Erica Gavin (born Donna Graff; July 22, 1947) is an American film actress best known for playing the title role in

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...

's 1968 film ''

Vixen! ''Vixen!'' is a 1968 American drama film and satiric softcore sexploitation film directed by Russ Meyer and starring Erica Gavin. It was the first film to be given an X rating for its sex scenes, and was a breakthrough success for Meyer. The ...

Early years

Gavin was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. At age 19, she worked as a topless dancer in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

with two other future Russ Meyer stars,

Haji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...

and

Tura Satana Tura Satana (July 10, 1938Some sources give her birth year as 1935, i.e. Dave Itzkoff"Tura Satana, Cult Actress, Is Dead" ''New York Times'', February 5, 2011; accessed January 8, 2014. – February 4, 2011) was a Japanese American actress, v ...

. While waiting in a dentist's office, she saw an advertisement in ''Variety'' for girls to audition for the new Russ Meyer movie ''Vixen!'' She auditioned and won the role, which launched her to stardom in low budget, independent films, incorrectly called "B" films, which refer to a type of film made during the Studio Era.

Career

Following ''Vixen!'', Gavin appeared in one more Russ Meyer film, ''

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satirical musical melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, and David Gurian. The film was directed by Russ Meyer and scr ...

'', written by famed film critic Roger Ebert. She also appeared in

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...

's women-in-prison film ''

Caged Heat ''Caged Heat'', also known as ''Renegade Girls'', is a 1974 women in prison film. It was written and directed by Jonathan Demme (in his directorial debut) for New World Pictures, headed by Roger Corman. The film stars Juanita Brown, Roberta Coll ...

''.

Personal life

Gavin currently resides in

, where she works as a stylist and occasionally makes appearances at movie memorabilia conventions. She said in a 2006 interview that she is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

Filmography

*''Initiation'' (1968) - Jan *''

'' (1968) - Vixen Palmer *''

'' (1970) - Roxanne *''Erika's Hot Summer'' (1971) - Erika *''Godmonster of Indian Flats'' (1973) - Girl at bar *''

'' (1974) - Jacqueline Wilson *''

3 Stories About Evil ''3 Stories About Evil'' is a 2008 short, experimental narrative film directed by Michael Frost and photographed by Andrew K. Sachs. It was written by Walter Reuben and stars Mink Stole, Erica Gavin, Joe Dallesandro, and Billy Drago. It premiered ...

'' (2008) - Mrs. Harris

References

External links

Official site
* *
An Interview With Erica Gavin at Rock! Shock! Pop!
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gavin, Erica American film actresses Bisexual actresses 20th-century American women 1947 births Living people Actresses from Los Angeles American bisexual actors LGBT people from California 21st-century American women