The Legend of Zelda

The fearless contributions of one tough "mother."

Back in 1984, when the mere mention of aids induced panic, Poltergeist actress Zelda Rubinstein did something truly brave by lending her face to one of the first state-funded safe-sex campaigns directed at gay men. Posters depicting Rubinstein as a caring mom urging her "sons" to play safe were plastered all over Los Angeles's buses and buildings before going national and then international-they were spotted on phone booths as far away as Madrid. "I paid a very big price careerwise," Rubinstein says of the attention, which predated Elizabeth Taylor's and Madonna's AIDS involvement by at least a year. A quarter century after their debut, Rubinstein's posters have found a second life -- no séances required. Physician Irene Adams, an AIDS specialist in Brazil, is bringing Mother's lessons to her nation as part of a new youth outreach initiative. The 76-year-old Rubinstein is ready to help once again: "I would do a fund-raiser for this cause anywhere in the world."