Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
7/16/1931
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Also Known As
Joann Ratner
Joanna Merlin
Biography
Joanna Merlin (born Joann Ratner; July 15, 1931) was an American actress and casting director who has worked with Stephen Sondheim and starred in the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof. She has written two acting guides and is a faculty member of New York University's graduate acting program. In recent years, she has become known for her recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Judge Lena Petrovsky.
Joann Ratner, who later took her mother's maiden name, was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Toni Merlin and Harry Ratner, a Jewish grocer. Her family also included her ...
Known For
The Wackness
as Grandma Shapiro
The Ten Commandments
as Jethro's Daughter
Fame
as Miss Berg
Love Child
as Mrs. Sturgis
Witness Protection
as Cindy's Mother
Hester Street
as Jake's Landlady
Mystic Pizza
as Mrs. Arujo
Class Action
as Estelle Ward
Mr. Wonderful
as Loretta
The Prosecutors
as Jewel
The Killing Fields
as Schanberg's Sister
Two Bits
as Guendolina
All That Jazz
as Nurse Pierce
Sarah's Key
as Mrs. Rainsferd
Baby It's You
as Mrs. Rosen
Nurse
as Nan Riley
Starstruck
as Inez Marin
Prince of Darkness
as Bag Lady
The Invasion
as Joan Kaufman
City of Angels
as Teresa Messinger