Jewel Shepard (born January 3, 1958) is an American writer, photographer, and actress, best known for her roles in movies such as ''

Party Camp ''Party Camp'' is an American comedy film released in 1987. The plot revolves around a teenager (Andrew Ross) who takes a job as a summer camp counselor, only to spend the whole experience partying and engaging in hijinks. Plot Camp counselor and ...

'' (1987) and '' Return of the Living Dead'' (1985).

Life and career

Shepard arrived in California in the early 80s, where she supported herself by working as a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. Mo ...

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). Roles in over a dozen

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feat ...

s followed; including 1985's '' The Return of the Living Dead'', which was directed and written by O'Bannon. 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 Francesca Isabel Natividad (February 13, 1948 – September 24, 2022), known professionally as Kitten Natividad, was a Mexican-American film actress and exotic dancer. She was noted for her 44-inch (112 cm) bust, and appearances in cult films ma ...

, Linnea Quigley, Yvette Vickers,

Haji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...

, and

Mary Woronov Mary Woronov (born December 8, 1943) is an American actress, published author and figurative painter. She is primarily known as a " cult star" because of her work with Andy Warhol and her roles in Roger Corman's cult films. Woronov has appeared ...

. She has also written for such publications as ''

Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

'', '' Cosmopolitan'', ''

Details Detail(s) or The Detail(s) may refer to: Film and television * ''Details'' (film), a 2003 Swedish film * ''The Details'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''The Detail'', a Canadian television series * "The Detail" (''The Wire''), a television epis ...

'', and ''

The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

''. Her autobiography, ''If I'm So Famous, How Come Nobody's Ever Heard of Me?'', detailing some of the less glamorous aspects of film making and her experiences working in adult entertainment, was published in 1996.

Personal life

Shepard has been struggling with invasive

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

since 2011, and has been treated with

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...

lymph node A lymph node, or lymph gland, is a kidney-shaped organ of the lymphatic system and the adaptive immune system. A large number of lymph nodes are linked throughout the body by the lymphatic vessels. They are major sites of lymphocytes that inc ...

removal and a

double mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operat ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* * * American magazine writers People from Flatbush, Brooklyn Actresses from New York City American film actresses American women writers American television actresses American voice actresses 1958 births Living people 21st-century American women {{US-screen-actor-1950s-stub