Short Biography

Lana Jean Clarkson (April 5, 1962 – February 3, 2003) was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. Born in Long Beach, California to Donna and James M. Clarkson, Lana Clarkson was raised in the hills of Napa Valley, California. She had a brother, Jesse J. Clarkson, and a sister Fawn. While living in Northern California, she attended Cloverdale High School and also Pacific Union College Preparatory School. During Christmas season in 1978 and after her father`s death, Clarkson`s family moved back to Los Angeles County and Lana pursued a career as a performer and fashion model. In the early 1980s, Clarkson landed bit parts in film and television. In 1982, she made her screen debut as a supporting character in director Amy Heckerling`s coming-of-age comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as the wife of science teacher Mr. Vargas (Vincent Schiavelli). The film was her first speaking role. Clarkson`s work in the B movie sci-fi genre inspired a cult following, making her a favorite at comic book conventions, where she made some promotional appearances signing autographs for her fans. She also had an extremely memorable, if brief, role as Mrs. Vargas, the wife of the caffeine-quitting science teacher Mr. Vargas, in Fast Times At Ridgemont High in 1982. She appeared in numerous other B movies as well as a range of television spots and appearing in commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Kmart, Nike, Mattel, and Anheuser-Busch. Her television appearances include parts on Night Court, Silk Stalkings, Riptide, Three`s Company, Knight Rider and Wings, and a guest appearance as a villain on the television adaptation of Roger Corman`s film Black Scorpion in what would be her final role. During her career, Clarkson traveled around the United States and Europe while working on high fashion photo shoots. Other projects took her to Japan, Argentina, Italy, Switzerland, France, Jamaica and Mexico. She volunteered weekly at the AIDS charity "Angel Food Project," which delivers food for those in Los Angeles disabled by HIV or AIDS, at a time when the disease was greatly feared by the general public. As she approached her thirties, Clarkson`s career began to stall. No longer able to earn a living as an actress, Clarkson sought alternate routes of income, including operating her own website on which she sold autographed DVDs of her films and communicated directly with her fans on her own message board. Although she made a living by playing busty, lusty women, Lana`s fondest desire was to be cast as a comic actress. In 2001, while living on the canals in Venice, California for the last several years, Clarkson developed, wrote, produced, and directed a showcase reel entitled Lana Unleashed. To make ends meet, she took a side part-time job in early January 2003 at one of LA`s trendiest nightspots at the time, House of Blues, in West Hollywood.

On February 2, 2003, Clarkson met music producer Phil Spector at the West Hollywood House of Blues, while working as a hostess at VIP Foundation room. After her shift ended, Lana was invited by Spector to go home with him for a drink. Soon after midnight they left House of Blues and headed in his limo to his home in Alhambra, California. In the early morning hours of February 3, Clarkson was found dead by a single gunshot to her mouth in a foyer of Spector`s mansion. Clarkson`s private funeral service was held on February 19, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. Her remains had

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