Vanessa Angel (English actress)

Vanessa Madeline Angel (born 10 November 1966)[1] is an English actress and former model. She played the role of Lisa on the television series Weird Science. She is also known for her role as Claudia in the film Kingpin.

Vanessa Angel
Angel in 2009
Born
Vanessa Madeline Angel

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

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. 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.

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 appears in the accompanying Paul McCartney video.[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] She 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.[9] 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.

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

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
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
1993 The Cover Girl Murders Rachel
1994 Sleep with Me Marianne
1994 Cityscrapes: Los Angeles Trouble
1996 Kingpin Claudia
1998 Kissing a Fool Natasha
1999 Made Men Debra
2000 Enemies of Laughter Jennifer
2000 G-Men from Hell Gloria Lake
2001 Camouflage Cindy Davies
2001 Firetrap Beth Hooper
2004 The Perfect Score Anita Donlee
2004 Out for Blood Susan Hastings Video
2004 Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 Jean Bobbins
2005 Raging Sharks Linda Olsen Video
2005 The Good Humor Man Ms. Barlass
2005 Popstar Diane
2006 Monster Night Claire Ackerman Video
2008 Blind Ambition Autumn milestone
2009 Endless Bummer Brenda
2011 Hall Pass Missy Frankinopoulos
2011 Cougar Hunting Ursula
2013 Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft Ms. Keegan
2013 National Lampoon Presents: Surf Party Brenda
2015 Lockhart Lilith
2015 Lycan Prof. Anderson
2015 Trouble Sleeping Vanessa video
2018 Behind the Walls Kathy Harper

Television and web
Year Title Role Notes
1988 The Equalizer Christine Hayes "Video Games"
1991 Baywatch Megan "The One That Got Away", "The Trophy: Parts 1 & 2"
1992 On the Air Chorus Girl "The Lester Guy Show"
1992 Raven Flight Attendant "The Unseen Enemy"
1992 Lady Boss Christie TV miniseries
1992–1993 Reasonable Doubts Det. Peggy Elliott Recurring role
1993 Melrose Place Karen "Carpe Diem", "State of Need"
1993 Murder, She Wrote Kathryn Scofield "The Phantom Killer"
1993 The Cover Girl Murders Rachel TV film
1994 Time Trax Jane Hawkins "The Gravity of It All"
1994–1998 Weird Science Lisa / Various Main role
1997 Veronica's Closet Suzanne "Veronica's Best Buddy", "Veronica's a Doll"
2000 Partners Angel TV film
2000 Stargate SG-1 Anise / Freya "Upgrades", "Crossroads", "Divide and Conquer"
2002 Sabretooth Catherine Viciy TV film
2003 The Division Mary Turner "Body Double"
2004 Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys Erica Sharpe TV film
2005 Criminal Intent Susan Grace TV film
2005 Entourage Herself "I Love You Too"
2007 Planet Raptor Dr. Anna Rogers TV film
2009 Saving Grace Pauline Hoover "The Heart of a Cop"
2011 Christmas Spirit Hope TV film
2012 Californication Alison "The Way of the Fist"
2014 Hello Ladies: The Movie McCadams TV film
2016 My Summer Prince Queen Rosalind TV film
2019 Crown Lake Dr. Lewis Web series

References
  1. 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. "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. "Scott Baio Does Day Care". CBS News. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2007.

Further reading
  • Polan, Brenda (1983). "Models". In Brenda Polan (ed.). The Fashion Year. Jackie Modlinger, Terence Donovan (First ed.). London: Zomba Books. p. 183. ISBN 0946391033. They are: Vanessa Angel from Harrow-on-the-Hill currently working in New York, contracted as the Diet Pepsi Girl, a commercial contract that makes her hundreds of thousands of pounds and the first British model in ages to make the cover of Vogue;
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