Pamela Catherine Gidley (June 11, 1965[1] – April 16, 2018) was an American actress and model. She began her career as an actress in 1986, debuting in the film Thrashin', before appearing in a number of films, including Dudes (1987), Cherry 2000 (1988), The Blue Iguana (1988), Permanent Record (1988), Highway to Hell (1992), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Jane Austen's Mafia (1998), and The Little Vampire (2000).

Pamela Gidley
Gidley in 2012
Born
Pamela Catherine Gidley

(1965-06-11)June 11, 1965
DiedApril 16, 2018(2018-04-16) (aged 52)
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Years active1986–2006
Spouse
(m. 2005; div. 2008)

Gidley is also known for her roles in television series, including Strange Luck as Audrey Weston (1995–1996), and her recurring role as Brigitte on The Pretender (1997–2000).

Life and career

edit

Gidley was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, and raised in Salem, New Hampshire. She was the third of four siblings and the only daughter. She had two older brothers, Glenn and Daniel, and one younger brother, Brian.[1]

She won the Wilhemina Modeling Agency's "Most Beautiful Girl in the World" contest on March 12, 1985, in Sydney, Australia. As her modeling career had taken off, Gidley studied acting at the New York Academy of Dramatic Art under actress and acting teacher Stella Adler, who ran the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career in acting.[2]

Gidley made her acting debut in the 1986 film Thrashin'. She appeared in several films of the 1980s, including Dudes, Permanent Record, The Blue Iguana, and Cherry 2000. Gidley starred in many films throughout the 1990s, including Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a prequel to the short-lived television series; Disturbed, alongside Malcolm McDowell; Highway to Hell; the comedy Jane Austen's Mafia!; the comedy horror Aberration, a film in which she starred in the lead role; and Kiss & Tell, a film in which Gidley also served as producer.[2] In 2000, she appeared in the family comedy The Little Vampire. Her last film was the direct-to-video comedy Cake Boy.[citation needed]

Gidley is perhaps best known for her roles in television series. Her first appearance in television was in an episode of the action adventure series MacGyver. She had three appearances as Army Lieutenant Nikki Raines in Tour of Duty during the 1987–1988 season. She also had the recurring role of Brigitte Parker in The Pretender. Her character was the first to be introduced on the show's official website before any of the episodes had aired.[citation needed] She played another recurring character, Teri Miller on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She appeared in the show's first and third seasons.[3]

She starred as Audrey Westin in the short-lived mystery series Strange Luck which lasted one season. Other television credits include Crime Story, Tour of Duty, and the serial drama Skin, which was cancelled after just eight episodes, and she guest starred in an episode of The Closer.

Death

edit

Gidley died at her home in Seabrook, New Hampshire, on April 16, 2018, aged 52.[4][5] The cause of death had not been made public.[6]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Thrashin' Chrissy
1987 Dudes Elyse
1987 Cherry 2000 Cherry 2000
1988 The Blue Iguana Dakota
1988 Permanent Record Kim
1990 The Last of the Finest Haley
1990 Disturbed Sandy Ramirez
1991 Highway to Hell Clara
1991 Liebestraum Jane Kessler
1992 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Teresa Banks
1992 Love Is Like That Eloise
1993 Paper Hearts Samantha
1994 Freefall Katy Mazur
1994 S.F.W. Janet Streeter
1994 The Crew Jennifer Pierce
1996 The Little Death Kelly Hannon
1997 Aberration Amy Harding / Alex Langdon
1997 Kiss & Tell Beta Carotene
1997 Bombshell Melinda Clark
1997 The Maze Bertha
1998 Mafia! Pepper Gianini
1998 The Treat Dolly
1999 Liar's Poker Linda
2000 The Little Vampire Dottie Thompson
2000 Goodbye Casanova Hilly
2001 True Blue Beck
2001 Puzzled Susan
2002 Luster Alyssa
2002 Landspeed Linda Fincher
2005 Cake Boy Becky Direct-to-video
2014 Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces Teresa Banks archive footage from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

Television

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1986 MacGyver Gina Episode: "Final Approach"
1987 Crime Story Teddi Butler Episode: "Love Hurts"
1987–1988 Tour of Duty Lieutenant Nikki Raines Episodes: "Nowhere to Run", "Angel of Mercy", "The Hill"
1988 Glory Days Diane TV film
1990 Blue Bayou Deanie Fortenot Serulla TV film
1992 Angel Street Detective Dorothy Paretsky TV film
1992 Angel Street Main role
1995–1996 Strange Luck Audrey Westin Main role, 17 episodes
1997–2000 The Pretender Brigitte Recurring role, 17 episodes
1998 Man Made Kitty TV film
2000–2002 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Teri Miller 5 episodes
2000 Goodbye Casanova Hilly TV film
2003–2004 Skin Barbara Goldman Recurring role, 6 episodes
2006 The Closer Annalisa Mundy Episode: "Head Over Heels"

Documentary

edit
  • 1997 Scratch the Surface
  • 2014 Moving Through Time: Fire Walk with Me Memories (Video short)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Pamela Gidley Obituary (1965 - 2018) - Hampton, NH". The Portsmouth Herald. April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018 – via Legacy.com.
  2. ^ a b "Pamela Gidley Celebrity Poker Player At Hollywood Poker". HollywoodPoker.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2006. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  3. ^ "Pamela Gidley as Teri Miller". CSI Guide. Archived from the original on December 14, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  4. ^ Lachasse, Jérôme (April 23, 2018). "L'actrice de Twin Peaks Pamela Gidley est morte à l'âge de 52 ans" [Twin Peaks Actress Pamela Gidley Dies Aged 52]. BFM TV (in French). Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "Pamela C. Gidley Obituary". Remick & Gendron Funeral Home - Hampton, NH. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Twin Peaks: Teresa Banks actress Pamela Gidley dies, aged 52". BBC Online. April 30, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
edit