Jewel Shepard
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Jewel Shepard | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupations | Actress, writer, photographer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Known for | The Return of the Living Dead |
| Website | jewelshepard.biz (Archived) |
Jewel Shepard is an American actress, writer and photographer best known for her roles in movies such as The Cooler,[1] Hollywood Hot Tubs 2: Educating Crystal,[2] Party Camp, Scenes from the Goldmine and The Return of the Living Dead.[3]
Acting
Jewel Shepard arrived in California in the 1970s,[3] where she supported herself by working as a stripper in various Los Angeles strip clubs and modeling for car shoots. It was during her time stripping that she met genre filmmaker Dan O'Bannon. After a number of small television roles, Shepard broke into film with H. B. Halicki's The Junkman (1982).[4] Roles in over a dozen B movies followed; including 1985's The Return of the Living Dead, which was directed and written by O'Bannon, and then in the 1987 film Party Camp.[5]
Writing
In 1992 she capitalized on her "B-girl" status by penning Invasion of the B-Girls, a book of interviews with cult actresses such as Kitten Natividad, Linnea Quigley, Yvette Vickers, Haji, and Mary Woronov.[6]
She has also written for such publications as Esquire,[7] Premiere, Cosmopolitan, Details, and The Associated Press.[citation needed]
Her autobiography, If I'm So Famous, How Come Nobody's Ever Heard of Me?,[7][8] detailing some of the less glamorous aspects of film making and her experiences working in adult entertainment, was published in 1996.[9]
Personal life
Shepard was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2011, and has been treated with chemotherapy, lymph node removal, and a double mastectomy.[10]
