Jill Schoelen
Born: 1963-03-21 in Burbank, California, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Jill Marie Schoelen (born March 21, 1963) is an American actress. A more unconventional husky-voiced "scream queen" heroine of the 1980s was Jill Schoelen, daughter of well-known fashion designer Dorothy Schoelen. Born and raised in Burbank, she studied at the Acting for Life Theatre in Burbank and started off on TV as a teen in the Fame-influenced TV pilot called Best of Times (1981) (TV) starring the up-and-coming Nicolas Cage and Crispin Glover. She gained in experience with a number of innocuous films geared mostly toward the young, including D.C. Cab (1983), Thunder Alley (1985) and Hot Moves (1984). The dark-eyed, black-haired pretty with the trademark bangs wouldn't find her horror niche until hooking up with Wes Craven and his TV movie Chiller (1985) (TV). From there she scored big with the cult shocker The Stepfather (1987) wherein she played the resourceful stepdaughter terrorized by the lecherous, meek-appearing Terry O'Quinn as the title monster. The sleeper hit put Jill on the map with a seemingly solid future, continuing on with The Phantom of the Opera (1989), this time keeping company opposite Freddy Krueger inhabiter Robert Englund as her deranged pursuer. But a few bumps in the road with such lowgrade fodder as Curse II: The Bite (1989), Cutting Class (1989) and Popcorn (1991) put a permanent damper on her career, despite coming back with a bit of grit in the thriller TV movie When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) (TV). Her object-of-a-stalker days behind her after filming Not Again! (1996), she settled comfortably back and raised two children with husband/musician/composer Anthony Marinelli.
Filmography
2024
- Stereo-Vision as Katherine Barrows
- In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994 as Self
2017
- A Taboo Identity as Herself
1994
- There Goes My Baby as Babette
1993
- Diagnosis: Murder as Becky Garfield
- When a Stranger Calls Back as Julia Jenz
- Triumph Over Disaster: The Hurricane Andrew Story as Ruth Henderson
1992
- State Of Mind as Wishman
- Adventures in Spying as Julie Converse
- The Heights
1989
- The Phantom of the Opera as Christine Day
- Curse II: The Bite as Lisa Snipes
- Cutting Class as Paula Carson
1987
- The Stepfather as Stephanie Maine
- Billionaire Boys Club as Amy Whitehall
1986
- Babes in Toyland as Mary Piper / Mary Contrary
- Shattered Spirits as Allison
1985
- Chiller as Stacey
- Thunder Alley as Beth
- That Was Then... This Is Now as Angela Shepard
- Hell Town as Shelley
- Sara
1984
- Murder, She Wrote as Flora Gerakaris
- Hot Moves as Julie Ann
1983
- Great Day as Carla Simpson
- Happy Endings as Anne Marie Bartlett
- D.C. Cab as Claudette
- Trauma Center as Leslie
1982
- T. J. Hooker as Kelly Hobbs
1981
- The Best of Times as Jill