Largo Woodruff (born July 18, 1955) is an American actress who appeared in numerous films in the 1980s. She began her career appearing in commercials before landing a bit part in

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's ''

Stardust Memories ''Stardust Memories'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper and Marie-Christine Barrault. Sharon Stone has a brief role, in her film debut. The film is abo ...

'' (1980). Her first major featured role was in

Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influenti ...

's slasher film ''

The Funhouse ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1981). She also appeared in the controversial television film ''The Choice'' (1981), as well as the biopic ''

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

'' (1981) and its 1983

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

Life and career

Early life

Largo Woodruff was born July 18, 1955 in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

to Wallace and Maxine Woodruff, the second of three children. She has one elder sister, Allegro, a writer, and a younger brother, Lento, a carpenter and offshore oil rigger. Woodruff's father was a professional orchestra musician, and her parents named her and her brothers after musical

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

s, with her name, ''Largo'', meaning a wide or broadly slow tempo. Woodruff was raised in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

from age 2. As a child, she studied various dance as well as cello and guitar. At age 18, she relocated to New York City with the hopes of becoming an actress, and enrolled at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

Career

After relocating to New York, Woodruff was hired as a dancer in an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

theatrical production, and also began acting in commercials, appearing in television advertisements for

A&W Root Beer A&W Root Beer is an American brand of root beer that was founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen – A&W root beer's official history and primarily available in the United States and Canada. Allen partnered with Frank Wright in 1922, creating the A&W ...

Kraft Foods The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015. A merger with Heinz, arra ...

, and Ruffles. She had minor

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

s in ''

Fingers A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

'' (1978) and

's ''

'' (1980). Also in 1980, she appeared in an ''

ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presen ...

'' entitled "Stoned." Her first major feature film role was as Liz Duncan in

's slasher film ''

'' (1981), filmed in Miami. She also appeared in the controversial television drama film ''The Choice'' (1981) opposite

Susan Clark Susan Clark (born Nora Golding; March 8, 1943) is a Canadian actress, known for her movie roles such as ''Coogan's Bluff'' and '' Colossus: The Forbin Project'', and for her role as Katherine Papadopolis on the American television sitcom '' Web ...

and

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actor, who in his six decades of television is known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

, which followed a young woman who undergoes an abortion. The same year, she had a leading role in the television film ''

'', a biopic about

Bill Sackter William Sackter (April 13, 1913 – June 16, 1983) was an American man with an intellectual disability whose fame as the subject of two television movies and a feature-length documentary helped change national attitudes on persons with dis ...

starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

and

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include ''Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...

. She reprised her role for the film's sequel, '' Bill: On His Own'' (1983). In 1986, Woodruff appeared in a supporting role in the

rape and revenge film Rape and revenge films are a subgenre of exploitation film that was particularly popular in the 1970s, but attracted controversy as a target of extreme cinema. Explanation of the subgenre Rape and revenge films generally follow the same three-ac ...

The Ladies Club ''The Ladies Club'' is a 1986 American rape and revenge film, rape and revenge film directed by Janet Greek (under the pseudonym A.K. Allen) and starring Karen Austin, Diana Scarwid, Christine Belford, and Bruce Davison. It follows a Los Angeles p ...

'', and in 1990 had a role in '' Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen''. She subsequently appeared in the television film ''

Bare Essentials ''Bare Essentials'' is a 1991 American made-for-television comedy film starring Gregory Harrison, Mark Linn-Baker and Lisa Hartman. It was directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Allen Estrin and Mark Estrin. Plot Gordon (Linn-Baker) and Sy ...

'' (1991) and ''Taking the Heat'' (1993). Woodruff had a minor role in the 1999 drama film ''My Last Love'', and subsequently appeared in a bit part in the horror film ''

Jeepers Creepers 2 ''Jeepers Creepers 2'' is a 2003 American horror film written and directed by Victor Salva. A sequel to the 2001 film '' Jeepers Creepers'', the film finds the Creeper, a demonic creature and mysterious serial killer who pursues a school bus fi ...

'' (2003).

Filmography

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodruff, Largo 1955 births Actresses from Florida Actresses from New Jersey American film actresses American stage actresses Living people 21st-century American women