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Cheryl
Rainbeaux Smith was sort of
the ultimate girl next door who usually
got mixed-up in bad circumstances. She
played the role often in films and sadly
it was one she would also play in
life. Early in the morning on
Friday October 25th of 2002
the 47-year-old the winsome soul of 70s
exploitative cinema died from
complications due to hepatitis. She had
contracted the liver disorder during her
prolonged bouts with heroin addiction.
Twice she served time in prison for drug
related offenses and was quite well
regarded during her incarceration for the
intricate tattoo designs she made for
fellow prisoners.She was sometimes
homeless -- often panhandling,
shoplifting, hooking, and doing whatever
she needed to survive while living in Los
Angeles McArthur Park. It was such
a harsh life for one who always appeared
so fragile on screen.
Born in 1955, Cheryl grew
up fast. She lived with her mother just
south of Sunset and east of La Brea
coming of age literally on The Sunset
Strip. At a young age she frequented the
area clubs and reportedly even adopted
her Rainbeaux moniker from
her affinity for The Rainbow Room. She
gravitated towards the music scene and
was featured as a drummer in several
bands including Joan Jett.
Somewhere along the line
she started acting in movies. It began at
age 15 with an uncredited part in Evel
Kneival with George
Hamilton and Sue Lyon. Her first major
role was the title part in the 1972
horror flick Lemora, Lady
Dracula. A multitude of
roles followed which almost read as a
roster in how to be a low-budget cult
star
She was Heather in Revenge
of the Cheerleaders (in
which she did nude scenes while
pregnant!), Andrea in The
Swinging Cheerleaders,
Roxanne in The Pom Pom
Girls, Kathy Farley in
Laserblast,
Mary in Massacre at Central
High, Lavelle in Jonathan
Demmes classic womens prison
opus Caged Heat,
Sherry in Slumber Party
57 (with Debra
Winger in her film debut), Sophie Maxwell
in Drum (the
even more exploitative sequel to the
profoundly exploitative Mandingo).
She played Cinderella
in the 1977 soft-core classic. She joined
Cheech & Chong in both Nice
Dreams and Cheech
& Chongs Next Movie.
Her additional films include The
Incredible Melting Man
(1977), the 1982 3-D thriller Parasite
featuring a very young Demi Moore, Phantom
of the Paradise, Vice
Squad, Fantasm
Comes Again, etc.
She was
wonderful and she will be missed.
Its a very sad end to a wonderful
and incandescent screen presence. Cheryl
Smith died without fanfare and was laid
to rest at Forest Lawn cemetery in
Glendale, CA. |