P. J. Soles | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Soles in 2015 | |
| Born | Pamela Jayne Hardon (1950-07-17)July 17, 1950 (age 75) |
| Alma mater | Briarcliff College Georgetown University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1973–2019 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Pamela Jayne Soles (néeHardon; born July 17, 1950)[1] is an American retired[citation needed] actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson inBrian De Palma'sCarrie (1976) before portrayingLynda van der Klok inJohn Carpenter'sHalloween (1978) and Riff Randell inAllan Arkush'sRock 'n' Roll High School (1979).
She has since appeared in a variety of films, includingBreaking Away (1979),Private Benjamin (1980),Stripes (1981),Sweet Dreams (1985), andJawbreaker (1999), and cult classics such asThe Devil's Rejects (2005) andBeg (2011). She has been regarded as ascream queen.[2]
Soles was born Pamela Jayne Hardon inFrankfurt, Germany, to an American mother fromNew Jersey, Nancy Hardon (née Seiden), and a Dutch father fromRotterdam, Cornelis Johannes Hardon II.[3][4] Her maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from Lithuania and Austria.[5] At the time of her birth, her father was working for an international insurance company and the family moved all over the world. Soles lived inCasablanca, Morocco, andMaracaibo, Venezuela, where she learned to speak fluent Spanish, and thenBrussels, Belgium, where she went to high school at theInternational School of Brussels.[6]
Soles attendedBriarcliff College inWhite Plains, New York, later transferring toGeorgetown University,and had aspirations to become the first woman ambassador to theSoviet Union.[failed verification (See discussion.)][6] This career goal changed when she visited theActors Studio in New York City, and Soles was inspired to pursue acting.[6]
Soles moved toManhattan and began acting in commercials and modeling for fashion magazines. In 1974, she was hired by directorPerry Henzell to portray a shampoo model in his filmNo Place Like Home. It would have been her first film appearance, but Henzell was not able to complete the film until 2006.[7] She relocated to Los Angeles in 1975.[6]
She was among the hundreds of actors auditioning forBrian De Palma andGeorge Lucas in their joint casting session forCarrie (1976) andStar Wars (1977). She originally auditioned for the role ofPrincess Leia inStar Wars, but the role ultimately went toCarrie Fisher.[8] However, she was cast as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma'sCarrie. She starred alongsideSissy Spacek,Nancy Allen,John Travolta,Amy Irving, andPiper Laurie. Originally, her character was just a minor role, and only supposed to have one line, but De Palma liked her so much that he expanded her role, as the secondary antagonist to Allen's Chris Hargensen.[9] Soles was injured on the set during filming, when a blast from a fire hose during the prom scene ruptured her eardrum.[10]
The same year, she reunited withCarrie co-starJohn Travolta inRandal Kleiser's television filmThe Boy in the Plastic Bubble.[11] Subsequently, she went toGeorgia to filmOur Winning Season (1978) and met actorDennis Quaid. They were married in 1978 inTexas on adude ranch, and both appeared in the filmBreaking Away in 1979.
She is most known for her performance as Lynda van der Klok in the classic horror filmHalloween (1978) directed byJohn Carpenter, the final victim of the characterMichael Myers. Carpenter wanted her for his filmHalloween after seeingCarrie.[12] He wrote the role of Lynda specifically for her because of the way she said the word "totally".
The following year, Soles was cast as Riff Randell in the musical comedy filmRock 'n' Roll High School (1979) withthe Ramones. She has a singing credit for a second version of the title song on the movie's soundtrack. She reprised the role of Riff Randell in the artwork for the albumWhatever Happened to P.J. Soles? byLocal H.
In 1980, Soles portrayed Private Wanda Winter in the comedy filmPrivate Benjamin. The following year, she portrayed a military police officer who becomesBill Murray's girlfriend, Stella Hansen, in the comedy filmStripes.
In 1981, Soles filmed a new scene to be inserted into the television version ofHalloween.
In 1985, Soles starred alongsideJessica Lange as Wanda inKarel Reisz's biographical filmSweet Dreams. In 1999, Soles was cast in the black comedy filmJawbreaker. Soles appeared inthe Donnas' music video for "Too Bad About Your Girl" (2003) as her character Riff Randell fromRock 'n' Roll High School. In 2005, Soles played the victim, Susan, of a family on a murderous rampage in theRob Zombie movieThe Devil's Rejects. In 2012, she starred alongsideBarbara Steele,Heather Langenkamp,Camille Keaton, andAdrienne King inThe Butterfly Room.
In 2018, Soles was cast in a speakingcameo role as a teacher in the direct sequel,Halloween, directed byDavid Gordon Green.
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She marriedJ. Steven Soles in 1973, when she resided in New York City, but then made the move to Los Angeles to work in television and movies. Soles and she subsequently divorced in 1975, although she decided to retain the name P.J. Soles as her stage name. She was later married to actorDennis Quaid, whom she met on the set of the filmOur Winning Season,[13] from 1978 until their divorce in early 1983. Later that same year, she marriedSkip Holm, who was a stunt pilot onThe Right Stuff (1983). They have a son named Sky (born 1983) and a daughter named Ashley (born 1988). Holm and she divorced in 1998.
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Blood Bath | (undetermined role) | Joel M. Reed |
| 1976 | Carrie | Norma Watson | Brian De Palma |
| 1978 | Our Winning Season | Cindy Hawkins | Joseph Ruben |
| 1978[a] | Halloween | Lynda Van Der Klok | John Carpenter |
| 1979 | Old Boyfriends | Sandy | Joan Tewkesbury |
| 1979 | Breaking Away | Suzy | Peter Yates |
| 1979 | Rock 'n' Roll High School | Riff Randell | Allan Arkush |
| 1980 | Private Benjamin | Pvt. Wanda Winter | Howard Zieff |
| 1981 | Stripes | Stella Hansen | Ivan Reitman |
| 1981 | Soggy Bottom, USA | Sharlene | Theodore J. Flicker |
| 1984 | Listen to the City | Sophia | Ron Mann |
| 1984 | Innocent Prey | Cathy Wills | Colin Eggleston |
| 1985 | Sweet Dreams | Wanda | Karel Reisz |
| 1988 | Saigon Commandos | Jean Lassiter | Clark Henderson |
| 1989 | B.O.R.N. | Liz | Ross Hagen |
| 1990 | Alienator | Tara | Fred Olen Ray |
| 1991 | Soldier's Fortune | Debra | Arthur N. Mele |
| 1995 | The Power Within | Mrs. Applegate | Art Camacho |
| 1996 | Uncle Sam | Madge Cronin | William Lustig |
| 1997 | Little Bigfoot | Carolyn | Art Camacho |
| 1999 | Jawbreaker | Mrs. Purr | Darren Stein |
| 2000 | Blast | Deputy | Martin Schenk |
| 2000 | Mirror Mirror 4: Reflections | Annika's Mom | Paulette Victor-Lifton |
| 2001 | Kept | Celia | George Santo Pietro |
| 2002 | Silence(short) | Jan | Mateen Osayande Kemet |
| 2005 | Pee Stains and Other Disasters | Jenny | Jon Carnoy |
| 2005 | Murder on the Yellow Brick Road | Hannah Gruber | Ross Hagen |
| 2005 | The Devil's Rejects | Susan | Rob Zombie |
| 2005 | Death by Engagement | Mrs. Starkington | Philip Creager |
| 2006 | The Tooth Fairy | Mrs. MacDonald | Chuck Bowman |
| 2006 | Ray of Sunshine | Mother | Norbert Meisel |
| 2006[b] | No Place Like Home | P.J. | Perry Henzell |
| 2006 | Dead Calling | Valerie Redmond | Mike Nichols |
| 2007 | Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy | (undetermined role) | |
| 2008 | Love in the Age of Fishsticks | God(voice) | Yun Shin |
| 2008 | Prank | Marianne | |
| 2008 | Alone in the Dark II | Martha | |
| 2009[c] | Imps*(segment: "Soda") | Young Lady | Scott Mansfield |
| 2011 | Beg | Eva Fox | Kevin MacDonald |
| 2012 | Eternal | Lucinda | Derek Rimelspach |
| 2012 | The Butterfly Room | Lauren | Jonathan Zarantonello |
| 2013 | Chastity Bites | Lea's Mom(voice) | John V. Knowles |
| 2016 | Grindsploitation(segment: "Arbor Day") | Dr. Ramone | Jim Towns |
| 2017 | November First(short) | Barista | |
| 2018 | Halloween | Teacher(voice cameo) | David Gordon Green |
| 2019 | No Place like Home: Redux | P.J. | Perry Henzell |
| 2019 | Candy Corn | Marcy Taylor | Josh Hasty |
| 2019 | Killer Therapy | Dr. Emily Lewis | Barry Jay |
| 2019 | Hanukkah | Mrs. Horowitz | Eben McGarr |
| 2019 | 13 Girls | Medical Examiner | Jim Towns |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Love Is a Many Splendored Thing | (undetermined role) | Unknown episode(s) |
| 1976 | The Blue Knight | Minnesota | "Upward Mobility" (S2E3) |
| 1976 | The Boy in the Plastic Bubble | Deborah | TV movie |
| 1977 | The Possessed | Marty | TV movie |
| 1977 | Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn | (undetermined role, uncredited) | TV movie |
| 1977 | Calling Doctor Storm, M. D. | Sarah Baynes | Short TV movie |
| 1978 | Zuma Beach | Nancy | TV movie |
| 1982 | Romance Theatre | Cassie | "The Awakening of Cassie" (5 parts) |
| 1983 | The Other Woman | Mary Louise | TV movie |
| 1983 | Sawyer and Finn | Becky Thatcher | TV movie |
| 1983 | Simon & Simon | 'Crazy Susan' Sackwell | "D.J., D.O.A." (S3E2) |
| 1984 | Cheers | Julie | "Rebound: Part 2" (S3E2) |
| 1984 | Airwolf | Ellie | "HX-1" (S2E8) |
| 1984 | Simon & Simon | Martin Collins | "Our Fair City" (S4E10) |
| 1985 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Ellen Styner | "Something's Going on on This Train" (S3E4) |
| 1986 | Knight Rider | Ellen Whitby | "Out of the Woods" (S4E14) |
| 1994 | Rebel Highway | Evelyn Randall | "Shake, Rattle and Rock!" |
| 1995 | Out There | Religious Nut | TV movie |
Additional credits
Self appearances
July 17: P.J. Soles, 70
While making the movie, P.J. Soles and Dennis Quaid met, fell in love, and are now planning to get married Thanksgiving.
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