Helen Rachel Slater (born December 15, 1963) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She played the title role in the 1984 film Supergirl, and returned to the TV series of the same name. In the following years, she starred in several comedy-drama films such as Ruthless People (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), and City Slickers (1991). She additionally found work as an actress in television, and stage projects, including three guest appearances on the series Smallville (2007–2010). She was a series regular for the two-season run (2011–2013) on the ABC Family series The Lying Game.
In the 2000s, Slater recorded five albums, singing her own compositions and playing the piano.
Slater was born in Bethpage, New York, to a Jewish family. Her parents are Alice Joan (née Citrin), a lawyer and nuclear disarmament peace activist based in New York City, and Gerald Slater, a television executive; they divorced in 1974. She has a brother, David, who is a lawyer in New York City. Slater attended Great Neck South High School and then transferred to the High School of Performing Arts from which she graduated in 1982. Despite common misconception, she is not related to actor Christian Slater, who played her brother in The Legend of Billie Jean.