Joan Marie Severance (December 23, 1958) is an American actress and former
fashion model
A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...
.
Early life
Severance was born in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, the daughter of Martha and John C. Severance. Her father was an
IBM systems manager who had to move frequently around the world. "By the time I was 11," said Severance, "we'd lived in 12 different places." Her family and she also lived in
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, but in 1967 had to flee the country because of the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
. They left the Middle East and returned to the United States, settling in Houston.
[The Most Twisted Sister in Prime Time, Wiseguy's Joan Severance Gives a Brand New Meaning to Hedonism](_blank)
on ''People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
''; Kaufman, Joanne (March 7, 1988)
Severance attended
Westbury High School, and at age 15, started modeling to make money for college. Although she hoped to become a veterinarian, she could not afford the cost of tuition. After appearing in the "Miss Houston" beauty contest, she was discovered by Alan Martin, a local photographer in Houston, who introduced her to
John Casablancas
John Casablancas (December 12, 1942 – July 20, 2013) was an American modeling agent and scout who founded Elite Model Management. Casablancas is remembered for his development of the supermodel concept. He is the father of The Strokes front ...
. Casablancas signed her up with the
Elite modeling agency
Elite Model Management (MM) refers to two independent chain modeling agencies that originated as one in Paris, France in 1972 with subsequent locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Toronto. In 2004, the agencies in New York, Miami, ...
and sent her on assignment to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. During this time, she met her future husband, model Eric Milan.
Career
Modeling
During her time in Paris, she posed for ''Sportswear International'', ''
Vogue Paris
The French edition of ''Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'', is a fashion magazine that has been published since 1920.
History 1920–54
The French edition of ''Vogue'' was first issued on 15 June 1920, the first editor-in-chief b ...
'', and others.
Upon her return to the United States, Severance became one of America's top models, filming over 40 commercials, and earning $7,500 per day.
She has also modeled for
Versace
Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...
,
Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
, and
Armani
Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...
.
Severance was also on the covers of the January 1990 and November 1992 issues of ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'' magazine, both featuring her in a
nude pictorial. More recently, at age 52, she appeared in a six-page editorial along with an interview in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue of ''Genlux'' magazine.
Acting
In 1986, Severance began auditioning for acting bits at the urging of her friend
Robin Leach
Robin Douglas Leach (29 August 1941 – 24 August 2018) was a British entertainment reporter and writer from London. After beginning his career as a print journalist, first in England and then in the United States, he became best known fo ...
.
She made her debut in a small role in the first ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...
'' film in 1987. She usually takes the "
femme fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
" roles in low-budget horror and murder-mystery movies including ''
Lake Consequence'' (1990), ''
Bird on a Wire'' (1993), ''
Criminal Passion
''Criminal Passion'' is a 1994 American mystery erotic thriller film directed by Donna Deitch. It was released for streaming by its producer in 2021 with the title ''Angel of Desire''.
Cast
* Joan Severance - Melanie Hudson
* Anthony Denison - ...
'' (1994), and ''
Payback
Payback may refer to:
* Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Payback may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
'' (1995). She was featured alongside
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
and
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...
in the 1989 comedy ''
See No Evil, Hear No Evil'', and as
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
's love interest, Samantha N. Moore, in the wrestling film ''
No Holds Barred
No holds barred or No Holds Barred may refer to:
* ''No Holds Barred'' (1952 film), a film starring The Bowery Boys
* ''No Holds Barred'' (1989 film), a film starring Hulk Hogan
* ''No Holds Barred'' (Biohazard album) (1997)
* ''No Holds Barred ...
'' (1989). She had leading roles in
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...
's ''
Black Scorpion'' (1995). She starred in and co-produced the sequels ''
Black Scorpion II: Aftershock'' (1997) and ''
The Last Seduction II
''The Last Seduction II'' is a 1999 neo-noir film directed by Terry Marcel and starring Joan Severance. The film is a sequel to ''The Last Seduction'' and features none of the original cast or filmmakers.
Plot
Bridget Gregory, a femme fatale hid ...
'' (1999).
She appeared in the
Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
' video for their 1988 song, "
Rhythm of Love."
Her most extensive role was a villainess for an eleven-episode story arc of the TV series ''
Wiseguy''; she played Susan Profitt, half of a brother/sister crime team (the other half was played by
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...
) to great acclaim. Their partnership was reprised in ''See No Evil, Hear No Evil''. In the early 1990s, Severance appeared as Samantha "Sam" Dooley, the Martian Belle, in two training videos for
Virtual World Entertainment alongside other actors such as
Cheech Marin
:''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í.
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...
,
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
,
R. Lee Ermey, and
Judge Reinhold
Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who has starred in several Hollywood movies, such as ''Ruthless People'', ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', ''Stripes'' and ''Gremlins'', and co-starred in all of the fil ...
. From 1998 to 1999, Severance played Security Chief Camille Hunter on the Aaron Spelling television series ''
Love Boat: The Next Wave'' on
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
.
In 2006, Severance appeared in
My Network TV telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
''
Wicked Wicked Games
''Wicked Wicked Games'' is a telenovela that debuted on December 6, 2006 on the American television network MyNetworkTV. Twentieth Television produced 63 episodes to air weekdays. The limited-run serial was directed by Terry Cunningham, Dennis ...
''. She was also in shows such as ''
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'' and ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
''. In 2013, she was in ''
American Horror Story: Asylum''. In 2014, she was on ''Celebrity Wife Swap'' with Robin Leach.
Personal life
Severance married fellow model Eric Milan in 1977. They separated amicably in 1984. According to Severance, they "just grew apart".
Severance was diagnosed with
vitiligo
Vitiligo is a disorder that causes the skin to lose its color. Specific causes are unknown but studies suggest a link to immune system changes.
Signs and symptoms
The only sign of vitiligo is the presence of pale patchy areas of depigmen ...
when she was eight years old; the primary area affected by the disease is her eyes.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Severance, Joan
Actresses from Houston
American female models
American television actresses
American film actresses
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
1958 births