Lana Clarkson — Biography
Lana Jean Clarkson began life in Long Beach, California, but her formative years were spent amidst the scenic hills of Sonoma County. From a young age, horses captured her imagination, and a roan mare named Breeze, a tenth birthday gift, marked the beginning of her equestrian pursuits. She developed skill in both English and Western riding styles. Her education took place in Northern California, where she attended Cloverdale High School and Pacific Union College Preparatory School. The holiday season of 1978 saw her family return to Southern California, establishing a new home in the San Fernando Valley.
It was in the vibrant landscape of Los Angeles County that Lana Clarkson embarked on a career in the entertainment world, modeling and performing. Her modeling career flourished, leading her to high-fashion shoots and extensive travel across the United States and Europe, with further international excursions to Japan, Italy, Switzerland, France, Argentina, and Mexico. These travels also provided her with fluency in Spanish and Italian. The early 1980s brought small roles in film and television, with her screen debut in Amy Heckerling's 1982 coming-of-age comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where she played the wife of a science teacher. This role earned her SAG membership and opened doors to further opportunities, including an appearance in Scarface (1983) amidst the revelry of the Babylon Club. Her first leading role came in the 1984 film Blind Date, filmed in Greece and co-starring Kirstie Alley.
Clarkson is perhaps best remembered for her five collaborations with producer Roger Corman, commencing with the 1983 fantasy film Deathstalker, where she portrayed a female warrior alongside the title character. Corman, known for films aimed at a young male audience, often incorporated action and female nudity. Clarkson's role in Deathstalker paved the way for her starring role as the titular Barbarian Queen in 1985, a performance Corman likened to an early version of Xena due to the strong female lead in an action-packed, sword-wielding narrative. In 1987, she featured in John Landis's comedy spoof Amazon Women on the Moon. This was followed by her role in the sequel, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back. In 1990, she took on a supporting role in the period horror film The Haunting of Morella, portraying a malevolent attendant to a young woman played by Nicole Eggert. Her character was a domineering lesbian attempting to revive the spirit of a witch. Her final project with Corman was Vice Girls (1996), where she played one of three undercover cops posing as strippers to apprehend a serial killer.
Clarkson's contributions to the B-movie science fiction genre cultivated a dedicated cult following, making her a popular figure at comic book conventions where she
It was in the vibrant landscape of Los Angeles County that Lana Clarkson embarked on a career in the entertainment world, modeling and performing. Her modeling career flourished, leading her to high-fashion shoots and extensive travel across the United States and Europe, with further international excursions to Japan, Italy, Switzerland, France, Argentina, and Mexico. These travels also provided her with fluency in Spanish and Italian. The early 1980s brought small roles in film and television, with her screen debut in Amy Heckerling's 1982 coming-of-age comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where she played the wife of a science teacher. This role earned her SAG membership and opened doors to further opportunities, including an appearance in Scarface (1983) amidst the revelry of the Babylon Club. Her first leading role came in the 1984 film Blind Date, filmed in Greece and co-starring Kirstie Alley.
Clarkson is perhaps best remembered for her five collaborations with producer Roger Corman, commencing with the 1983 fantasy film Deathstalker, where she portrayed a female warrior alongside the title character. Corman, known for films aimed at a young male audience, often incorporated action and female nudity. Clarkson's role in Deathstalker paved the way for her starring role as the titular Barbarian Queen in 1985, a performance Corman likened to an early version of Xena due to the strong female lead in an action-packed, sword-wielding narrative. In 1987, she featured in John Landis's comedy spoof Amazon Women on the Moon. This was followed by her role in the sequel, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back. In 1990, she took on a supporting role in the period horror film The Haunting of Morella, portraying a malevolent attendant to a young woman played by Nicole Eggert. Her character was a domineering lesbian attempting to revive the spirit of a witch. Her final project with Corman was Vice Girls (1996), where she played one of three undercover cops posing as strippers to apprehend a serial killer.
Clarkson's contributions to the B-movie science fiction genre cultivated a dedicated cult following, making her a popular figure at comic book conventions where she
