Rebecca Schaeffer | |
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Press photo of Schaeffer for My Sister Sam
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Born |
Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer November 6, 1967 Eugene, Oregon, U.S. |
Died | July 18, 1989 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
(aged 21)
Resting place | Ahavai Sholom Cemetery |
Education |
Lincoln High School Professional Children's School |
Occupation | Actress, model |
Years active | 1985–1989 |
Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer (November 6, 1967 – July 18, 1989) was an American model and actress.
Schaeffer began her career as a teen model before moving on to acting. In 1986, she landed the role of Patricia "Patti" Russell in the CBS sitcom My Sister Sam. After the series was canceled in 1988, Schaeffer appeared in several films, including the black comedy Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, which was released six weeks before her death.
On July 18, 1989, Schaeffer was fatally shot in the doorway of her West Hollywood apartment building by Robert John Bardo. Bardo was obsessed with Schaeffer and had been stalking her for three years. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder. Schaeffer's death helped prompt the 1990 passage of America's first anti-stalking laws, in California.
Schaeffer was born in Eugene, Oregon, the only child of Danna (née Wilner), a writer and instructor at Portland Community College, and Dr. Benson Schaeffer, a child psychologist. She was raised in Portland where she attended Lincoln High School. She initially had aspirations to become a rabbi but began modeling during her junior year in high school. Schaeffer appeared in department store catalogs and also appeared in television commercials and as an extra in a television film. In August 1984, Schaeffer's parents allowed her to move to New York City by herself to pursue a modeling career. While working in New York, she attended Professional Children's School.