Erica Gavin (born Donna Graff;[1] July 22, 1947) is an American film actress best known for playing the title role in Russ Meyer's 1968 film Vixen!.
Erica Gavin | |
|---|---|
 Gavin on the poster for Vixen! | |
| Born | Donna Graff July 22, 1947 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Website | http://www.ericagavin.com/ |
Early years
editGavin was born in Los Angeles, California, daughter of blacklisted actor Fred Graff and Madeleine Rosenteil.[2] At age 19, she worked as a topless dancer in Hollywood with two other future Russ Meyer stars, Haji and Tura Satana. While waiting in a dentist's office, she saw an advertisement in Variety for women to audition for the new Russ Meyer movie Vixen! She auditioned and won the role, which launched her to stardom in low-budget independent films.[3]
Career
editFollowing Vixen!, Gavin appeared in one more Russ Meyer film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, written by famed film critic Roger Ebert.[4] She also appeared in Jonathan Demme's women-in-prison film Caged Heat.[5]
Personal life
editGavin resides in Los Angeles, California, where she works as a stylist and occasionally makes appearances at movie memorabilia conventions. She said in a 2006 interview that she is bisexual.[6]
Filmography
edit- Initiation (1968) - Jan
- Vixen! (1968) - Vixen Palmer
- Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) - Roxanne
- Erika's Hot Summer (1971) - Erika
- Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973) - Girl at bar
- Caged Heat (1974) - Jacqueline Wilson
- 3 Stories About Evil (2008) - Mrs. Harris
References
edit- ^ msu.edu Archived August 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Erica Gavin | The Official Website! — Growing Up in Silver Lake". www.ericagavin.com. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Official website". Archived from the original on 2010-09-11. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- ^ https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beyond-the-valley-of-the-dolls-1980'. [dead link]
- ^ Caged Heat cast list at Internet Movie Database IMDb.
- ^ "retroCRUSH.com". Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2006-07-19.