valerie perrine, the former Las Vegas showgirl turned film actress, has died at 82. Her death was announced by friend and soulmate Stacey Souther, who directed a documentary about her life and cared for her in later years.
What Happened?
Souther wrote that Perrine had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, a condition that eventually deprived her of much of her mobility and much of her ability to eat and speak. In the public note announcing her passing, he wrote that she “faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining. ” Souther had cared for Perrine for years; a GoFundMe page that was established to assist with medical expenses will now be used to cover burial costs. Souther also said Perrine’s final wish was to be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
Valerie Perrine: Career highlights
Perrine began her entertainment life as a Las Vegas showgirl and moved into film and television with roles that displayed both comedic and dramatic range. She won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival and earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Honey Bruce in Lenny, opposite Dustin Hoffman. That performance also brought her a BAFTA honor for most promising newcomer.
Her mainstream visibility expanded when she played Eve Teschmacher, the secretary and romantic interest of Lex Luthor, in the 1978 Superman and its 1980 sequel. In those films her character at times aided the villain but also undertook actions that led to the hero’s rescue and to Luthor’s escape in the second installment. Other notable screen credits included Slaughterhouse-Five, The Last American Hero, The Electric Horseman, The Border, and the disco-era film Can’t Stop the Music, a role she later said contributed to a career setback that prompted her to relocate to Europe for a period.
Perrine also became a cultural talking point for boundary-pushing moments: she was photographed several times for Playboy and, in a PBS teleplay, became the first woman intentionally shown topless on U. S. television, a sequence that later served as a fundraising piece for the broadcaster.
Final years and legacy
In the years after her peak film work, Perrine lived with the effects of Parkinson’s and appeared in a documentary that chronicled her life and illness. Friends and collaborators have emphasized her resilience and the breadth of her career, from showgirl stages to Cannes recognition and roles alongside major screen performers. A GoFundMe established to help with her medical and funeral expenses will be used to pay for burial, reflecting the financial toll of her long illness and the care she required.
Her obituary note, care arrangements and the planned burial reflect the private and public sides of a life in which artistic acclaim and personal struggle were intertwined. The film community and those who followed her work are left to remember the performances that earned her festival honors and an Oscar nomination, and to mark the passing of valerie perrine.
