Jill Schoelen
Jill Marie Schoelen (born March 21, 1963) is an American actress. A more unconventional husky-voiced "scream queen" heroine of the 1980s was Jill Schoelen, daughter of well-known fashion designer Dorothy Schoelen. Born and raised in Burbank, she studied at the Acting for Life Theatre in Burbank and started off on TV as a teen in the Fame-influenced TV pilot called Best of Times (1981) (TV) starring the up-and-coming Nicolas Cage and Crispin Glover. She gained in experience with a number of innocuous films geared mostly toward the young, including D.C. Cab (1983), Thunder Alley (1985) and Hot Moves (1984). The dark-eyed, black-haired pretty with the trademark bangs wouldn't find her horror niche until hooking up with Wes Craven and his TV movie Chiller (1985) (TV). From there she scored big with the cult shocker The Stepfather (1987) wherein she played the resourceful stepdaughter terrorized by the lecherous, meek-appearing Terry O'Quinn as the title monster. The sleeper hit put Jill on the map with a seemingly solid future, continuing on with The Phantom of the Opera (1989), this time keeping company opposite Freddy Krueger inhabiter Robert Englund as her deranged pursuer. But a few bumps in the road with such lowgrade fodder as Curse II: The Bite (1989), Cutting Class (1989) and Popcorn (1991) put a permanent damper on her career, despite coming back with a bit of grit in the thriller TV movie When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) (TV). Her object-of-a-stalker days behind her after filming Not Again! (1996), she settled comfortably back and raised two children with husband/musician/composer Anthony Marinelli.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · Stereo-Vision as Katherine Barrows
- 2022 · Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story as Self
- 2017 · A Taboo Identity as Herself
- 2015 · Behind the Mask: The Making of The Phantom of the Opera as Self
- 1994 · There Goes My Baby as Babette
- 1993 · Diagnosis: Murder as Becky Garfield
- 1993 · When a Stranger Calls Back as Julia Jenz
- 1992 · Adventures in Spying as Julie Converse
- 1992 · The Heights as
- 1992 · State Of Mind as Wishman
- 1991 · Rich Girl as Courtney
- 1991 · Popcorn as Maggie
- 1989 · The Phantom of the Opera as Christine Day
- 1989 · Curse II: The Bite as Lisa Snipes
- 1989 · Cutting Class as Paula Carson
- 1987 · Billionaire Boys Club as Amy Whitehall
- 1987 · The Stepfather as Stephanie Maine
- 1986 · Babes in Toyland as Mary Piper / Mary Contrary
- 1986 · Shattered Spirits as Allison
- 1985 · That Was Then... This Is Now as Angela Shepard
- 1985 · Hell Town as Shelley
- 1985 · Thunder Alley as Beth
- 1985 · Chiller as Stacey
- 1985 · Sara as
- 1984 · Hot Moves as Julie Ann
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Flora Gerakaris
- 1983 · Happy Endings as Anne Marie Bartlett
- 1983 · D.C. Cab as Claudette
- 1983 · Trauma Center as Leslie
- 1983 · Great Day as Carla Simpson
- 1982 · T. J. Hooker as Kelly Hobbs
- 1981 · The Best of Times as Jill
- 1974 · Little House on the Prairie as