Name: Dawn Wildsmith
Date of Birth: Dawn Wildsmith was born in Carmel, California and raised by a beatnik father who owned the Gallery St. Denis art gallery. She herself began an interest in the arts from a very young age and, by the time she was 12-years-old, had sold her very first painting. In the 1980s, after doing some commercial and print work, she would meet and marry up-and-coming American B-movie director Fred Olen Ray. The two would form the companies Savage Films and A.I.R. during this time, and Dawn would end up appear... ing in many of the company's horror, action and science fiction releases from 1984 to 1990, beginning with the sci-fi comedy _Prison Ship (1987)_ (qv) (which was filmed in 1984 but not released until several years later). She was cast in both lead and supporting roles, and most often played either tough, take-charge heroines or ruthless, calculating villainess'. On occasion she'd even play a hapless victim, like in the goofy horror comedy _The Tomb (1986)_ (qv), where her character was crushed to death after being pushed onto a bed covered in boa constrictors. In the infamous cult classic _Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)_ (qv), Wildsmith's vivid performance as a sexually-insatiable nut-case won her a special "Guilty Pleasure" Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She also had memorable roles in _Evil Spawn (1987)_ (qv), playing scientist John Carradine's evil, sardonic assistant (who helps transform an aging, insecure actress into an insectoid monster), and _Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)_ (qv), as a cackling chainsaw hooker who tries to seduce her way out of doing prison time. In the latter, she also designed the makeup that adorns cult queen Linnea Quigley's body during her notorious "Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws." Possibly the best and most memorable performance in Dawn's all-too-brief career was playing a trash-talking tough cookie who tries to help David Carradine retrieve his abducted wife in the post apocalyptic action flick _Warlords (1988)_ (qv). Other credits include such popular 80s B flicks as _The Phantom Empire (1989)_ (qv), _Beverly Hills Vamp (1989)_ (qv) and _Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991)_ (qv). She also appeared briefly in Mardi Rustam's awful alien-vampire opus _Evils of the Night (1985)_ (qv) and had an uncredited bit as a club dancer in Larry Cohen's fun killer mutant baby sequel _It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987)_ (qv). Dawn received a "Drive In Academy Award" nomination from Joe Bob Briggs for her performance in Warlords, was voted "Most Working Actress" in Variety magazine that same year and received a Playboy Magazine pictorial proclaiming her "Queen of the B's" a year later. Sadly, at the height of her fame as a B-movie force to be reckoned with, Dawn abruptly left the business and hasn't appeared in another film since the early 90s. In fact, her last credited appearance in Steve Latshaw's _Jack-O (1995)_ (qv) is actually just recycled footage that was filmed in the late 80s. Said footage was shot to try to entice producers into backing another project called _Teenage Exorcist (1991)_ (qv). That project was eventually filmed in 1991, but the role was recast with Brinke Stevens in the lead. As of 2001, Dawn resided in Ashland, Oregon and was traveling around the country exhibiting her surrealist artwork.Read more Dawn Wildsmith movies (actor)User Comments |
