Debbie Ann Rochon (born November 3, 1968) is a Canadian actress and former stage performer, best known for her work in independent
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
s and
counterculture films.
Early life
When Rochon was ten years old, her parents were deemed unfit to raise her, and she was remanded to
foster care. Shuttled from one foster home to the next, Rochon ran away to
Vancouver. When she was 14 and homeless, she was violently robbed by a homeless man, who assaulted her with a knife and slashed her upper right arm, leaving her with a large vertical scar.
Career
In 1980, when she was 14, Rochon was cast as a rock-concert extra in ''
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains'' after being alerted to an open-casting call by another homeless youth. She worked for three months and earned $300 cash a week. That experience made her fall in love with filmmaking and acting. By age 17, she had saved enough money to move to New York City. Rochon worked with
off-off-Broadway theater companies, performing in over 25 stage productions. She garnered her first printed review in ''
Backstage
Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production.
Backstage may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy
* ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...
'' which read: "Debbie Rochon acquitted herself well as the cocaloony bird in
Tennessee Williams' ''The Gnadiges Fraulein''."
Rochon then focused on the cinema. Her first substantial role was in ''Banned'', a 1989 film director by
Roberta Findlay
Roberta Findlay (née Hershkowitz; born 1948) is an American film director, cinematographer, producer and actress. She is best known for her work in the exploitation field. Her work has received increasing critical appreciation in recent years.
...
. It also featured Rochon’s first nude scene. She then went on to appear in over two hundred independent features. The Hubcap Awards founder
Joe Bob Briggs crowned Rochon as runner-up Best Actress of the year in 1994 for her work on ''Abducted II: The Reunion''. In 1995, she was recognized for her work as the conniving, television producer in ''Broadcast Bombshells'', winning the Barbarella Award.
She was a featured guest player on Fox’s ''New York Undercover''. In 2002, Rochon was crowned
Scream Queen of the Decade (1990–1999) by ''Draculina'' magazine, based on reader voting. She also received Best Psychette Award 2002 (Best Female Psycho in a Movie) for her work in . She has won over a dozen more awards for her film work.
In 2003, while working on an unreleased film in Tennessee, Rochon suffered an accident with a prop
machete which resulted in the near-severing of the four fingers of her right hand.
After extensive surgery and physical therapy, she regained limited use of the hand.
In 2004, Rochon won MicroCinemaFest's "Best Comedy Actress" award for her work in ''Dr. Horror's Erotic House of Idiots''.
She also co-hosted the 2005
Village Halloween Parade
The Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday parade on the night of every Halloween, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. The parade, initiated in 1974 by Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee, is the world ...
with
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider (born March 15, 1955)Tayler, LettaTwisted Sister's Dee Snider remembers his challenging Long Island upbringing "Newsday", March 15, 2016Archived here/ref> is an American singer, songwriter, radio personality, and actor. He w ...
. The following year, she and Snider began broadcasting
Fangoria Radio
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released in ...
on
Sirius Satellite Radio, a weekly talk show of horror movie news and reviews. The show ran from 2006 till 2010. She appears regularly at
Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors
Weekend of Horrors was traditionally a tri-annual (with occasionally more) traveling convention which focuses on horror films. Formerly produced in partnership with Creation Entertainment, the Weekend of Horrors show is now owned exclusively by ' ...
conventions and others.
In 2008, Rochon appeared in several new horror ventures, including the Michigan-made film ''Dog'', ''Savaged'', ''The Colour from the Dark'', ''Psychosomatika'', and ''Beg''. She can also be seen in the After Dark-released film ''Mulberry Street'', directed by Jim Mickle, which had a theatrical run as part of the
Horrorfest
After Dark Horrorfest (also known as "8 Films to Die For") was an annual horror film festival featuring eight independent horror movies, sometimes with "secret" bonus films, all distributed by After Dark Films in the USA. The first HorrorFest w ...
series in 2007.
Rochon is featured as a character in the 2008 novel ''Bad Moon Rising'' by
Jonathan Maberry
Jonathan Maberry (born May 18, 1958) is an American suspense author, anthology editor, comic book writer, magazine feature writer, playwright, content creator and writing teacher/lecturer. He was named one of the Today's Top Ten Horror Writers.
...
. She is one of several real-world horror celebrities who are in the fictional town of Pine Deep when monsters attack. Other celebrities include
Tom Savini,
Jim O'Rear,
Brinke Stevens,
Ken Foree,
Stephen Susco
Stephen Susco is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for writing horror films such as ''The Grudge'', ''The Grudge 2'', and ''Texas Chainsaw 3D''. His directorial debut film, '' Unfriended: Dark Web'', had its premie ...
,
Joe Bob Briggs,
James Gunn, and
Mem Shannon
Mem Shannon (born December 21, 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American blues musician. He is currently signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music. Shannon is a former taxi-cab driver turned bluesman.Scott Jordan"Mem Shannon's ...
.
She appeared in a 2009 documentary ''
Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror''. Also in 2009, she starred as Alice in ''
Slime City Massacre
''Slime City Massacre'' is a 2010 American science fiction comedy horror film directed by Greg Lamberson and starring Jennifer Bihl, Kealan Patrick Burke, Debbie Rochon and Robert Sabin. It is a sequel to the 1988 film '' Slime City'', also dir ...
'', a sequel to the cult film ''
Slime City
''Slime City'' is a 1988 American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Greg Lamberson. It stars Robert C. Sabin, Mary Huner, and Bunny Levine.
Plot
Alex and his girlfriend are looking for an apartment to move into. They the ...
''; both films were directed by
Gregory Lamberson
Gregory Lamberson (born April 19, 1964) is an American filmmaker and author. He is known for writing novels such as ''Johnny Gruesome'' and the series ''The Jake Helman Files'', and for directing the 1988 film ''Slime City''. He is also one of th ...
. She presented the movie on the Premiere at 2010 Beloit International Film Festival on February 18, 2010.
Rochon appeared in a feature film by
Sean Pomper Sean Pomper is a creator/ inventor who came to light in the early 2000s with his Invention of Flavor Spray. Flavor Spray was an alternative Food Spray for fattening unwanted calories. Just "Spray" on flavor. Invented by Sean Pomper and celebrity c ...
Productions, ''Killer Hoo-Ha!''.
She portrayed Madam Won Ton in the 2011 horror comedy film ''Won Ton Baby!'' by
James Morgart.
Rochon served as a model for the esteemed illustrator
Dave Stevens and appeared in his final work, a book titled ''Brush with Passion: The Art and Life of Dave Stevens''.
She portrayed
Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 2014 film ''Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion''.
In 2015, she was nominated for a Rondo Hatton Award for her column "Diary of the Deb" in the
''Fangoria'' magazine.
Breaking Glass Pictures released the feature film ''Dollface'' in September 2015, in which Rochon stars as a foul-mouthed groundskeeper. She was praised for her performance in ''Dollface'', which won numerous awards in 2014/2015 including Horror Society's "Best Indie Horror Film of 2014".
Also in 2015, she made her directorial debut with the horror thriller film ''Model Hunger''.
One of Rochon's most critically acclaimed titles is the Italian-made
H. P. Lovecraft-based film ''Colour from the Dark'', in which she plays the possessed wife of a farmer in a wartorn area in 1943.
Rochon resides in New York City and works for the horror magazine ''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
''.
Model acting
Rochon has appeared on many film-related magazine covers including:
* ''
Fangoria Magazine''
* ''
Rue Morgue Magazine
''Rue Morgue'' is a multinational magazine devoted to coverage of horror fiction. Its content comprises news, reviews, commentary, interviews, and event coverage. Its journalistic span encompasses films, books, comic books, video games, and ot ...
''
* The Phantom of the Movies' ''Videoscope Magazine''
* ''Vamperotica Magazine''
* ''Vampirella Magazine''
* ''Draculina Magazine''
* Three covers for
''Femme Fatales'' magazine
* Three covers for ''Scream Queens Illustrated'' magazine
* Two covers for ''Sirens of Cinema Magazine''
* ''Gotham Magazine''
* ''Too Square Magazine''
* Three covers for ''Alternative Cinema Magazine''
* ''Spice Magazine''
* ''B-movies Magazine''
* ''The Dark Side Magazine''
Rochon has written for numerous genre publications including:
* ''
Fangoria
''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr.
The magazine was originally released i ...
'' magazine, her regular column is titled "Diary of the Deb"
* The Phantom of the Movies' ''VIDEOSCOPE'' magazine
* ''Steppin' Out Magazine''
* ''The Gore Zone Magazine''
*
''Femme Fatales'' magazine
* ''Sirens of Cinema Magazine''
* ''Chiller Theatre Magazine''
* ''Scars Magazine''
* ''Masters of Kung Fu Magazine''
As well as a regular column in ''The Joe Bob Report'' (published by
Joe Bob Briggs)
Selected filmography
* ''Negatives'' (1988)
* ''
Santa Claws'' (1996)
* ''
Tromeo and Juliet
''Tromeo and Juliet'' is a 1997 American independent transgressive romantic black comedy film and a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet'' from Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay b ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Terror Firmer
''Terror Firmer'' is a 1999 American comedy horror film directed by Lloyd Kaufman, written by Douglas Buck, Patrick Cassidy, Kaufman, and James Gunn, and starring Will Keenan, Alyce LaTourelle, and Kaufman. The film was produced by the Troma E ...
'' (1999)
* (2002)
* ''Bleed'' (2002)
* ''
Play-mate of the Apes'' (2002)
* ''
Final Examination'' (2003)
* ''
Corpses Are Forever'' (2003)
* ''Nowhere Man'' (2005)
* ''Attack of the Tromaggot'' (2006)
* ''The Deepening'' (2007)
* ''Dog'' (2009)
* ''Fearmakers'' (2008)
* ''Colour From The Dark'' (2008)
* ''
Dahmer Vs. Gacy
''Dahmer vs. Gacy'' is a 2010 American comedy horror film directed by Ford Austin and written by Andrew J. Rausch. The film won the Audience Award at the 2010 Bare Bones International Film Festival.
Plot
A secret government lab run by Dr. Stra ...
'' (2009)
* ''Dark Karma'' (2009)
* ''
Hanger'' (2009)
* ''Nun of That'' (2009)
* ''Stopped Dead'' (2009)
* ''Cottonmouth'' (2009)
* ''Killer Hoo Ha'' (2010)
* ''Psychic Experiment'' (2010) (formally ''Walking Distance'')
* ''
Slime City Massacre
''Slime City Massacre'' is a 2010 American science fiction comedy horror film directed by Greg Lamberson and starring Jennifer Bihl, Kealan Patrick Burke, Debbie Rochon and Robert Sabin. It is a sequel to the 1988 film '' Slime City'', also dir ...
'' (2010)
* ''Won Ton Baby!'' (2010)
* ''
As Night Falls'' (2010)
* ''Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation'' (2010)
* ''Sick Boy'' (2011)
* ''Exhumed'' (2011)
* ''Solid State'' (2012)
* ''Wrath of the Crows'' (2013)
* ''Billy's Cult'' (2013)
* ''Richard the Lionheart: Rebellion'' (2014)
* ''
Disciples
A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to:
Religion
* Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ
* Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples
* Seventy disciples in ...
'' (2014)
* ''The House of Covered Mirrors'' (2015)
* ''
Killer Rack
''Killer Rack'' is a 2015 American musical horror comedy film directed by Greg Lamberson and written by Paul McGinnis. The film, which was shot in Buffalo, New York, was screened at several film festivals, and profits from promotional stickers wer ...
'' (2015)
* ''The Ungovernable Force'' (2016)
* ''Dollface'' (2015)
* ''Accidental Switch'' (2016)
* ''
Death House'' (2017) as Leatherlace
Awards
* 1st Runner up in Joe Bob Briggs' 1996 Hubbie Award for Best Actress in "Abducted II: The Reunion" (1994).
*1997 Barbarella Award for best actress in "Broadcast Bombshells" (1995).
*2002 Phantom of the Movies' Videoscope award "Best Psychette" (Best Female Psycho in a movie) for her role as 'Jane Toppan' in "American Nightmare" (2002).
* 'Scream Queen of the Decade Award' (1990 to present) from Draculina Magazine (2003)reader's poll.
* Inducted into the B-Movie Hall of Fame October 2004.
* 2004 Micro Cinema Film Festival Award for "Best Actress in a Comedy" for her work in "Dr. Horror's Erotic House of Idiots".
*Won Best Supporting Actress Award for her work in the comedy sci-fi send-up "Screech of the Decapitated" at the 2005 B-Movie Awards.
Official Biography
*Won Best Actress at the 2011 Buffalo Screams Film Festival for her role in Bart Mastronardi
Bart Mastronardi is an American director, screenwriter, cinematographer and producer. He resides in New York City, teaching Camera, Lighting, and Director's craft at the prestigious New York Film Academy. His debut feature '' Vindication'' ...
's THE TELL TALE HEART - part of the TALES OF POE (2012) horror anthology.
*Was inducted into The Hell of Fame Feb. 2012.
*Won Best Actress Award at The Golden Cobs 2011 for her role in Alien Vengeance (2010).
*Won Best Actress Award at the Macabre Faire Film Festival 2012 for her role in The Tell Tale Heart.
*Served as a jury member on the first all female jury at The Oldenburg Film Festival 2012, alongside Mira Sorvino, Gabrielle Miller, Tamar Simon Hoffs and Lana Morgan.
*Won Best Actress Award at the 2012 Terror Film Festival for her work in The Tell Tale Heart.
*Won Best Actress Award at the 2012 Pollygrind Film Festival for her work in Exhumed.
*Honored with the inaugural Ingrid Pitt Award for Excellence and Perseverance in Horror on January 12, 2013.
References
External links
Official website
*
Debbie Rochon Interview at Buried.com
Debbie Rochon Interview at (re)Search my Trash
''Modern Drunkard Magazine
''Modern Drunkard'' is a glossy color periodical humorously promoting the lifestyle of the "functional alcoholic".
History
Frank Kelly Rich founded ''Modern Drunkard'' in 1996. The first issue was 16 photocopied pages with made-up ads; in 20 ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochon, Debbie
Canadian film actresses
Canadian stage actresses
Living people
Actresses from Vancouver
1968 births