Lisa_Pelikan

Lisa Pelikan

Lisa Pelikan

American actress

For other people named Pelikan, see Pelikan (disambiguation).

Lisa Pelikan (born July 12, 1954)[1][2] is an American stage, film, and television actress. Born in Berkeley, California, Pelikan studied drama at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship. She subsequently made her Broadway debut in a 1977 production of Romeo and Juliet. The same year, she appeared as the younger version of Vanessa Redgrave's title character in the film Julia. She subsequently starred in the horror film Jennifer (1978). Her other film credits include Ghoulies (1985) and Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).

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Life and career

Early life

Pelikan was born July 12, 1954 in Berkeley, California,[lower-alpha 1] the daughter of Helen L., a psychologist, and Robert G. Pelikan, an international economist who served as the minister-counselor from the United States at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris.[5] She is of Czech descent.[6] At age six, Pelikan was diagnosed with a bone tumor in her leg, which was treated with surgery.[6]

Due to her father's work, Pelikan spent her childhood in several different countries, including France, Japan, and Italy, before returning to the United States when she was a teenager, settling in Bethesda, Maryland.[6] While attending high school in Maryland, Pelikan took an interest in ballet, but was unable to pursue it after the tumor in her leg recurred, requiring a second surgery that left her unable to walk for the entirety of her senior year of high school.[6]

Acting career

Pelikan shifted her focus to acting, and attended the Juilliard School in New York City with a full scholarship to its drama division.[7] Her first regular television work was as maid Kate Mahaffey on the CBS soap opera Beacon Hill (1975). After, she made her Broadway debut as Rosaline in a 1977 production of Romeo and Juliet.[8]

Pelikan had her feature film debut as the younger version of Vanessa Redgrave's title character in the drama Julia (1977).[9] Pelikan portrayed the title character of the horror film Jennifer (1978), starring opposite Nina Foch and John Gavin, and subsequently appeared as the lusty Lucy Scanlon in the television miniseries Studs Lonigan (1979), co-starring with Harry Hamlin, Colleen Dewhurst, and Brad Dourif.

Pelikan was married to actor Robert Harper from 1981 to 1984. In 1984, she had a supporting role in Jonathan Demme's Swing Shift, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. She subsequently married actor Bruce Davison in 1986, and had one son, Ethan, born in 1996. Pelikan appeared in a leading role in the horror film Ghoulies (1985), and starred as the widowed mother Sarah Hargrave in the film sequel Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).

She won a Drama-Logue Award for her role in a Los Angeles-based production of Only a Broken String of Pearls (1995), a one-woman play about Zelda Fitzgerald by Willard Simms.[10][11] In 1998, she had a minor part in the thriller film Shadow of Doubt.[12]

In 2006, Pelikan and Davison divorced after 20 years of marriage.[5][13] In 2018, Pelikan earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from California State University, Long Beach.[14] As of 2022, she taught "Acting with the Camera" at HB Studio in New York City.[15]

Filmography

Film

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Television

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Stage credits

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Notes

  1. Some sources state Pelikan was born in Rome, Italy, or Paris, France,[1] both locations where she resided as a child due to her father's profession. However, other sources indicate she was born in Berkeley, California.[3] This is corroborated by the California Birth Index, which lists a Lisa Pelikan born in Alameda County, California on July 12, 1954,[4] her documented birthdate.[1][2]

References

  1. [1]
    "Pelikan, Lisa". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Willis, John (1982). Theatre World 1980–1981. Vol. 37. New York City, New York: Crown Publishing Group. p. 113. ISBN 978-0-517-54344-3.
  3. [3]
    "Lisa Pelikan". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023.
  4. [4]
    "The Birth of Lisa Pelikan". California Birth Index. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Robert Harper Weds Lisa Pelikan, Actress". The New York Times. May 31, 1981. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  6. [6]
    Kleiner, Dick (July 20, 1978). "Lisa Pelikan: Tougher, older than she appears on screen". Fond Du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. [7]
    Kuebelbeck, Amy (July 20, 1991). "Latest 'Lagoon' Star Lisa Pelikan Makes Impressive First Impressions". Los Angeles Times.
  8. [8]
    "Romeo and Juliet (1977)". Internet Broadway Database. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020.
  9. [9]
    Variety Staff (December 31, 1976). "Julia". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. [10]
    Collins, Scott. "Theatre Review: Only a Broken String of Pearls". Los Angeles Times. March 3, 1995
  11. [11]
    Favre, Jeff (October 6, 2009). "From Cast to Cast". Backstage.
  12. [12]
    "Lisa Pelikan Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  13. [13]
    Provenzano, Tom. "PROFILE: Busy Within Reason - Veteran actor Bruce Davison finds that more work doesn't necessarily mean less time with his loved ones". Backstage. February 21, 2001.
  14. [14]
    Pelikan, Lisa (2018). Advanced Acting Technique Integration: A Capstone Course Proposal (Thesis). California State University, Long Beach. ISBN 978-0-438-19642-1. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  15. [15]
    "Lisa Pelikan, Instructor". HB Studios. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  16. [16]
    "Lisa Pelikan". Internet Off-Broadway Database. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  17. [17]
    Meeks, Christopher (April 3, 1995). "Only a Broken String of Pearls". Variety. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020.
  18. [18]
    Gans, Andrew (September 18, 2013). "Tim Cummings, Bill Brochtrup, Matt Gottlieb, Ray Paolantonio, Lisa Pelikan Explore The Normal Heart in L.A." Playbill. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020.
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