Esterman made her
Broadway debut in the 1969 revival of
The Time of Your Life. Her other Broadway credits include
The Waltz of the Toreadors, ''
God's Favorite, Teibele and Her Demon, The Suicide, Metamorphosis and The Show-Off''. In 1972, Esterman played the Madonna Vampyra in the
ZBS Foundation radio play
The Fourth Tower of Inverness, the first in the long-running
Jack Flanders series. Esterman returned to ZBS in 1982 to star as the title character in the first
Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe serial, and has reprised the role many times in the decades to come, most recently
Ruby 15: Creatures of the Light in 2025. Many of her Ruby appearances are credited to a stage name, "Blanche Blackwell". Esterman also returned as the Madonna Vampyra in the 2000 sequel,
Return to Inverness. Esterman has also worked in television and film. Her television credits include
Remington Steele,
St. Elsewhere,
The Facts of Life,
L.A. Law,
Family Ties,
Law & Order,
Third Watch and
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit among others. Her movie credits include
Alone in the Dark,
Ironweed,
Awakenings,
The Doors,
Addams Family Values,
The Confession and
Arranged among others. == Filmography ==