Helen has always courted controversy, none more so than for her sexually-charged role in the afore-mentioned film In Praise of Older Women and for her later performance in "Desert Hearts" (1985) which featured a torrid lesbian love scene that is still considered one of the most erotic in movie history. Helen eventually stepped behind the camera, directing television segments of "The Outer Limits," "Judging Amy" and "Joan of Arcadia" among many others.

Raised in a small city in Ontario, about 120 miles southwest of Toronto, Ontario with her five sisters, Helen suffered from rheumatic fever as a child and was forced to spend six months of each year in bed. She says this triggered her imagination and desire to become an actress. In 1992 Helen received a Theatre World Award for her Broadway stage role in "Jake's Women." Her third husband is key grip Steve Smith and they have one son.