[
]
Career beginnings
Wilkes began acting again at age 17. Her first role was the part of Jackie Peters in the 1978 Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
film ''Jaws 2
''Jaws 2'' is a 1978 American thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and co-written by Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's ''Jaws'' (1975), and the second installment in the ''Jaws'' franchise. The film stars Roy Scheider a ...
''. That same year, she starred as Meredith in ''Almost Summer
''Almost Summer'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Martin Davidson, and produced by Motown Productions for Universal Pictures. It is the only Motown theatrical feature not to center on African-American characters. Set in a generic Southe ...
'', which earned her a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card. At around age 18, she married 39-year-old actor Billy Gray, known for his work on ''Father Knows Best
''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by E ...
''. The marriage soon ended in divorce.
In 1980, Wilkes portrayed the mentally-unstable daughter of a psychologist (played by Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor, equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality. He appeared in over 130 film roles in a c ...
) in the horror film ''Schizoid
Schizoid personality disorder (, often abbreviated as SzPD or ScPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency toward a solitary or sheltered lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness ...
''. She subsequently starred in the Oregon-shot slasher film '' Blood Song'' (1982) opposite Frankie Avalon
Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...
, playing a disabled young woman stalked by a maniacal killer with whom she has a telepathic connection.
''Angel'', hiatus, and later career
Wilkes had a central role as Pamela Prentiss on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives
''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...
'' from 1983 to 1984.
She subsequently gained international attention for her leading role in the cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
sexploitation film ''Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
'', in which she played Molly "Angel" Stewart, a high school honor student by day, and a prostitute
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
by night, opposite Cliff Gorman
Cliff Gorman (born Joel Joshua Goldberg; October 13, 1936 – September 5, 2002) was an American stage and screen actor. He won an Obie award in 1968 for the stage presentation of '' The Boys in the Band'', and went on to reprise his role in the ...
, Susan Tyrrell, Dick Shawn
Dick Shawn (born Richard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor and comedian. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comed ...
, and Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as '' How to Marry a Milli ...
. The film spawned three unsuccessful sequels in which Wilkes had no involvement. Wilkes was 22 or so at the time she played the 15-year-old character. To prepare for the role, she spent time in halfway houses and rehabilitation centers in Los Angeles.[ Released by ]New World Pictures
New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 197 ...
in January 1984, ''Angel'' was a box-office hit, grossing $17.5 million in the United States.
Following ''Angel'', Wilkes continued to work in television, making guest appearances on the series '' Partners in Crime'' (1984), ''Hell Town
''Born to the West'' (reissue title ''Hell Town'') is a 1937 American Western film starring John Wayne, Marsha Hunt, and John Mack Brown. Filmed in black and white and based upon a Zane Grey novel, the movie incorporates footage from an ea ...
'' (1985), and '' Dragnet'' (1989). She also had a supporting role in the horror film ''Grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
'' (1988), co-starring with Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...
and Tab Hunter
Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of t ...
.
Wilkes abandoned her acting career in the early 1990s after giving birth to her daughter.[ She returned to acting in the 2010s, appearing in the independent films ''My Stepbrother Is a Vampire!?!'' (2013), ''90210 Shark Attack'' (2014) and ''Buzz Cut'' (2021).]
Filmography
Film
Television
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, Donna
Actresses from New York City
American film actresses
American people of French descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Salvadoran descent
American people of Spanish descent
American television actresses
Hispanic and Latino American actresses
Living people
People from East Harlem
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Year of birth missing (living people)