Lana Clarkson
A model and B-movie actress whose life and tragic death became inextricably linked to a notorious music producer murder trial.
1962–2003 (age 41)·American actress and fashion model·Birthday: April 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Lana Clarkson’s story is one of Hollywood’s sharpest contrasts: the glamour of the screen against a grim, final act. With striking blonde hair and a statuesque frame, she found steady work in the 1980s and ‘90s as a model and actress, often in Roger Corman-produced fantasy and action films like *Barbarian Queen*. She became a familiar face in the direct-to-video world, cultivating a fan base for her charismatic, if often campy, roles. As the B-movie wave receded, she took work as a hostess at the House of Blues and later at the VIP room of the Sunset Strip’s famed Viper Room. It was there, in February 2003, that her path crossed with music producer Phil Spector. Hours later, she was found dead in the foyer of his mansion, shot through the mouth. Her death and Spector’s subsequent murder trials transformed Clarkson from a working actress into a central figure in a decades-long legal saga about power, violence, and justice.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Lana was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Lana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2003Died at 41
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Starred as the title character in the cult fantasy film *Barbarian Queen* (1985).
- Appeared in numerous Roger Corman-produced films throughout the 1980s.
- Had a recurring role as a cocktail waitress on the TV series *Three's Company*.
- Worked as a hostess at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
- Was a featured model in print advertisements and commercials.
Did You Know?
She was a skilled equestrian and often performed her own horseback stunts in films.
She attended the same high school (Santa Fe High School) as actress Michelle Pfeiffer.
She was considered for the role of Wonder Woman in a proposed 1990s TV revival.
Before her death, she was studying to become a screenwriter and director.
Her mother successfully sued Phil Spector for wrongful death in a civil case.
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