Pamela Jayne Soles (née Hardon; born July 17, 1950) is a retired American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...

's '' Carrie'' (1976) before portraying Lynda van der Klok in

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

's ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' (1978) and Riff Randell in

Allan Arkush Allan Arkush (born April 30, 1948) is an American director and producer of films, television and videos. He is a regular collaborator with Joe Dante. Early life Arkush grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. He graduated in 1966 from Fort Lee High ...

's ''

Rock 'n' Roll High School ''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' is a 1979 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard and Dey Young. The film features the punk rock group Ramones ...

'' (1979). She has since appeared in a variety of films including ''

Breaking Away ''Breaking Away'' is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sch ...

'' (1979), '' Private Benjamin'' (1980), '' Stripes'' (1981), '' Sweet Dreams'' (1985), '' Jawbreaker'' (1999), and cult classics like ''

The Devil's Rejects ''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 American black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie. It is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to Zombie's 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses'', and fol ...

'' (2005) and ''Beg'' (2011). She has been regarded as a

scream queen A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...

Early life

Soles was born Pamela Jayne Hardon in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, Germany, to an American mother from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Nancy Hardon (née Seiden), and a Dutch father from

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Cornelis Johannes Hardon II. Her maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Lithuania and Austria. At the time of her birth, her father was working for an international insurance company and the family moved all over the world. Soles lived in

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

, Morocco, and

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

, Venezuela, where she learned to speak fluent Spanish, and then

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium, where she went to high school at the

International School of Brussels The International School of Brussels (ISB) is an English-language international school in the Brussels municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort. History The International School of Brussels (ISB) was established in October 1951 under the name of ...

. Soles attended

Briarcliff College Briarcliff College was a women's college in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The school was founded as Mrs. Dow's School for Girls in 1903 at the Briarcliff Lodge. After Walter W. Law donated land and a building for the college, it operated at ...

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

, later transferring to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, This career goal changed when she visited the

Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights located on West 44th Street in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. The studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method actin ...

in New York City, and Soles was inspired to pursue acting.

Career

Soles moved to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and began acting in commercials and modeling for fashion magazines. In 1974 she was hired by director

Perry Henzell Perry Henzell (7 March 1936 – 30 November 2006) was a Jamaican director. He directed the first Jamaican feature film, '' The Harder They Come'' (1972), co-written by Trevor D. Rhone and starring Jimmy Cliff. Life and career Henzell, wh ...

to portray a shampoo model in his film ''No Place Like Home''. It would have been her first film appearance, but Henzell was not able to complete the film until 2006. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1975. She was among the hundreds of actors auditioning for

and

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

in their joint casting session for '' Carrie'' (1976) and ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' (1977). She originally auditioned for the role of

Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Galactic Empire (Star Wars ...

in ''Star Wars'' but the role ultimately went to

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

. However, she was cast as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's ''Carrie''. She starred alongside

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth "Sissy" Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Sissy Spacek, numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including ...

, Nancy Allen,

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

Amy Irving Amy Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer, who has worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Born in Palo Alto, Cali ...

and

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932 – October 14, 2023) was an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), and the miniseries ...

. Originally, her character was just a minor role, and only supposed to have one line, but De Palma liked her so much that he expanded her role, as the secondary antagonist to Allen's Chris Hargensen. Soles was injured on the set during filming, when a blast from a fire hose during the prom scene ruptured her eardrum. PJSoles

The same year, she reunited with ''Carrie'' co-star

Randal Kleiser John Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the films ''Grease (film), Grease'' (1978), ''The Blue Lagoon (1980 film), The Blue Lagoon'' (1 ...

's television film ''

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble'' is a 1976 American made for television drama film inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert ...

''. Subsequently, she went to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

to film '' Our Winning Season'' (1978) and met actor

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), '' The Big Easy'' (1986), '' Innerspace'' (1987), '' Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989), ' ...

. They were married in 1978 in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

on a

dude ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

, and both appeared in the film ''

'' in 1979. She is most known for her performance as Lynda van der Klok in the classic horror film ''

'' (1978) directed by

, the final victim of the character Michael Myers. Carpenter wanted her for his film ''Halloween'' after seeing ''Carrie''. He wrote the role of Lynda specifically for her because of the way she said the word "totally". The following year, Soles was cast as Riff Randell in the musical comedy film ''

'' (1979) with

the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

. She has a singing credit for a second version of the title song on the movie's soundtrack. She reprised the role of Riff Randell in the artwork for the album '' Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?'' by

Local H Local H is an American rock band co-founded in 1990 in Zion, Illinois by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, who has remained the band's sole consistent member. Following the departures of the early line-up's bassist and lead guitarist, Lucas a ...

. In 1980, Soles portrayed Private Wanda Winter in the comedy film '' Private Benjamin''. The following year, she portrayed an MP who becomes

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...

's girlfriend, Stella Hansen, in the comedy film '' Stripes''. In 1981, Soles filmed a new scene to be inserted into the television version of ''Halloween''. In 1985, Soles starred alongside

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. With a career spanning over five decades, she is known for her roles Jessica Lange on screen and stage, on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominati ...

as Wanda in

Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker and film critic, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are '' Satur ...

's biographical film '' Sweet Dreams''. In 1999, Soles was cast in the black comedy film '' Jawbreaker''. Soles appeared in

the Donnas The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (dr ...

' music video for "Too Bad About Your Girl" (2003) as her character Riff Randell from ''

''. In 2005, Soles played the victim, Susan, of a family on a murderous rampage in the

Rob Zombie Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live show ...

movie ''

''. In 2012, she starred alongside

Barbara Steele Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English actress and producer, known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She pl ...

Heather Langenkamp Heather Elizabeth Langenkamp (born July 17, 1964) is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and disc jockey. Langenkamp is best known for her acting work within the horror genre, as well as television sitcoms. Langenkamp was inducted ...

Camille Keaton Camille Keaton (born July 20, 1947) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jennifer Hills in the controversial 1978 film '' I Spit on Your Grave''. She began her career in Italy, making her film debut as Solange Beauregard in ...

and

Adrienne King Adrienne King (born July 21, 1955–1956) is an American actress and artist. She made her film debut in the television film '' Inherit the Wind'' (1965)—followed by uncredited roles in '' Between the Lines'' (1977), ''Saturday Night Fever'' ( ...

in ''

The Butterfly Room ''The Butterfly Room'' is a 2012 American-Italian thriller-horror film directed by Jonathan Zarantonello. It is based on Zarantonello's novel ''Alice dalle 4 alle 5'' (''Alice from 4 to 5''). The film won the Denis-de-Rougemont Youth Award at the ...

''. In 2018, Soles was cast in a speaking

cameo role A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...

as a teacher in the direct sequel, ''

'', directed by

David Gordon Green David Gordon Green (born April 9, 1975) is an American filmmaker. Green began his career in 1997 and gained fame with the independent film ''George Washington'' (2000). He directed two additional independent dramas, '' All the Real Girls'' (2003 ...

Personal life

She married J. Steven Soles in 1973, when she resided in New York, but then made the move to Los Angeles to work in television and movies. She and Soles subsequently divorced in 1975, although she decided to retain the name P.J. Soles as her stage name. She was later married to actor

, whom she met on the set of the film '' Our Winning Season'', from 1978 until their divorce in early 1983. Later that same year, she married

Skip Holm Skip James Holm (born February 22, 1944) is a retired pilot who lives in Calabasas, California, USA. Holm claims to hold the world record for combat flight hours: 1,172. He retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1992, with the rank of lieuten ...

, who was a stunt pilot on '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). They have a son named Sky (born 1983) and a daughter named Ashley (born 1988). She and Holm were divorced in 1998.

Filmography

Film

Television

Other credits

Additional credits * ''B.O.R.N.'' (1989, associate producer) * ''

Prize Fighter Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

'' (1993 video game, as 'June') * ''Cheap Rodeo: First Night in Heaven'' (2013 short film, composer) * ''Clown Motel'' (2016 short film, associate producer) Self appearances * Halloween' Unmasked 2000'' (1999, video short documentary) * ''Acting 'Carrie (2001, video short documentary) * ''Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest'' (2003 TV documentary) * ''

E! True Hollywood Story ''E! True Hollywood Story'' is an American television documentary series on E!. Overview ''E! True Hollywood Story'' originally started as a series of specials beginning on March 29, 1996, but evolved into a weekly biographical documentary ...

'' (2004, episode: "Scream Queens") * ''Super Secret Movie Rules'' (2004, episode: "Slashers") * ''Stars & Stripes 1'' (2004, video short documentary) * ''Stars & Stripes 2'' (2004, video short documentary) * ''Backstory'' (2005, episode: "Carrie") * ''30 Days in Hell: The Making of 'The Devil's Rejects (2005, video documentary) * ''Horror's Hallowed Grounds'' (2006, episode: "Halloween") * ''Halloween: The Shape of Horror'' (2006 short) * ''Working with a Master: John Carpenter'' (2006, video short documentary) * '' Halloween: 25 Years of Terror'' (2006, video documentary) * ''The Horrorhound'' (2007, video documentary) * ''Halloween: The Inside Story'' (2010, TV documentary) * ''Staying After Class'' (2010, video short) * ''AM Northwest'' (2011, episode: "Actress PJ Soles") * ''Framelines'' (2011, Season 1, Episode 5) * ''Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective'' (2011, documentary) * ''Underground Entertainment: The Movie'' (2011, documentary) * ''Without Your Head'' (2011, podcast, episode: "P.J. Soles") * ''Up from Down'' (2013, host) * ''Midnight Matinee Psycho'' (2013, video) * ''Psychotic State'' (2014 film) * ''The 50 Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen'' (2014, documentary) * ''Quickies'' (2015, episode: "P.J. Soles") * ''Horror Kung-Fu Theatre'' (2015–19, 3 episodes) * ''Where It Was Made'' (2015, episode: "Halloween") * ''More Acting 'Carrie (2016, video short documentary) * ''Horror Icon: Inside Michael's Mask with Tony Moran'' (2016, documentary) * ''Looking Back on 'Innocent Prey' - A Conversation with P.J. Soles'' (2017, video short) * ''The Bill Murray Experience'' (2017, documentary) * ''Pickle's Horror Show'' (2019, episode: "The Ghostman & Rivera Special - Seatbelt Safety") * ''Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, Parts 1-3'' (2019, miniseries documentary) * ''Class of '79: 40 Years of Rock 'N' Roll High School'' (2019, video documentary)

In popular culture

* American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

released an album in 2004 entitled '' Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?'' The album also includes a song entitled "P.J. Soles". * Soles is the subject of the song ''Sweet Pamela Jayne'' by English rock band ''The Breakdowns'', from their 2014 album ''Rock 'n' Roller Skates''. The song refers to the film ''

'' in its lyrics.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soles, P. J. 1950 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actors Studio alumni American expatriates in Belgium American expatriates in Morocco American expatriates in Venezuela American film actresses American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American people of Dutch descent American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American television actresses Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni Jewish American actresses Living people