Rachel Ticotin's 10 Best Movies & TV Shows Ranked (2024)

Rachel Ticotin is an American actress who has been performing since 1978 and has had major roles in classic science fiction films and modern police procedurals. Born on November 1, 1958, in the Bronx, New York, Ticotin, who is half Puerto Rican on her mother's side, began her acting career as a dancer in the film King of the Gypsies. Only a few years later, Ticotin ended up with a starring role in the police drama Fort Apache, The Bronx, a movie that would inform many of her future police and law enforcement performances.

Since then, there have only been a handful of years when Rachel Ticotin has not performed in either a TV show or a movie. Though she is not always in the main cast, even her smaller roles tend to have at least one important moment as memorable as anything else in the movie or episode. She has the capacity to completely own a sequence and leave a mark with only a few lines. One of the best Puerto Rican actors working, Ticotin has appeared in franchise TV shows, cult movies, and everything from groundbreaking series to beloved adaptations.

10 Ohara (1987-1988)

Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Storm (14 Episodes, 1987-1988)

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Ohara (1987)

Crime

Drama

Cast

Pat Morita , Kevin Conroy , Rachel Ticotin , meagen fay , Jon Polito , Madge Sinclair , Catherine Keener , Brandon Lee , Robert Clohessy , Sid Haig , Tony Valentino , Richie Allan , Elizabeth Holmes

Character(s)

Lt. Ohara

Release Date

January 17, 1987

Main Genre

Crime

Creator(s)

Pat Morita

Ohara is a late '80s police procedural TV show that stars an unconventional LA-based Japanese-American police officer, Lt. Ohara (Pat Morita). Instead, of fighting crime with guns and violence, Ohara focuses on meditation and the occasional exhibition of martial arts to solve his crimes. In season 2, he was paired with a more conventional partner, Lt. George Shaver (Robert Clohessy).

Also appearing in season 2 is U.S. Attorney Teresa Storm, played by Rachel Ticotin. Teresa Storm, while occasionally at odds with Ohara and his methods, also proves to be a valuable ally more than once to him and Shaver. Ticotin provides a dignity and stature to the role. Ohara is notable for being one of the first TV shows to star a Japanese-American lead in Morita. The series lasted only two seasons and over that time saw several story changes, including making Ohara and Shaver private investigators.

9 Lost (2004-2010)

Captain Teresa Cortez (2 Episodes, 2005-2006)

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10

9.5/10

Lost

TV-14

Adventure

Drama

Mystery

Sci-Fi

Supernatural

Lost is a mystery drama series created for TV that follows a group of survivors of a plane crash and tells its story between the past, present, and future via flashbacks. When Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 crashes and lands on a mysterious island in the pacific ocean, the castaways discover their new temporary home may have a mind of its own, as strange supernatural events keep them locked to the island. From an unknown black smoke creature to dangerous islanders, the passengers must work together to survive the island's seemingly deadly intentions.

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See Also

Rachel Ticotin: A Journey Through Her Life And CareerRachel Ticotin | Rotten TomatoesWho is Rachel Ticotin? Everything You Need to Know

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Cast

Evangeline Lilly , Naveen Andrews , Henry Ian Cusick , Daniel Dae Kim , Harold Perrineau , Dominic Monaghan , Emilie de Ravin , Jorge Garcia , Josh Holloway , Michael Emerson , Terry O'Quinn , Matthew Fox , Ken Leung , Elizabeth Mitchell , Yunjin Kim

Release Date

September 22, 2004

Seasons

6

Creator(s)

J.J. Abrams , Damon Lindelof , Jeffrey Lieber

The six-season series Lost was one of the most-watched TV shows ever and is often ranked among the greatest TV series ever made. Taking place on a mysterious island after a plane crash strands a group of travelers, Lost offers a perplexing puzzle box mystery with flashbacks and flashforwards providing new clues about the story and insights into the characters. One of these characters, Ana Lucia Cortez (Michelle Rodriguez), has flashbacks that reveal she was a Los Angeles police officer.

Her superior in the precinct is Teresa Cortez (Rachel Ticotin), who also happens to be her mother. After Ana is shot in the line of duty and loses her baby, Teresa struggles with the decision to let her daughter back on the force but eventually relents to her wishes. Ticotin is perfect as a character who needs to be both a taciturn police officer and a loving mother who's looking out for her daughter. Her call to Ana when her daughter wants to come home is as moving as it is tragic considering what comes next when Ana boards Oceanic Flight 815.

8 Falling Down (1993)

Detective Sandra Torres

Falling Down

R

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Falling Down, directed by Joel Schumacher, follows an ordinary man played by Michael Douglas, who becomes increasingly frustrated with societal flaws. As his day unfolds, his escalating anger leads him down a path of psychotic and violent outbursts, challenging the boundaries of order and chaos in Los Angeles.

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Director

Joel Schumacher

Release Date

February 26, 1993

Cast

Michael Douglas , Robert Duvall , Barbara Hershey , Tuesday Weld , Rachel Ticotin , Frederic Forrest

Runtime

113 minutes

Falling Down is a 1993 psychological thriller by Joel Schumacher, starring Michael Douglas as William Foster, a divorced and unemployed defense engineer who treks across LA to reach his daughter's birthday party in time. On his way, he encounters increasingly provocative and dangerous events that force him to contend with his own thoughts on life, poverty, and commercialism. Rachel Ticotin plays Detective Sandra Torres, an officer who ends up tracking down Foster and gets a mortal gunshot wound in return.

Falling Down has undergone several critical reevaluations over the years, with audiences and reviewers noting how well Foster's descent from sadness into madness is portrayed on screen. Ticotin is in her comfort zone as a police officer, and she plays the character with an intelligence to match Foster's wiliness. While she's no hero, Ticotin is charming enough that it's a shock when she dies.

7 American Family (2002-2004)

Vangie Gonzalez Taylor (6 Episodes, 2002)

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American Family (2002)

Drama

Cast

Kate del Castillo , Patricia Velasquez , Edward James Olmos , Kurt Caceres , Constance Marie , A.J. Lamas , Sonia Braga , Lymari Nadal , Lulu Antariksa , Austin Marques , Jackie Guerra , James Bartz , Lou Beatty Jr. , Erick Carrillo , Valerie Cruz , Frank Gallegos , Seidy Lopez , Daniel Edward Mora , Esai Morales , Mark C. Phelan , Carmela Rioseco , Raúl Rodríguez

Character(s)

Ofelia , Adela , Jess Gonzalez , Conrado Gonzalez , Nina Gonzalez , Cisco Gonzalez , Berta Gonzalez , Linda , Nina , Pablito Gonzalez , Gordie , I.N.S. Agent , Emilio , Officer #1 , Francisco , Laura , Man on Truck , Esteban Gonzalez , Officer #2 , Elderly Woman , Spanish Speaking Man

Release Date

January 23, 2002

Main Genre

Drama

Creator(s)

Gregory Nava

In American Family, the first broadcast TV series featuring a predominantly Latino cast, Edward James Olmos plays Jess Gonzalez, a cranky war veteran and barber who has to look out for his five adult children. He and his wife Berta (Sônia Braga) are constantly on the lookout for a better life for their family and much of American Family deals with the struggles with upward mobility many Latinos have in American society.

Rachel Ticotin co-stars as Vangie Gonzalez Taylor, one of Jess' daughters who works as a clothing designer. Vangie is an intelligent and headstrong young woman who puts her creativity and business mind to good use as a clothing designer. American Family was the first original primetime American episodic drama to appear on PBS in decades. The show made waves by centering the Iraq War at a time when most were completely avoiding the topic.

6 Skin (2003-2005)

Laura Roam (6 Episodes, 2003-2005)

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Skin (2003)

Drama

Cast

Olivia Wilde , Ron Silver , Rachel Ticotin , Pamela Gidley , Kevin Anderson , D.J. Cotrona , D.W. Moffett , Laura Leighton , Brooke Nevin , Asia Carrera , Jessica Drake , Cameron Richardson

Character(s)

Jewel Goldman

Release Date

October 20, 2003

Main Genre

Drama

Creator(s)

Jim Leonard

All eight episodes of Skin were filmed in 2003, but only three ever aired on Fox before the series was canceled. Then, in 2005, SOAPnet acquired the rights to the miniseries and aired the remaining five episodes of the show. It's a shame Skin has such a fractured release schedule because the modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet is a fascinating adaption of Shakespeare's play that actually manages to add some new ideas and nuances to the age-old story.

Rachel Ticotin co-stars as Laura Roam, Adam's (D.J. Cotrona) mother. As Adam is the stand-in for Romeo, Laura is essentially the matriarch of the Capulet family, Lady Capulet. Unlike the characters in the play, the parents are painted in much more complex and gray strokes. A powerful judge, Laura could easily be wholly the villain or a complete hero, but Ticotin's complex performance makes her feel like a real person with dark and light sides.

5 The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants Franchise (2005, 2008)

Carmen's Mom

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

PG

Comedy

Documentary

Drama

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a 2005 film about four teenage friends—Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen—who share a pair of jeans that fits each of them perfectly despite their different body types. As they embark on separate summer adventures, the pants become a symbol of their enduring friendship and support. Starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, and Alexis Bledel, the film explores themes of growing up and personal discovery.

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Director

Ken Kwapis

Release Date

June 1, 2005

Cast

Amber Tamblyn , Alexis Bledel , America Ferrera , Blake Lively , Jenna Boyd , Bradley Whitford

Runtime

113 minutes

Based on the novels by Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants from 2005 and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 from 2008 are coming-of-age comedy dramas that follow a group of four friends who stay connected across distances by passing around a magical pair of jeans. Rachel Ticotin plays Carmen's (America Ferrera) mother, one of the four main storylines of both films. In each film, Carmen leans on her mother for at least one pivotal moment.

Her mother is a powerful and loving figure and Ticotin gives her all the necessary warmth and wisdom that could be wanted in a part like this. The four young women in the movies are all still going through the growing pains of life, so a character like the one played by Ticotin is crucial to providing a mature counterbalance that the girls can look to for help and advice.

4 Con Air (1997)

Guard Sally Bishop

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10/10

Con Air

R

Action

Crime

Thriller

Con-Air is a 1990s action crime-thriller starring Nicholas Cage as former U.S. Ranger turned to convict Cameron Poe. Poe, in an act of self-defense and passion, is court-martialed for accidentally killing the man he protected his wife from. Having served his time and achieving Parole, Poe is on his way home with one problem - the transport plane he's on has been hijacked by several dangerous convicts, led by one of the worst in the United States.

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Director

Simon West

Release Date

June 5, 1997

Cast

John Cusack , Dave Chappelle , Ving Rhames , John Malkovich , Steve Buscemi , Nicolas Cage

Runtime

115 minutes

Budget

$75 million

Since coming out in 1997, Con Air has become a cult favorite of action movies and Nicolas Cage fans alike. The film centers on a prison break that occurs onboard a prisoner transport aircraft while it's in the air. Cameron Poe (Cage) is a former Army Ranger who works with the authorities to regain control of the plane after the men onboard take over. Rachel Ticotin plays Sally Bishop, the only female corrections officer on the plane.

Johnny 23 (Danny Trejo) is a serial rapist who attacks Sally, but Poe comes to her defense and saves her. Together, they make their way through the plane trying to land it safely. Ticotin has to play terrified and in control in quick succession when her character is nearly assaulted. She may be frightened, but Ticotin's steely look makes it clear that she has the confidence and know-how to survive the plane ride.

3 Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981)

Isabella

Only Rachel Ticotin's second professional acting role, Fort Apache, The Bronx is a crime drama starring Paul Newman as Murphy, a sad, lonely, veteran police officer in the Bronx. When Murphy meets Isabella (Ticotin), his life takes a turn for the better as they begin a romance. When a new aggressive police captain arrives on the scene, the tenuous peace of the neighborhood threatens to topple over and send Murphy back over the edge.

It's a hard-boiled police film, and it inspired the long-running police drama Hill Street Blues. Ticotin's early career turn as the love interest nurse is completely endearing. As a recovering drug user, Isabella's role is a difficult one that many actors would struggle to take on with enough empathy. Even after Isabella returns to using heroin, Ticotin plays her with a deep well of emotion that makes her decisions tragic, yet completely understandable.

2 Total Recall (1990)

Melina

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7/10

Total Recall

R

Sci-Fi

Thriller

Action

Based on Philip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", Total Recall tells the story of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a construction worker who receives an implanted memory of an adventure in humanity's colony on Mars. Quaid finds his memories playing out in real time, hunted by agents of a mysterious organization as he works to topple the tyrannical regime of a Martian dictator (Ronny Cox).

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Director

Paul Verhoeven

Release Date

June 1, 1990

Cast

Marshall Bell , Ronny Cox , Sharon Stone , Rachel Ticotin , Michael Ironside , Arnold Schwarzenegger

Runtime

113 minutes

Budget

$65 million

Rachel Ticotin co-stars alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the science fiction classic, Total Recall. In the film, Ticotin plays Melina, a Martian freedom fighter who Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) meets (or thinks he meets) when he regains memories of a fantastical adventure he was a part of on the Red Planet. Total Recall is often ranked among the best science-fiction movies ever and was even remade in 2012.

Melina is a powerful and enigmatic woman who immediately recognizes Quaid as Hauser and believes he is still working for Cohaagen (Ronny Cox). At first enemies, Melina quickly becomes an ally of Quaid's, and they end the film in a romantic relationship. Ticotin should be considered among the best science fiction action heroines. Her martial arts prowess is as believable as her chemistry with Schwarzenegger, and it's this early role that set her up for so much success later.

1 Law & Order: LA (2010-2011)

Lieutenant Arleen Gonzalez (21 Episodes, 2010-2011)

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Law & Order: Los Angeles

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Law & Order: LA is the fifth series in Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise and takes place primarily in Los Angeles, California. The show was canceled after only one season, but it had an all-star cast including Alfred Molina, Corey Stoll, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall, and Skeet Ulrich. Ticotin had a starring role as Lieutenant Arleen Gonzalez, a commanding officer of the LAPD. Gonzalez is a cool and calm professional who prefers to keep her professional and private lives separate.

She comes out as a lesbian later in season one, in a pivotal moment of LGBTQ+ representation on the show. Ticotin is commanding in her role as the head of the department, but she isn't one note. There are plenty of moments of humanity that come from Gonzalez, and it's Rachel Ticotin's thoughtful performance that ensures the character's tears never seem phony, or her anger overwrought.