Laurie Lee Bartram (May 16, 1958May 25, 2007)
was an American actress and ballet dancer best known for her role as "Brenda" in the 1980 landmark slasher film ''
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...
''.
Career
Bartram was an actress and ballet dancer. She is perhaps best known for her role as the camp counselor Brenda in the original film ''
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...
'', a performance where she was praised as one of the more "likeable" characters in the film. Bartram also appeared in the soap opera ''
Another World'' as recurring character Karen Campbell, and in two episodes of the 1972 TV series ''
Emergency!
''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situatio ...
'', although she was credited as "Laurie Brighton". She also had an uncredited appearance in the 1974 horror film ''
The House of Seven Corpses'' as Debbie.
After ''
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...
'', Bartram directed and choreographed local theater productions, made costumes for numerous productions and did voice work for local businesses including
WSET in
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
. She also did numerous local commercials and billboards.
Personal life
After leaving the entertainment industry in the early 1980s, Bartram became a
born again Christian
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
and decided to pursue an education. She attended Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University), where she met her future husband, Gregory McCauley. The couple had five children,
named Lauren, Scott, Jordan, Francis, and Isabelle, all of whom were home-schooled. Bartram resided in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, and later in
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
, where she lived at the time of her death.
[
]
Death
Bartram died from pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
on May 25, 2007, nine days after her forty-ninth birthday. The documentary '' His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th'' was dedicated to her memory, as well as several other deceased cast and crew members.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartram, Laurie
1958 births
2007 deaths
American ballerinas
American film actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from St. Louis
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Deaths from cancer in Virginia
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American women
20th-century American ballet dancers