Luana Anders (born Luana Margo Anderson;[citation needed] May 12, 1938 – July 21, 1996) was an American actress and screenwriter.

Luana Anders
Luana Anders in trailer to Dementia 13
Born
Luana Margo Anderson

(1938-05-12)May 12, 1938
DiedJuly 21, 1996(1996-07-21) (aged 58)
Mar Vista, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, screenwriter
Years active1955–1996

Career

edit

Anders appeared in a number of low-budget films, including starring roles in Life Begins at 17[1] and Reform School Girl, along with Sally Kellerman.[2] Her best-known performances may have been as Vincent Price's sister in Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)[3] and as a murder victim in Francis Ford Coppola's Dementia 13 (1963).[4] She also appeared in Curtis Harrington's cult film Night Tide (1961)[5] opposite Dennis Hopper, who later cast her as one of the hippie commune girls who go skinny-dipping with Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969).[6]

Anders appeared in Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park, which premiered in 1969 at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as being cast in several of her friend Jack Nicholson's films, including The Trip (1967), The Last Detail (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976), Goin' South (1978), and The Two Jakes (1990). Her other film credits include When the Legends Die (1972), The Killing Kind (1973), Shampoo (1975), Personal Best (1982), Movers & Shakers (1985), You Can't Hurry Love (1988), Doppelganger (1993), Wild Bill (1995), and American Strays (1996).

She appeared in a wide range of episodic television, including The Rifleman, Sugarfoot, the "Incident of the Running Man" episode of Rawhide, The Andy Griffith Show, One Step Beyond, Dragnet, as Theresa Ames in "The Guests" (an episode of The Outer Limits), Adam-12 and Hunter. She appeared briefly in several soap operas, including Santa Barbara in the 1991–1992 season.[7]

As a writer, she wrote the original screenplay of Fire on the Amazon (using the pseudonym Margo Blue) for executive producer Roger Corman. She also co-wrote the comedy film Limit Up for MCEG/Virgin with Richard Martini and had a cameo in the film.

Personal life

edit

Anders was a lifelong Buddhist and supporter of the American chapter of Soka Gakkai International (SGI).[citation needed] She died of breast cancer in 1996, aged 58.[8]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Reform School Girl Josie Brigg
1958 The Notorious Mr. Monks Gilda Hadley
1958 The Man Who Died Twice Young Girl Addict
1958 Life Begins at 17 Carol Peck
1959 The FBI Story Mrs. Graham Uncredited
1961 Night Tide Ellen Sands
1961 The Pit and the Pendulum Catherine Medina
1963 The Young Racers Henny
1963 Dementia 13 Louise Haloran
1964 Sex and the College Girl Gwen
1966 Mondo Keyhole Vicky Voice, Uncredited
1967 The Trip Waitress
1967 Games Party Guest
1968 How Sweet It Is! Agatzi Girl
1969 Easy Rider Lisa
1969 That Cold Day in the Park Sylvia
1971 The Manipulator Carlotta
1972 Greaser's Palace Cholera
1972 When the Legends Die Mary
1973 The Last Detail Donna
1973 The Killing Kind Louise
1975 Shampoo Devra
1976 The Missouri Breaks Rancher's Wife
1978 Goin' South Lorette Anderson
1979 Paraclete The Paraclete Short
1980 Board and Care Carolyn Short
1981 One from the Heart Uncredited
1982 Personal Best Rita Cahill
1984 Irreconcilable Differences Atlanta Widow
1985 Movers & Shakers Violette
1988 You Can't Hurry Love Macie Hayes
1989 Limit Up Teacher
1990 The Two Jakes Florist
1993 Doppelganger Ginger
1993 Nowhere to Run Town Meeting Chairwoman
1993 Heart and Souls Records Bureaucrat
1994 Criminal Passion Martha
1995 Wild Bill Sanitarium Woman
1996 Point of Betrayal Nurse
1996 American Strays Martha
1997 Cannes Man Agent on Phone (final film role)

Television

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1956 Dragnet Anna Marie Harmon "The Big No Suicide"
1957 The Restless Gun Lucy Anne "Jody"
1958 Letter to Loretta Ellen "Time of Decision"
1959 Cimarron City Nancy Tucker "Child of Fear"
1959 The Rifleman Lisabeth Bishop "Shivaree"
1959 M Squad Lola Green "The Harpes"
1959 Sugarfoot Princess "The Avengers"
1959 Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Alice Denning "The Burning Girl"
1960 Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond Joan Goss "The Voice"
1960 Lawman Ellie Phelan "The Swamper"
1961 The Islanders Trina "To Bell a Cat"
1961 Rawhide Maddy Trager S3:E25, "Incident of the Running Man"
1962 Ben Casey Lorraine Walenchek "And Eve Wore a Veil of Tears"
1963 Ben Casey Ann Bentley "Dispel the Black Cyclone That Shakes the Throne"
1963 The Eleventh Hour Cathy Lewis "Try to Keep Alive Until Next Tuesday"
1963 The Greatest Show on Earth Margaret "The Wrecker"
1964 The Outer Limits Theresa "Tess" Ames "The Guests"
1966 Vacation Playhouse Sybil Rockefeller "My Lucky Penny"
1967 The Andy Griffith Show Miss Clark "A Visit to Barney Fife", "Barney Comes to Mayberry"
1966 That Girl Shirley McChesney "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There"
1967 That Girl Beryl "Leaving the Nest Is for the Birds"
1967 Accidental Family Esther "What Is This - Thanksgiving or a Nightmare?'
1967 Dragnet 1967 Noradelle De Leone "The Big Dog"
1968 Dragnet 1967 Anna Marie Harmon "The Suicide Attempt"
1968 Hawaii Five-O Maggie "...And They Painted Daisies on His Coffin"
1968 Adam-12 Jane Tipton "Log 111: The Boa Constrictor"
1969 My Friend Tony Louise "Computer Murder"
1969 Mayberry R.F.D. Violet

Cashier

"Goober and the Telephone Girl"

"Emmett's Retirement"

1970 Dragnet 1967 Eula Van Meter "Burglary: The Dognappers"
1971 Ironside Nina Loring "The Target"
1972 Evil Roy Slade Alice Fern TV film
1972 Bonanza Julie "Forever"
1972 Mannix Angie McCall "Lost Sunday"
1974 Firehouse Dawn "Strike, Spare, and Burn"
1977 Little House on the Prairie Lottie McGinins "Blizzard"
1978 The Next Step Beyond Harriet Jessup "The Love Connection"
1990 Hunter Sarah Farrell "Second Sight"
1991 Switched at Birth Nurse Ames TV film
1991-1992 Santa Barbara Rona TV series
1992 In Sickness and in Health Dorothy TV film

References

edit
  1. ^ "Life Begins at 17". prod-www.tcm.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  2. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1985-10-26). "Reform School Girl". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  3. ^ The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), retrieved 2023-11-22
  4. ^ Williamson, Samuel (2023-04-01). "Before 'The Godfather,' Francis Ford Coppola Made His Debut With This Horror Movie". Collider. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  5. ^ Night Tide (1961), retrieved 2023-11-22
  6. ^ "Cinema St. Louis' Golden Anniversaries: Films of 1969 Series Continues With EASY RIDER This Sunday September 8th at 1:30pm". We Are Movie Geeks. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  7. ^ "Luana Anders". TV Guide. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  8. ^ "Luana Anders; Film, Stage and Television Actress". Los Angeles Times. 27 July 1996. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
edit