RIP: Zelda Rubinstein

Zelda Rubinstein, best known as the diminutive psychic cleanser in Poltergeist, died at age 76 this past Wednesday, January 27, 2010. Rubinstein had ongoing health issues related to her condition and had been hospitalized for two months prior to her passing, following a mild heart attack. Rubinstein debuted in 1981's Under the Rainbow and appeared in numerous TV and movie roles throughout her career, including Sixteen Candles, Picket Fences, and 2007's Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

Zelda Rubinstein told interviewers she endured a rough childhood and was the only little person in her family which included two older siblings, but it shored her determination. She attended college on scholarship and received a degree in Bacteriology. She worked for years as a lab technician before feeling she "had to do something creative."

Rubinstein was also a great humanitarian. She not only formed the nonprofit Michael Dunn Memorial Repertory Theater Company of little people, she was the "Mother" character in a popular HIV/AIDS awareness ad campaign launched by L.A. CARES (Los Angeles Cooperative AIDS Risk-Reduction Education Service), now known as L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Not only was she one of the first celebrities to get involved in AIDS awareness, that campaign was the first of its kind in L.A,. and one of the first in the nation, and Rubinstein's appearance is credited for its popularity and effectiveness.

Zelda Rubinstein left behind no known relatives.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010