Oscar-nominee Valerie Perrine dead at 82
Valerie Perrine, an actor famed for her roles in Superman and Lenny, has died aged 82.
Her death was announced on March 23rd by her friend Stacey Souther, who revealed that Perrine died at her home in Beverly Hills, having been previously diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015.
In his statement, Souther said in a post to Perrine’s account on X: “She faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining.”
He added: “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.”
Perrine was best-known for her role as Lex Luthor’s secretary in Christopher Reeve’s original 1979 Superman, as well as its 1980 sequel. However, it was prior to this, in 1974, that she received an Oscar nomination for her turn as Honey in the film Lenny, opposite Dustin Hoffman, in the ‘Best Newcomer’ category.
Despite many of her big-screen appearances, Perrine was known in other regards as a major sex symbol in the industry at a time when this was denounced, and was the first woman to have her breasts intentionally shown on screen during the PBS television film Steambath in 1973.
On top of this, the actor also held a somewhat unwanted level of acclaim for starring in the 1980 film Can’t Stop the Music with The Village People and Caitlyn Jenner, roundly considered so bad that it was one of the two movies credited with the Worst Picture Golden Raspberry Awards, otherwise known as the Razzies.
Speaking of how the reception to the film affected her afterwards, Perrine once said: “It ruined my career — I moved to Europe after, I was so embarrassed.”
Following the sad news of her death, a fundraiser has been set up to help cover the costs of her funeral, as she expressed wishes prior to her passing that she wanted to be buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, where many major movie stars have been laid to rest.
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