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A teen actress who starred on a 1980s sitcom only to vanish from Hollywood a couple of years later was spotted in Los Angeles this week aged 54.
Born in California, she landed roles on some of the top TV shows of the era, ranging from Family Ties and The Facts of Life to Quantum Leap.
One of her early acting jobs afforded her the opportunity to work with Juliette Lewis, who was then on the verge of making her movie debut.
Her most prominent role came on a comedic series led by Dynasty star Stephanie Beacham and featuring the young pre-fame Jason Priestley.
She also played the title character's sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, in a scene that was ultimately cut from the film but made it into the trailer.
Can you guess who she is?
An actress who starred on a 1980s sitcom only to vanish from Hollywood a couple of years later was spotted in Los Angeles this week aged 54
Born in California, she landed roles on some of the top TV shows of the era, ranging from Family Ties and The Facts of Life to Quantum Leap
She gave her final onscreen performance on a 1992 episode of the CBS crime drama Silk Stalkings and then retreating from the spotlight altogether
She is Hannah Cutrona, who played one of the troublesome orphans wreaking havoc for the nun assigned to look after them on the sitcom Sister Kate.
The series was led by Beacham, who had just concluded her run on Dynasty as Sable Colby, a scenery-chewing rival to Joan Collins's Alexis Carrington Colby.
'I was surprised to be allowed to play Sister Kate,' Beacham confessed at the time to UPI. 'Surprised but delighted that NBC could see that I was a varied enough actress not to just lumber me with fading glamour roles.'
Sister Kate is a toughminded nun given the formidable task of running a Chicago orphanage with seven rambunctious children determined to stymie her efforts at keeping them in check.
Cutrona featured as the chain-smoking teenage girl Frederika 'Freddy' Marosco, with another of the orphans played by Priestley, the year before he landed his international star-making role on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Sister Kate was well-received enough to earn Beacham a Golden Globe nomination, but was nevertheless canceled after a single season on NBC.
A rave review of the tartly written, 'urbane' show observed that it ran jarringly in the time slot right after The Magical World of Disney, via the Los Angeles Times.
Priestley remarked: 'The show was on Sunday nights and it was up against 60 Minutes, and Sunday nights belonged to 60 Minutes back then.'
The Canadian-born matinee idol acknowledged: 'It was a very difficult time slot that we were in, but for me, it was my first American series,' via the New York Times.
She is none other than Nancy Catruna, pictured (bottom row center) on the 1989 sitcom Sister Kate with Stephanie Beacham (middle row center) and Jason Priestley (bottom right left)
Shortly before Sister Kate, one of Cutrona's roles had been as a friend of the Juliette Lewis character (right) on the sitcom I Married Dora
Sister Kate turned out to be a further boon to Priestley in that it earned him public attention and then got canceled right as Beverly Hills, 90210 was casting its leading man, freeing up his schedule at the opportune moment.
Shortly before Sister Kate, one of Cutrona's roles had been as a friend of the Juliette Lewis character on the sitcom I Married Dora.
Lewis played the daughter of Daniel Hugh Kelly's main character, who marries his housekeeper, played by Elizabeth Pena, to prevent her deportation.
Three years after I Married Dora was canceled, Lewis appeared in Martin Scorsese's remake of Cape Fear opposite Robert De Niro and earned an Oscar nod.
Cutrona was less lucky, being cast as the lead character's sister in the classic 1986 picture Ferris Bueller's Day Off only to wind up on the cutting room floor.
Directed by John Hughes, who was famed for 1980s high school comedies like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller's Day Off was an instant smash.
She also played the title character's sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, in a scene that was ultimately cut from the film but made it into the trailer
Its rollicking plotline follows the title teenager (Matthew Broderick) playing truant from high school for a day with his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best pal (Alan Ruck).
Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame played Ferris' sister Jeanie, who made it into the film – but another sister called Kimberly played by Cutrona was deleted.
However, Kimberly can be briefly glimpsed in the trailer guessing 'syphilitic meningitis' as the illness Ferris is faking to get out of school.
Cutrona then guested on such shows as the Jim Henson sitcom Dinosaurs before giving her final onscreen performance on a 1992 episode of the CBS crime drama Silk Stalkings and then retreating from the spotlight altogether.
English (US) ·