Colleen Camp

Colleen Camp

Active - 1973 - 2023  |   Born - Jun 7, 1953 in San Fernando, California, United States  |   Genres - Comedy, Drama, Mystery

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Biography by AllMovie

By any stretch of the imagination, Colleen Camp has enjoyed a diverse film career since her big-screen debut in one of the Planet of the Apes sequels in 1973. She has worked as an actress, dancer, singer, and producer; she was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Roeg, Jack Hill, and Hal Needham; and she was often cast as either a sex symbol or stuffy prude. Born in San Francisco on June 7, 1953, Camp precociously began her acting career in regional theater at the age of three, although her first big break didn't come until more than a decade later, when she was cast as one of the dancing Gold Diggers on The Dean Martin Show. In 1973, the actress landed her first film role with a bit part as a human slave in Battle for the Planet of the Apes; larger roles in The Swinging Cheerleaders and The Last Porno Flick followed, but, in 1975 Camp had the chance to show off her considerable comic talent in Michael Ritchie's satiric comedy Smile. Despite her strong performance, however, her career still failed to catch fire; while she found steady work, she tended to land larger roles in undistinguished films such as The Gumball Rally or Ebony, Ivory and Jade, and smaller parts in more ambitious pictures, such as Apocalypse Now and They All Laughed. (Camp also sang "One Day Since Yesterday" in the latter, a song which briefly grazed the Billboard singles charts.) In time, Camp began to develop something of a cult following, and, while she was still a long way from film stardom, she worked often and landed supporting roles in such hits as Wayne's World, Sliver, Die Hard With a Vengeance, and Election. Married to Paramount executive John Goldwyn, she began working more behind the camera in the '80s, serving as a producer of The City Girl in 1984, and was a part of the production team of a number of other films, including Teenage Caveman, Earth vs. The Spider, and The Day The World Ended.

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Factsheet

  • Began her acting career in regional theater at age 3.
  • Worked as a bird trainer at California's Busch Gardens Bird Sanctuary.
  • Made her TV debut in 1965 as one of the dancing Golddiggers on The Dean Martin Show.
  • Originated the role of Sue Ellen's sister Kristin on TV's Dallas but was replaced by Mary Crosby. The character would go on to be the one who shot J.R. Ewing.
  • Played Playboy Playmate Miss May in 1979's Apocalypse Now and had a pictorial spread in the October 1979 issue of Playboy.
  • In 1981's They All Laughed, sang the song "One Day Since Yesterday," which landed on the Billboard chart.
  • Twice nominated for the Golden Raspberry Awards in the Worst Supporting Actress category, for 1982's The Seduction and 1993's Sliver.
  • Costarred with Bette Davis in Davis' final screen appearance, Wicked Stepmother (1989).