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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Theresa Saldana has died. She gained fame for her role in the movie "Raging Bull" -- and went on to survive a stabbing attack by a stalker in front of her West Hollywood apartment.
Saldana later would become a crime victim's advocate as she continued her acting career -- playing herself in a TV movie about her ordeal, and later co-starring in the TV drama "The Commish."
A longtime friend says Saldana died Monday at a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 61. She had been suffering from pneumonia.
Her most notable big-screen role was opposite Joe Pesci in "Raging Bull," Martin Scorsese's 1980 film starring Robert De Niro.
Her 1982 stabbing by an obsessed man was stopped by a water deliveryman who held the assailant for police. Scottish drifter Arthur Jackson served more than a decade in prison for the crime before he was sent to Great Britain to face charges in a case there.
Saldana, who endured a prolonged hospitalization, was both physically and mentally scarred and received treatment for both problems. She went on to found a support and lobbying group, Victims for Victims.
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APPHOTO NY108M: FILE - In this July 1992 file photo, actress Theresa Saldana, co-star of the ABC series "The Commish," poses for a portrait in Los Angeles. Saldana, the "Raging Bull" actress who survived a stalker's brutal attack to become a crime victim's advocate and reclaimed her entertainment career with "The Commish" and other TV shows, has died Monday, June 6, 2016. She was 61. (AP Photo/Chris Martinez, File) (1 Jul 1992)
<<APPHOTO NY108M (07/01/92)££
APPHOTO NY109: FILE - In this April 19, 1982, file photo, actress Theresa Saldana appears after a news conference on National Victims Rights week in California. Saldana, the "Raging Bull" actress who survived a stalker's brutal attack to become a crime victim's advocate and reclaimed her entertainment career with "The Commish" and other TV shows, has died Monday, June 6, 2016. She was 61. (AP Photo/Wally Fong, File) (19 Apr 1982)
<<APPHOTO NY109 (04/19/82)££
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