Dawn Wildsmith is a Canadian-born actress known for her roles in horror and science fiction movies such as Surf Nazis Must Die (1987), Warlords (1988), and Beverly Hills Vamp (1989) among others.
Born in Carmel, California, the actress explored her creativity while working in her father’s art gallery. She later delved into print modeling until she met the ‘Cult’ movie director, Fred Olen Ray who got her started as an actress. Many years passed and she peaked as a celebrated actress however, she suddenly faded off the screen.
While there have been several questions as regards her whereabouts, love life, and career among other things, here’s what you should know.
Quick Biography of Dawn Wildsmith
It was on June 11, 1963, that Dawn Wildsmith was born to her parents. She was raised in Carmel, California. While other family members are yet to be identified, what is known is that her father was an artist.
Dawn grew up surrounded by a lot of artworks as well as beautiful paintings. It wasn’t long before she became an artist herself and sold her first painting at the age of twelve years old. Her father was the owner of the St. Denis art gallery.
Did You Know These Facts About Dawn Wildsmith?
1. She Started Modeling Before Delving Into Acting
Dawn was passionate about a whole lot of things before finding her place in acting. Even though she watched her father make beautiful art creations and became an enthusiast herself, she had always wanted something a bit more actual and practical. She wanted to explore art in a different way other than her imaginative painting.
Dawn’s lovely physique and charming smile got her into print modeling. She fronted a lot of magazine covers and pages of several publications. Dawn also won the hearts of fans albeit, it was only a matter of time before she dropped modeling for acting thanks to the cult director – Fred Olen Ray who gave her a better chance to display her creativity.
2. At What Age Did She Begin Acting?
Crossing paths with the movie director Fred made changed a whole lot of things for dawn. As a result, her interest in modeling drifted to the screen. In 1985, when she was only 22 years old, she earned her first role in the movie Evils of the Night which was followed by other small screen appearances.
Dawn’s awestruck performances, opened doors to bigger roles in movies including Nazis Must Die, Evil Spawn, and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. However, it wasn’t long before her career slow down and she was again seen as a minor character in the likes of B.O.R.N. and Deep Space. Beverly Hills Vamp and others.
3. What Type Of Movies Is She Known For?
The Carmel-born is known for horror, action, and science fiction movies. By estimation, out of 25 movie credits, only 3 are nonhorror. Dawn enjoys anything that is thrilling and keeps viewers in suspense. Some of her movies include;
- Warlords (1988)
- Future Force (1989)
- The Phantom Empire (1988)
- Terminal Force (1989)
- Diggin’ Up Business (1990)
- Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991)
- Jack-O (1995)
- Lake of Shadows (2018)
4. She Got Married to Fred but Divorced in 1990
This aspect of Dawn’s life has not been explored following her life of privacy. Nonetheless, according to several reliable sources, she was married to Fred Olen Ray the director who got her rooted as an actress. While most of these sites claim not to know how the pair met, weaskfreak.com uncovered that they met through a writer named Micheal Sonye.
As the story goes, Micheal Sonye was commissioned to write the movie Prison Ship which is also known as Star Slammer for Fred. Be that as it may, Dawn was Micheal’s friend and she still trying to find footing as an actress. On that faithful day, Micheal took Dawn to a party where he introduced Dawn to Fred and also convinced him to give her a shot in a role he had drafted out for her.
Fred and Dawn started working together as a team and within a few months, they started dating. It was long before they decided to exchange vows in a small ceremony witnessed by close family and friends. Sadly, their marriage hit the rock and resulted in a divorce in 1990.
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5. Has Fred Olen Ray’s Ex-wife Remarried?
Yes, what you would not easily find on the net is that the Lake of Shadows actress got married shortly after she divorced Fred. Although details regarding her second husband are limited, we gathered that he is a Chicago gangster. The pair welcomed their first child in 1991 and she’s currently 61 years old.
In an interview, she revealed that everything happened so fast and she wasn’t ready because her career just ended. Nonetheless, she was able to pull through.
6. The Warlord Actress Stopped Acting in 1995 and Explored Painting
Dawn was almost at the peak of her career when she suddenly started declining and later retired from the spotlight after acting for 10 years. Dawn’s last movie was Jack-O (1995).
The actress returned to her love for painting in the mid-90s. She was dubbed a “Magic Surrealist” in Chicago. According to the actress, she doesn’t think much about what to paint, she just lets her hands take the lead. Also, she loves exploring symbols as well as cultures through her painting.
The 61-year-old draws her inspiration from the likes of Dali, Escher, Geiger, and Maxfield Parrish even though she feels it would take another lifetime to ever be like them.
At Present, Dawn has over 300 pieces of artwork that can be accessed through her Facebook page and about 20 pieces on Fine Art America.
7. Dawn Wildsmith Created a Go Fund Me Account to Settle her Hospital Bills
According to research, Dawn was involved in an accident sometime in 2016 that almost claimed her life. As the story goes she spent a lot of months in the hospital and pilled up bills which eventually emptied her account.
As a way of asking for fans’ support, the 90s horror actress created a GoFundMe account to help out with her bills and also sustain her livelihood. She was able to raise at least USD 335D through that medium which helped out with the bills.
8. She Made a Comeback in 2018
While a lot of fans had given up on the possibility of the actress returning from her long hiatus, she suddenly made a brief appearance in 2018. The Warlord actress starred as Virginia Price in the movie Lake of Shadows: The Legend of Avocado Lake (2018) which was directed by Michael S. Rodriguez.
Even though Dawn doesn’t consider it a comeback and calls it a one-day part, fans are already expecting more from her. Judging from her performance, Dawn was hailed as amazing.
9. Is She Rich?
The warlord’s actress had an exciting career in the 80s and early 90s with great performances in tons of movie roles which made her an A-list actress unfortunately she gradually declined and faded out of the screen.
Dawn’s net worth has not been calculated even though she got settled as a surrealist artist and was known for her creative artworks. However, following her comeback in 2018 and startling performance, the actress would in no time get back to her feet and build a sustainable net worth.
10. What is Dawn Wildsmith Up To?
As stated Dawn has not been so stable in her career as an actress. Notwithstanding she made a brief comeback in the 2018 movie Lake of Shadows: The Legend of Avocado Lake and fans expect to see more of her.
