Joan Marie Severance (born December 23, 1958) is an American actress and formerfashion model.

Severance was born inHouston, Texas, the daughter of Martha and John C. Severance.^{[citation needed]} Her father was anIBM 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 inLibya, but in 1967 had to flee the country because of theSix-Day War. They left the Middle East and returned to the United States, settling in Houston.^[2]

Severance attendedWestbury High School,^[3] 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 toJohn Casablancas. Casablancas signed her up with theElite modeling agency and sent her on assignment toParis. During this time, she met her future husband, model Eric Milan.^[2]

During her time in Paris, she posed forSportswear International,Vogue Paris, and others.^[2][4] 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.^[2] She has also modeled forVersace,Chanel, andArmani.^[5]

Severance was also on the covers of the January 1990 and November 1992 issues ofPlayboy magazine, both featuring her in anude pictorial. More recently, at age 52, she appeared in a six-page editorial along with an interview in the Spring/Summer 2011 issue ofGenlux magazine.

In 1986, Severance began auditioning for acting bits at the urging of her friendRobin Leach.^[2] She made her debut in a small role in the firstLethal Weapon film in 1987. She usually takes the "femme fatale" roles in low-budget horror and murder-mystery movies includingLake Consequence (1992),Criminal Passion (1994), andPayback (1995). She was featured alongsideRichard Pryor andGene Wilder in the 1989 comedySee No Evil, Hear No Evil, and asHulk Hogan's love interest, Samantha N. Moore, in the wrestling filmNo Holds Barred (1989). She had leading roles inRoger Corman'sBlack Scorpion (1995). She starred in and co-produced the sequelsBlack Scorpion II: Aftershock (1997) andThe Last Seduction II (1999).

She appeared in theScorpions' video for their 1988 song, "Rhythm of Love."^[6]

Her most extensive role was a villainess for an eleven-episode story arc of the TV seriesWiseguy; she played Susan Profitt, half of a brother/sister crime team (the other half was played byKevin Spacey) to great acclaim.^[7] Their partnership was reprised inSee No Evil, Hear No Evil. In the early 1990s, Severance appeared as Samantha "Sam" Dooley, the Martian Belle, in two training videos forVirtual World Entertainment alongside other actors such asCheech Marin,"Weird Al" Yankovic,R. Lee Ermey, andJudge Reinhold.^[8][9] From 1998 to 1999, Severance played Security Chief Camille Hunter on the Aaron Spelling television seriesLove Boat: The Next Wave onUPN.

In 2006, Severance appeared inMy Network TVtelenovelaWicked Wicked Games. She was also in shows such asCSI: Miami andOne Tree Hill. In 2013, she was inAmerican Horror Story: Asylum. In 2014, she was onCelebrity Wife Swap with Robin Leach.

Severance married fellow model Eric Milan in 1977. They separated amicably in 1984. According to Severance, they "just grew apart".^[2] Severance was diagnosed withvitiligo when she was eight years old; the primary area affected by the disease is the skin around her eyes.^[10]

• Official website
• Joan Severance atIMDb

• Actresses from Houston
• American female models
• American television actresses
• American film actresses
• Living people
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• 1958 births

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