Deanna Lund (May 30, 1937 – June 22, 2018) was an American film and television actress best known for her role in the Irwin Allen television series Land of the Giants, in which she played Valerie Ames Scott.
Deanna Lund | |
|---|---|
 Lund in Land of the Giants. | |
| Born | May 30, 1937 |
| Died | June 22, 2018 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1961–2017 |
| Spouse(s) | James E. Duffy (1980-?) (divorced)[1] Don Matheson (1970-1980) (divorced) (1 child) Wilbur Owen Upson (1958-1963) (divorced) (2 children)[2] |
| Children | 3, including Michele Matheson[3] |
| Website | deannalund |
Early years
editLund was the daughter of attorney Arthur Lund, who at one time served in the legislature of Illinois. The family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, when she was eight. She dropped out of Rollins College, where she was studying drama, to get married. Before becoming an actress, she attended modeling school and worked as a secretary. Later, she did commercials on television and became a weather person at a television station.[4]
Career
editLund's early career included minor roles in the 1960s spy film parodies Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) and Dimension 5 (1966), as well as the horror film Sting of Death (1965), the beach film Out of Sight (1966), and the western Johnny Tiger (1966). She appeared as a lesbian stripper in the 1967 Frank Sinatra movie Tony Rome,[5] but Lund was so embarrassed by the role that she had her name removed from the credits. Her performance was favorably received and led to a starring role in Irwin Allen's television series Land of the Giants.[5]: 237 While waiting for filming to start, Lund was offered the part of Rosemary's friend Terry Gionoffrio in Rosemary's Baby but had to decline when, despite Roman Polanski's assurances, Allen did not believe she would be finished in time.[5]: 238
Valerie in Giantland, a novella written by Lund, is based on the Land of the Giants series, and set ten years later; written from the point of view of Lund's character, Valerie Ames. In 1976, she appeared on the drama General Hospital as Peggy Lowell, the secretary and mistress of Cameron Faulkner, who was played by Lund's husband Don Matheson. Her later films included the Jerry Lewis comedy Hardly Working (1980), Stick (1985) starring Burt Reynolds, and horror movies such as the Christmas horror film Elves (1989), Witch Story (1989),[6] and the comedy Transylvania Twist (1989).
Personal life
editLund dropped out of college to marry her high school sweetheart. They had two children but divorced after four years.[4] After Land of the Giants was cancelled, she married co-star Don Matheson, but they were divorced in the late 1970s. Their daughter, Michele Matheson, is also an actress. Lund is an alumna of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.[7]
In 1995, she dated Larry King. The couple were engaged five weeks after they met[8] but the relationship ended before they could be married.[9]
Lund died on June 22, 2018, at her home in Century City, California, of pancreatic cancer, aged 81.[10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Once Upon a Coffee House | Corrine | |
| 1965 | Run for Your Wife | Unknown | Uncredited |
| 1965 | Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine | Robot | |
| 1966 | The Oscar | Bikini Girl | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Johnny Tiger | Louise | |
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Nurse | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Out of Sight | Tuff Bod | |
| 1966 | Spinout | Redhead Beauty | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Sting of Death | Jessica, Honey Blond | |
| 1966 | Dimension 5 | Miss Sweet | |
| 1966 | The Swinger | Model | Uncredited |
| 1967 | Batman (TV series) | Anna Gram | year 2, episodes 45 and 46 |
| 1967 | Tony Rome | Georgia McKay | Uncredited |
| 1968 | Panic in the City | Blonde | |
| 1968 | Land of the Giants (TV series) | Valerie Scott | |
| 1975 | Hustle | Unknown | Uncredited |
| 1978 | The Incredible Hulk (TV series) | Terri Ann | Season 1, episode 3: Of Guilt, Models and Murder |
| 1980 | Hardly Working | Millie | |
| 1985 | Stick | Diane | |
| 1987 | If We Knew Then | Unknown | |
| 1987 | Hammerhead | Dee-Dee | |
| 1989 | Streghe | Helena | |
| 1989 | Elves | Kirsten's Mother | |
| 1989 | Transylvania Twist | Teacher | |
| 1989 | Girl Talk | Dana | |
| 1990 | The Girl I Want | Mrs. Andrews | |
| 1992 | Roots of Evil | Marissa | |
| 2001 | Extreme Honor | Martha Brascoe | |
| 2015 | Boned | Faye |
References
edit- ^ Leitereg, Neal J. (9 April 2019). "Longtime Century City home of actress Deanna Lund sells for $1.45 million". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (June 25, 2018). "Deanna Lund, Actress on 'Land of the Giants,' Dies at 81". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Deanna Lund - The Private Life and Times of Deanna Lund. Deanna Lund Pictures". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
- ^ a b Lewis, Dan (August 19, 1968). "Deanna Lund in 'Land of Giants'". Detroit Free Press. Michigan, Detroit. p. 16. Retrieved September 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Tom Lisanti (2001). Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies. McFarland. pp. 234–. ISBN 978-0-7864-0868-9.
- ^ Della Casa, Steve; Giusti, Marco (2013). "Il Grande Libro di Ercole". Edizione Sabinae. Page 338. ISBN 978-88-98623-051
- ^ Hollywood Xpo 2010: List of Guests Archived March 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine from www.hollywoodxpo.com
- ^ Adams, Kathleen; Lofaro, Lina; Quinn, Michael; Rubin, Jeffery C.; Sanders, Alain L.; Urquhart, Sidney (April 3, 1995). "Time Milestones Apr. 3, 1995". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ "The Wedding is Off: Larry King Gets Big Hang-Up From Fiance". Daily News. New York. August 17, 1995. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021.
- ^ "Deanna Lund, Actress on 'Land of the Giants,' Dies at 81". The Hollywood Reporter. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
