic woman who immediately recognizes Quaid as Houser and believes that he is still working for Kohaagen (Ronnie Cox). At First Enemies, Melina quickly becomes an ally of Quaid, and they end the film in a romantic relationship. Tikotin should be considered among the best science fiction action heroines. Her martial arts prowess is as believable as her chemistry with Schwarzenegger, and It’s this early role that set her up for so much success later.
1
Law & Order: LA (2010-2011)
Lieutenant Arlin Gonzalez (21 episodes, 2010-2011)
Law & Order: LA is the fifth series in Dick Wolf’s Law & Order Franchise and takes place primarily in Los Angeles, California. The show was canceled after just one season, but it had an all-star cast including Alfred Molina, Corey Stoll, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall and Skeet Ulrich. Ticotin has a starring role as Lieutenant Arleen Gonzalez, a commanding officer of the LAPD. Gonzalez is a cool and calm professional who prefers to keep her professional and private life separate.
She comes out as a lesbian later in the first season, in a pivotal moment of LGBTQ+ representation on the show. Tikotin is commanding in her role as the head of the department, but she is not one note. There are many moments of humanity that come from Gonzalez, and this is it Rachel Tikotins thoughtful performance that ensures the character’s tears never seem false, or her anger overroasted.