Candace June Clark (born June 20, 1947) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Debbie Dunham in the 1973 film ''
American Graffiti'', for which she received a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
, and her role as Mary Lou in the 1976 film ''
The Man Who Fell to Earth''.
Early life
Born in
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...
, to Ella (née Padberg) and Thomas Clark, a chef, she grew up in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
. She attended
Green B. Trimble Technical High School.
Career
Clark's first acting role was the character of Faye in
John Huston's film ''
Fat City'' (1972). She also starred or acted in ''
American Graffiti'' (1973), ''
The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976), ''
The Big Sleep'' (1978), ''
Q'' (1982), ''
Blue Thunder'' (1983), ''
Amityville 3-D'' (1983), ''
Cat's Eye'' (1985) and ''
At Close Range'' (1986) and played the role of Francine Hewitt in ''
The Blob'' (1988).
She appeared in the 2009 film ''
The Informant!'' as the mother of
Mark Whitacre, played by
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
. In 2011, Clark went to Berlin to work on the play ''Images of Louise Brooks'', directed by Sven Mundt.
Along with her film work, she also has made guest appearances on television series, including ''
the Dating Game'', ''
Magnum, P.I.'', ''
Banacek'', ''
Simon & Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who ope ...
'', ''
Matlock'', ''
Baywatch Nights'', ''
Criminal Minds'', and ''
Twin Peaks: The Return''.
Clark appeared on
Ken Reid's ''TV Guidance Counselor'' podcast on January 20, 2017.
Her 2025 memoir, ''Tight Heads'', features her
Polaroid photographs capturing her time during the
New Hollywood
The New Hollywood, Hollywood Renaissance, American New Wave, or New American Cinema (not to be confused with the New American Cinema of the 1960s that was part of Experimental film, avant-garde underground film, underground cinema), was a movemen ...
era.
Personal life
Clark dated
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...
for several years after they met on the set of ''
Fat City'' in 1972.
She was married to
Marjoe Gortner from 1978 to 1979. She married Jeff Wald in 1987 and divorced him in 1988.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
AllMovie.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Candy
1947 births
Living people
Actresses from Oklahoma
American film actresses
American television actresses
People from Norman, Oklahoma
Actresses from Fort Worth, Texas
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses