Biography
Joanna Merlin was an American actress, casting director and acting teacher. Born Joann Ratner on 15 July 1931 in Chicago, Illinois, she later adopted her mother's maiden name. She made her screen debut as Jethro's daughter in Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956).
On Broadway she originated the role of Tzeitel in the original production of Fiddler on the Roof (1964) and appeared in Becket (1961). She subsequently worked as a casting director for several Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim productions, including Into the Woods. Merlin taught at New York University's graduate acting programme and was a proponent of the Michael Chekhov acting technique.
Her later screen credits include Fame (1980), The Killing Fields (1984), City of Angels (1998) as Teresa, and a recurring role as Judge Lena Petrovsky in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000–2011). She died on 15 October 2023 in Los Angeles.
