Lana Clarkson

About Lana Clarkson

Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model, best known for her roles in Barbarian Queen (1985) and Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back (1989).

Clarkson was born in Long Beach, California and was raised in the hills of Sonoma County, California. At a young age, she became enamored with horseback riding. She was given a roan mare named Breeze for her 10th birthday. She quickly became proficient at both English and Western riding styles. While living in Northern California, she attended Cloverdale High School and Pacific Union College Preparatory School. During the Christmas season of 1978 and after her father's death, Clarkson's family returned to Southern California and settled in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. After Clarkson's family moved back to Los Angeles County, she pursued a career in the entertainment industry as a performer and fashion model. Her modeling career took off, and she found herself working on high fashion photo shoots, traveling around the United States and Europe. Other projects found her in Japan, Italy, Switzerland, France, Argentina and Mexico. Through her travels, she learned to speak both Spanish and Italian quite well.

In the early 1980s, Clarkson landed bit parts in film and television. She made her screen debut as a minor character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), director Amy Heckerling's coming-of-age comedy. She played the wife of science teacher Mr. Vargas. Clarkson earned her SAG card for the role and soon more roles followed. She appeared in Scarface (1983) behind Michelle Pfeiffer dancing on the floor of the Babylon Club. Her introductory lead role was in the movie Blind Date (1984), filmed in Greece, starring Kirstie Alley.

As an actress, Clarkson became best known for her five feature films for producer Roger Corman,beginning with his fantasy film Deathstalker (1983), as a female warrior and love interest to the title character played by Richard Hill. Corman oriented his films towards young male viewers, using a mix of action and female nudity. Clarkson's work in Deathstalker led to her being offered the title role in Corman's next film, Barbarian Queen in 1985 a role Corman referred to as "the original Xena" because of the parallel in featuring a strong female leading character in an action-oriented sword-swinging role.

In 1987, Clarkson appeared in the John Landis spoof Amazon Women on the Moon. Following that, Clarkson starred in Roger Corman's Barbarian Queen sequel, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back.

Clarkson starred as a supporting character in the period horror film, The Haunting of Morella (1990), as the evil attendant to a young woman played by model/actress Nicole Eggert. In the film, Clarkson played a dominating lesbian character who tries to resurrect the spirit of a witch burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials. In her final film for Corman, Vice Girls (1996), Clarkson played one of three cops who posed as strippers to catch a serial killer.

Clarkson's work in the B movie sci-fi genre inspired a cult following, making her a favorite at comic book conventions, where she made some promotional appearances signing autographs for her fans. She appeared in numerous other B movies as well as a range of television spots. She also appeared in commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Kmart, Nike, Anheuser-Busch, and Mattel. While working for the KMART Corp., Lana made personal appearances as the character she created for the Route 66 clothing campaign, Katie Earline Wilson.

Her television appearances include parts on Night Court, Silk Stalkings, Riptide, Three's Company, Knight Rider, and Wings, and a guest appearance as a villain on the television adaptation of Roger Corman's film Black Scorpion.

Clarkson's career began to stall as she approached her thirties. No longer able to earn a living as an actress, Clarkson sought alternative sources of income, including operating her own website on which she sold autographed DVDs of her films and communicated directly with her fans on her own message board. Although she made a living by playing busty, lusty women, Clarkson's fondest desire was to be cast as a comic actress or perform as a comedian. In 2001, while living in Venice, California for the last several years, Clarkson developed, wrote, produced, and directed a showcase reel titled Lana Unleashed. She took a part-time side job in early January 2003 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California to make ends meet. Her last film was March (2001), as Dr. Ellen Taylor.

Clarkson never married or had children. She volunteered weekly during the 1980s at the AIDS charity "Project Angel Food," which delivers food to those in LA disabled by HIV or AIDS. Her work was during a time that the public feared the disease.

In the early hours of February 3, 2003, Clarkson allegedly met famous record producer Phil Spector while she was working at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. They left the House of Blues in Spector's limousine and drove to his mansion. Spector and Clarkson went inside while his driver waited outside in the car. About an hour later, the driver heard a gunshot before Spector exited his house through the back door with a gun. Clarkson was found dead inside Spector's home. Spector appeared in court charged with the murder of Clarkson in 2007. On April 13, 2009, Spector was found guilty of murdering Clarkson on a second-degree murder charge. He was later sentenced to 19 years to life in California state prison. In February 2012, Donna Clarkson, the mother of the actress, settled a civil lawsuit with Spector and his insurance company over the wrongful death of Lana Clarkson. Terms of the settlement were not released to the public.

Clarkson is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.