Vanessa Angel (English actress)

Last updated

Vanessa Angel
VanessaAngelJul2009.jpg
Angel in 2009
Born
Vanessa Madeline Angel

(1966-11-10) 10 November 1966 (age 58)
London, England
Occupation(s)Actor, model
Years active1985–present
Spouse
Rick Otto
(m. 1996;div. 2019)
ChildrenIndia Otto

Vanessa Madeline Angel (born 10 November 1966) [1] is an English actor and former model. She is noted for roles in the television series Weird Science and Stargate SG-1 , and for co-starring in the film Kingpin .

Contents

Early life

Angel, who has said this is her birth name and not a stage name, [2] was born 10 November 1966 [1] in London, the daughter of Elizabeth and Peter Angel, a stockbroker.[ citation needed ] She was discovered by a model-management agent in a London cafe as a teenager. [3] At 16, she was signed by Ford Models and moved to New York City. [4] During her modelling stint, Angel appeared on the covers of Vogue [5] and Cosmopolitan . [6] She was also contracted as the Diet Pepsi Girl.[ citation needed ]

Career

Angel's first film role was in the 1985 American comedy Spies Like Us , in which she played a soldier in the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces who sleeps with Dan Aykroyd's character. She also appeared in the accompanying music video for the film's theme song, written and performed by Paul McCartney. [2] In 1990, she appeared in a small role in the film King of New York . Angel continued to appear in films throughout the early 1990s. After a leading guest-spot on TV's The Equalizer , she played the recurring roles of Megan on Baywatch and Detective Peggy Elliott on Reasonable Doubts . [2] She guest-starred in two episodes of Melrose Place , playing what she described as "this crazy, drugged out, bisexual supermodel who kissed [the character played by] Daphne Zuniga!" [2]

From 1994 to 1998, she starred in the television series Weird Science as Lisa, the computer-generated genie role originated by Kelly LeBrock in the 1985 film upon which the series is based. In 1995, Angel was cast in the role of Xena, a guest spot on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , but due to an illness was unable to take the role, which eventually went to Lucy Lawless. [7]

During the series run of Weird Science, Angel landed the female lead in the Farrelly brothers film, Kingpin . [8] Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times singled out Angel for praise in Kingpin, writing that while her role initially seems to be mere "decoration", she eventually "proves herself as a comic actress able to hold her own" with her co-stars. [9] Angel played roles in Kissing a Fool with David Schwimmer, followed by a role in the 1999 film Made Men. In 2004, she appeared in SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 , as Scott Baio's wife. [10] Angel has also had roles in the Sci-Fi Pictures Original telefilm Sabretooth (2002) and The Perfect Score (2004).

In 2000, she guest starred in three episodes of the Sci-Fi Channel's Stargate SG-1 , playing Anise, a Tok'ra archaeologist/scientist whose host is named Freya. Her first appearance is in the season-four episode "Upgrades", and she appeared in the two following episodes, "Crossroads" and "Divide and Conquer". In 2005, Angel played herself in the season-two episode of Entourage entitled "I Love You Too". In 2007, she completed the independent film Blind Ambition, and later appeared in the Farrellys' Hall Pass . She played a guest role as Alison in the fifth season of Californication .

Angel started a clothing line in 2009, VANE LA.[ citation needed ]

On 15 October 2014, Angel appeared on Ken Reid's podcast TV Guidance Counselor.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 Spies Like Us Soviet Rocket Crewperson
1989 Another Chance Jackie Johanson
1990 King of New York 'British Female' bodyguard of Frank White
1991 Killer Instinct Deborah Walker
1993The Cover Girl MurdersRachel
1994 Sleep with Me Marianne
Cityscrapes: Los AngelesTrouble
1996 Kingpin Claudia
1998 Kissing a Fool Natasha
1999 Made Men Debra
2000 Enemies of Laughter Jennifer
G-Men from Hell Gloria Lake
2001CamouflageCindy Davies
FiretrapBeth Hooper
2002"Sabretooth"Catherine Viciy
2004 The Perfect Score Anita Donlee
Out for BloodSusan HastingsVideo
Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 Jean Bobbins
2005 Raging Sharks Linda OlsenVideo
The Good Humor ManMs. Barlass
Popstar Diane
2006Monster NightClaire AckermanVideo
2008Blind AmbitionAutumn milestone
2009 Endless Bummer Brenda
2011 Hall Pass Missy Frankinopoulos
Cougar HuntingUrsula
2013Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of WitchcraftMs. Keegan
National Lampoon Presents: Surf PartyBrenda
2015LockhartLilith
LycanProf. Anderson
Trouble Sleeping Vanessavideo
2018Behind the WallsKathy Harper
TBADesert Fiends 2Elizabeth

Television and web

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 The Equalizer Christine HayesEpisode: "Video Games"
1991 Baywatch Megan2 Episodes: "The One That Got Away", "The Trophy: Parts 1 & 2"
1992 On the Air Chorus GirlEpisode: "The Lester Guy Show"
Raven Flight AttendantEpisode: "The Unseen Enemy"
Lady Boss ChristieTV miniseries
1992–1993 Reasonable Doubts Det. Peggy ElliottRecurring role
1993 Melrose Place Karen2 Episodes: "Carpe Diem", "State of Need"
Murder, She Wrote Kathryn ScofieldEpisode: "The Phantom Killer"
The Cover Girl MurdersRachelTV movie
1994 Time Trax Jane HawkinsEpisode: "The Gravity of It All"
1994–1998 Weird Science LisaMain role
1997 Veronica's Closet Suzanne2 Episodes: "Veronica's Best Buddy", "Veronica's a Doll"
2000PartnersAngelTV movie
Stargate SG-1 Anise / Freya 3 Episodes: "Upgrades", "Crossroads", "Divide and Conquer"
2002 Sabretooth Catherine ViciyTV movie
2003 The Division Mary TurnerEpisode: "Body Double"
2004 Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys Erica SharpeTV movie
2005Criminal IntentSusan Grace
Entourage HerselfEpisode: "I Love You Too"
2007 Planet Raptor Dr. Anna RogersTV movie
2009 Saving Grace Pauline HooverEpisode: "The Heart of a Cop"
2011Christmas SpiritHopeTV movie
2012 Californication AlisonEpisode: "The Way of the Fist"
2014Hello Ladies: The MovieMcCadamsTV movie
2016My Summer PrinceQueen Rosalind
2019 Crown Lake Dr. LewisWeb series
2023Sins of the Preacher's WifeMarionTV movie

References

  1. 1 2 Lucia Bozzola (2015). "Vanessa Angel - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sabretooth > Cast and Crew > Vanessa Angel". Sci Fi Channel. Archived from the original on 20 December 2002. I almost changed it because I worried people thought of me as this triple-x girl.
  3. Nicholas, Ruth (30 October 1999). "Style: That year's model". The Independent (London). Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
  4. Bozzola, Lucia. "Vanessa Angel". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  5. "none". Vogue . UK. April 1983. Cover.
  6. Scavullo, Francesco (February 1985). "none". Cosmopolitan . Vol. 198, no. 2. U.S. Cover.
  7. "Xena Gets the Axe". BBC News. 17 October 2000. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
  8. Rita Kempley (7 January 1997). "'Kingpin': Bowl-You-Over Yucks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
  9. Roger Ebert. "Kingpin". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2006.
  10. "Scott Baio Does Day Care". CBS News. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2007.

Further reading