Valerie Perrine, the Oscar-nominated actress known for her roles in Lenny and the Superman films, has died at the age of 82, News.Az reports, citing The Hollywood Reporter.
Perrine, a former Las Vegas showgirl, earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of the drug-addicted wife of comedian Lenny Bruce in the film Lenny.
She also gained wider recognition for playing Eve Teschmacher, the assistant to Lex Luthor, in the Superman movies.
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Her performances across film and television made her a notable figure in Hollywood during the 1970s and beyond.
Perrine’s death at her home in Beverly Hills was announced by friend and soulmate Stacey Souther. She was diagnosed in 2015 with Parkinson’s disease, which eventually robbed her of her mobility and much of her ability to eat and speak.
“She faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining,” he wrote. “She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest — and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it.”
Souther cared for her for years, as Seth Abramovitch wrote about for The Hollywood Reporter in April 2023. A GoFund Me page that was set up for her medical expenses will now go toward burial costs.
The actress did comedy and drama with equal fervor, also starring as the love interest of Jeff Bridges‘ NASCAR driver Junior Johnson in Lamont Johnson’s The Last American Hero (1973) and as the soon-to-be ex of champion rodeo rider Robert Redford‘s character in Sydney Pollack’s The Electric Horseman (1979).
Perrine, unfortunately, also starred with The Village People and Caitlyn Jenner in the lamentable disco-themed Can’t Stop the Music (1980), one of the two films that inspired the Worst Picture Golden Raspberry Award show (The Razzies).
“It ruined my career — I moved to Europe after, I was so embarrassed,” she said.
