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Tara Buckman

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American actress
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Tara Buckman
BornPensacola, Florida, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1977–1994

Tara Buckman is an American retired television and film actress. Her active career was mainly confined to the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. Though never reaching feature status, Buckman was nonetheless a regular guest star on many television series. She also appeared in minor roles in feature films.

Early life

Buckman was an Army brat whose longest time living in one house was two years until her family moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia when she was a teenager. Buckman was a drum major, the first in her school’s history, and attended and graduated from Princess Anne High School in 1974. While she was a waitress in a hotel dining room in Norfolk, Virginia, producer James Goldstone saw her, and he later offered her a part in the film Rollercoaster. Three months later, she moved to Los Angeles. After arriving there, she gained a contract with Universal Studios with Goldstone's assistance.

Career

Television

Buckman portrayed Officer Brandy Ames in The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo and Cat Hellman in The Master. She is also remembered for her guest appearances in episodes of such 1970s and 1980s television fare as The Rockford Files, Kojak, CHiPs, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Quincy, M.E., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Brave New World. She also appeared in the 1979 television movies Death Car on the Freeway and The Man in the Santa Claus Suit, and portrayed Norma Kirkland on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives in 1984–1985.

In film

Often cast in minor roles in larger budget films, Buckman appeared in the Burt Reynolds vehicles Hooper (1978) and The Cannonball Run (1981). Buckman was generally offered largely dimensionless and decorative parts, such as a rollercoaster attendant in the disaster film Rollercoaster (1977), and "Lamborghini Girl #2" (alongside Adrienne Barbeau) in The Cannonball Run.

Buckman also appeared in several b movies from the late-1970s through to the mid-1990s. She appeared in a rape/murder scene, in which her top was torn open and her throat was slit by a man dressed as Santa Claus in the 1984 controversial horror film Silent Night, Deadly Night. Her most recent major role was as Dr. Julie Casserly in Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1991), and her other credits include the films Snowballing (1984), Never Too Young to Die (1986), Terminal Exposure (1987), Blue Angel Cafe (1989), High Finance Woman (1990), and The Marilyn Diaries (1990) alongside porn star Marilyn Chambers.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Rollercoaster Coaster Attendant
1978 Hooper Debbie
1981 The Cannonball Run Jill
1984 Silent Night, Deadly Night Ellie
1984 Snowballing Collen
1986 Never Too Young to Die Sacrificed Punkette
1987 Terminal Exposure Mrs. Stacey Karrothers
1987 Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 Mother
1989 Blue Angel Cafe Angie
1989 Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! Ellie Chapman Uncredited
1990 Night Killer Melanie Beck
1990 High Finance Woman Brenda
1990 The Marilyn Diaries Jane
1991 Xtro II: The Second Encounter Dr. Julie Casserly
1992 Round Trip to Heaven Phyllis

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Kojak Toni Episode: "A Strange Kind of Love"
1977 79 Park Avenue Starlet 3 episodes
1977 Switch Young Nurse Episode: "Dancer"
1977 The Rockford Files Girl Episode: "The Queen of Peru"
1978 Baretta Mary Episode: "I'll Take You to Lunch"
1978 The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Bernie Lucas Episode: "Death Surf"
1978 The Two-Five Angel Television film
1978 Sword of Justice Jill Episode: "The Skywayman"
1978 Family Aunt Joanne Episode: "Just Friends"
1979 Hart to Hart Sandy Episode: "Hart to Hart"
1979 Stone Olivia de Carl Episode: "Pilot"
1979 Death Car on the Freeway Jane Guston Television film
1979 Barnaby Jones Linda Wolsey 2 episodes
1979 Quincy, M.E. Terry / Julie Reed
1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Majel Episode: "Unchained Woman"
1979 The Man in the Santa Claus Suit Polly Primer Television film
1980 Brave New World Alpha Teacher
1980–1981 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Brandy / Sgt. Cummings 16 episodes
1982 CHiPs Marcie Pendelton Episode: "Anything But the Truth"
1983 Tales of the Unexpected Sally Fenton Episode: "Heir Presumptuous"
1984 The Master Cat Sinclair 2 episodes
1984 Highway to Heaven Louella Episode: "Hotel of Dreams"
1984–1985 Days of Our Lives Norma Kirkland 23 episodes
1985 T. J. Hooker Dorothy Unger Episode: "Love Story"
1987 Spies Julie Kirkland Episode: "The Game's Not Over, 'Til the Fat Lady Sings"
1990 Freddy's Nightmares Brenda Vincent Episode: "Prisoner of Love"
1990 Mancuso, F.B.I. Cherry Episode: "Night of the Living Shred"
1994 Blindfold: Acts of Obsession Barmaid Television film

References

  1. "Fairy tales can still come true". Times-Advocate. California, Escondido. April 5, 1961. p. 38. Retrieved October 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 617. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.

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