Roberta "Bobbi" Holtzman, actor, director, acting coach and artistic director, died Dec. 31 after an extended illness. She was 81.
Once hailed by former Los Angeles Times theatre critic Sylvie Drake as "one of our most indomitable directors and actresses," Holtzman worked as a private acting coach and served as a faculty member at California State University, Northridge, for many years. She founded and served as artistic director of the Northridge Theatre Guild, for which she directed more than 25 productions from 1968 through the mid-'80s.
Holtzman also worked as an actor with companies such as Los Angeles Repertory Theater, the Company of Angels, Actors Alley Repertory Theatre, and West Coast Ensemble Theatre Company. She starred on many Southern California stages, including the Fountain, Hudson, Zephyr, Powerhouse, and International City theatres. She won Drama-Logue awards for her performances in productions of Awake and Sing (1982) and Eleemosynary (1996).
Holtzman was born in Everett, Wash., and earned her degree in theatre arts at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. Her battle with vascular dementia was documented in a 2002 article in The Washington Post Magazine, titled "Something to Remember."
Details for Holtzman's memorial service are pending.
--Lauren Horwitch