Pamela Catherine Gidley (June 11, 1965 – April 16, 2018) was an American actress and model. She began her career as an actress in 1986, debuting in the film ''
Thrashin'
''Thrashin (released in the Philippines as ''Challenge to Win: Thrashin) is a 1986 American skater drama film directed by David Winters and starring Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler, and Pamela Gidley.
The film features appearances from many famous ...
'', before appearing in a number of films, including '' Dudes'' (1987), '' Cherry 2000'' (1987), ''
The Blue Iguana
''The Blue Iguana'' is a 1988 American crime film directed by John Lafia and starring Dylan McDermott, Jessica Harper, Pamela Gidley and James Russo. The plot is about a bounty hunter who is blackmailed into stopping the transfer of twenty mill ...
Highway to Hell
''Highway to Hell'' is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who would die early the following year on 19 February 1980.
Background
By 1978 ...
Jane Austen's Mafia
''Mafia!'', also known as ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'', is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Jay Mohr, Lloyd Bridges (in one of his final films), Olympia Dukakis and Christina Applegate.
The film spoofs Francis ...
'' (1998), and '' The Little Vampire'' (2000).
Gidley is also known for her roles in television series, including ''
Strange Luck
''Strange Luck'' is an American television series that aired on Fox, created by Karl Schaefer and starring D. B. Sweeney in the role of Chance Harper who constantly stumbles into unusual situations. The series aired on Fox from 1995 to 1996. A t ...
'' as Audrey Weston (1995–1996), and her recurring role as Brigitte on '' The Pretender'' (1997–2000).
Biography
Early life
Gidley was born in
Methuen, Massachusetts
Methuen () is a 23 square mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of ...
, and raised in
Salem, New Hampshire
Salem is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 30,089 at the 2020 census. Being located on Interstate 93 as the first town in New Hampshire, which lacks any state sales tax, Salem has grown into a commer ...
, the third of four siblings and the only daughter. She had two older brothers, Glenn and Daniel, and one younger brother, Brian.
She won the Wilhemina Modeling Agency's "Most Beautiful Girl in the World" contest on March 12, 1985, in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia. As her modeling career had taken off, Gidley studied acting at the New York Academy of Dramatic Art under actress and acting teacher
Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Stella Adler Studio of Acting
The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.
. She eventually moved to
Los Angeles
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' ...
to pursue her career in acting.
Career
Gidley made her acting debut in the 1986 film ''
Thrashin'
''Thrashin (released in the Philippines as ''Challenge to Win: Thrashin) is a 1986 American skater drama film directed by David Winters and starring Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler, and Pamela Gidley.
The film features appearances from many famous ...
''. She appeared in several films of the 1980s including '' Dudes'', '' Permanent Record'', ''
The Blue Iguana
''The Blue Iguana'' is a 1988 American crime film directed by John Lafia and starring Dylan McDermott, Jessica Harper, Pamela Gidley and James Russo. The plot is about a bounty hunter who is blackmailed into stopping the transfer of twenty mill ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
; ''Disturbed'', alongside
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised i ...
; ''
Highway to Hell
''Highway to Hell'' is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who would die early the following year on 19 February 1980.
Background
By 1978 ...
''; the comedy ''
Jane Austen's Mafia!
''Mafia!'', also known as ''Jane Austen's Mafia!'', is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Jay Mohr, Lloyd Bridges (in one of his final films), Olympia Dukakis and Christina Applegate.
The film spoofs Francis ...
''; the comedy horror '' Aberration'', a film in which she starred in the lead role; and ''Kiss & Tell'', a film in which Gidley also served as producer. In 2000, she appeared in the family comedy '' The Little Vampire''. Her last film was the
direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
comedy ''Cake Boy''.
Gidley is perhaps best known for her roles in television series. Her first appearance in television was in an episode of the action adventure series ''
MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both p ...
''. She had three appearances as Army Lieutenant Nikki Raines in ''
Tour of Duty
For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...
'' during the 1987–1988 season. She also had the recurring role of Brigitte Parker in '' The Pretender''. Her character was the first to be introduced on the show's official website before any of the episodes had aired. She played another recurring character,
Teri Miller
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' featured an extensive range of minor characters in addition to its main cast. The American procedural forensics crime drama television series ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015. Spanning 15 s ...
on ''
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
''. She appeared in the show's
first
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and third seasons.
She starred as Audrey Westin in the short-lived mystery series ''
Strange Luck
''Strange Luck'' is an American television series that aired on Fox, created by Karl Schaefer and starring D. B. Sweeney in the role of Chance Harper who constantly stumbles into unusual situations. The series aired on Fox from 1995 to 1996. A t ...
'' which lasted one season. Other television credits include '' Crime Story'', ''
Tour of Duty
For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...
'', and the serial drama ''
Skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...
'', which was cancelled after just eight episodes, and she guest starred in an episode of ''
The Closer
''The Closer'' is an Television in the United States, American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Chief of police#United States, deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator o ...
''.
Death
Gidley died at her home in
Seabrook, New Hampshire
Seabrook is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,401 at the 2020 census. Located at the southern end of the coast of New Hampshire on the border with Massachusetts, Seabrook is noted as the location of th ...
, on April 16, 2018, aged 52.The cause of death had not been made public as of April 30, 2018.
Filmography
Film
Television
Documentary
* 1997 ''Scratch the Surface''
* 2014 ''Moving Through Time: Fire Walk with Me Memories'' (Video short)