Valerie Ritchie Perrine (September 3, 1943 – March 23, 2026) was an American actress. She was best known for her portrayal of Honey Bruce in the film Lenny (1974). For the role, she won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Perrine also appeared in Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), Superman (1978), The Electric Horseman (1979), and Superman II (1980).

Early life Valerie Ritchie Perrine was born on September 3, 1943, in Galveston, Texas, the daughter of Winifred "Renee" (nee McGinley), a dancer who appeared in The Earl Carroll Vanities, and Kenneth I. Perrine, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. She had a younger brother, Ken. Because of her father's military career, the family moved frequently, and Perrine lived several locations during her childhood. When she was three, the family relocated to Japan, where her father was stationed, and later moved to a ranch in Arizona during her teenage years.

Her mother was of Scottish and Irish descent and came from Helensburgh in Dunbartonshire. Her father was of English and French ancestry and was the grandson of Alfred Perrine of Wallkill, Orange County, New York, and a descendant of Staten Island Huguenot Daniel Perrin. The Perrine family traces its lineage to the French Perrin line, which intermarried with other Norman families dating back to the era of William the Conqueror in 1066.Perrine, Howland Delano. Daniel Perrine, "The Huguenot," and his descendants in America: of the surnames, Perrine, Perine, and Prine, 1665–1910, entry 1579.

Career In 1968, Perrine worked as a showgirl in "Lido de Paris" at the Stardust Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

After several years in Las Vegas, Perrine moved to Los Angeles. "Acting wasn’t something I pursued," she later recalled. "I was at a small dinner party where an agent was looking for someone to play the role of Montana Wildhack in George Roy Hill’s film production of Slaughterhouse-Five. The agent saw something in me and thought I would be perfect for the part. That’s how I became an actress." Her performance as Montana Wildhack, a softcore pornography actress, established Perrine as a rising actress in Hollywood.

Perrine was photographed nude for a pictorial in the May 1972 issue of Playboy, and she later appeared on the magazine's cover in August 1981. She became the first actress to appear nude intentionally on American network television during the May 4, 1973, PBS broadcast of Bruce Jay Friedman's Steambath on Hollywood Television Theater. Later in 1973, she appeared in the episode "When the Girls Came Out to Play" of the romantic anthology television series Love Story (1973).

In 1975, Perrine received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture Actress (Drama), and she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of Honey Bruce, the wife of comedian Lenny Bruce, in Bob Fosse's Lenny (1974).

She portrayed Carlotta Monti, the longtime companion of W. C. Fields, in the biographical film W. C. Fields and Me (1976). Perrine then played Miss Eve Teschmacher, the accomplice of criminal mastermind Lex Luthor, in Superman (1978), earning a 1979 Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She later reprised the role in the sequel Superman II (1980).

Perrine appeared as Charlotta Steele, the ex‑wife of a rodeo champion played by Robert Redford, in The Electric Horseman (1979). Her career became more uneven after her role in Can't Stop the Music (1980), for which she received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress; the film has since developed a cult following. She played Marcy Smith, the wife of a corrupt police officer, in The Border (1982) with Jack Nicholson, and in 1986 starred opposite Harvey Korman in the short-lived CBS sitcom Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills.

In the following years, Perrine appeared in lower‑profile projects, though she had a small supporting role in Mel Gibson's film What Women Want (2000). In 1995, she guest‑starred on Homicide: Life on the Street, playing an ex-wife of Richard Belzer's character, Detective John Munch.

Stacey Souther directed and produced Valerie, a 45-minute documentary about Perrine's career and her experience with Parkinson's disease. The film screened at the Edmonton Film Festival in 2020.

Personal life While living in Las Vegas, Perrine became engaged to gun collector and importer Bill Haarman, who died in January 1969 from an accidental gunshot wound to the lung, one month before their planned wedding.

After his death, Perrine began a relationship with hairstylist Jay Sebring. On August 8, 1969, he invited her to a dinner party with his former girlfriend, actress Sharon Tate, and their friends Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski at the El Coyote Cafe on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, but she was unable to attend. Shortly after midnight on August 9, all four were murdered by members of the Manson Family at Tate's home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a performer at the now‑demolished Stardust joked, 'If you don’t like somebody, fix them up with Valerie and he’ll be dead within three months."

Illness and death Perrine was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015. In 2017, she underwent dental surgery to repair her teeth damaged by medication used to manage the condition.

Perrine died at her home in Beverly Hills on March 23, 2026, at the age of 82. The official cause of death was acute cardiopulmonary arrest with Parkinson's disease being the underlying cause of death and dementia being a contributing factor.

Perrine was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills). It had been her final wish, but due to medical expenses, a GoFundMe was started to cover the cost of the funeral. It reached its goal, and she was buried on April 16.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes1972Slaughterhouse-FiveMontana WildhackFilm debut1973The Last American HeroMarge1974LennyHoney Bruce1976W. C. Fields and MeCarlotta Monti1977Mr. BillionRosie Jones1978SupermanEve Teschmacher1979The Magician of LublinZeftelThe Electric HorsemanCharlotta Bell1980AgencyBrenda WilcoxCan't Stop the MusicSamantha "Sam" SimpsonSuperman IIEve Teschmacher1981 The Cannonball RunFemale Cop (uncredited) 1982The BorderMarcy Smith1985WaterPamela WeintraubMask of MurderMarianne McLaine1987Maid to OrderGeorgette Starkey1990Bright AngelAileen1991Reflections in a Dark SkyCaterina1993Boiling PointMona1995The BreakDelores SmithGirl in the CadillacTilly Baker1998Curtain CallMonica Gilroya.k.a. It All Came TrueBrown's RequiemMarguerita HansenA Place Called TruthEstelleMy Girlfriend's BoyfriendRita Lindgross2000What Women WantMargo2001Directing EddieGloria VassickShort2002The End of the BarMrs. Duncan2005The AmateursVThe CaliforniansLenora Tripp2006Superman II: The Richard Donner CutEve Teschmacher2008Redirecting EddieGloria Vassick2016Silver SkiesEthel2017The Fabulous Allan CarrHerselfDocumentary

Television Year Title Role Notes1972The Couple Takes a WifeJennifer AllenTelevision movie1973Lady LuckLady LuckSteambathMeredithLove StoryMarleneEpisode: "When the Girls Came Out to Play"1978Ziegfeld: The Man and His WomenLillian LorraineTelevision movie1982Marian Rose WhiteStella White1983MalibuDee StauferWhen Your Lover LeavesRonda Thompson1985Faerie Tale TheatreTinaEpisode: "The Three Little Pigs"1986Leo & Liz in Beverly HillsLiz GreenMain role1987CBS Summer PlayhouseMollyEpisode: "Changing Patterns"1988Una casa a RomaJulieTelevision movie1989Quattro storie di donneRoseEpisode: "Rose"Sweet Bird of YouthLucyTelevision film1991Burning ShoreIsabelle1992Northern ExposureJackie VincoeurEpisode: "The Bad Seed"1993GhostwriterApril FlowersEpisode: "Who's Who: Part 3"The Secrets of Lake SuccessHoney Potts AtkinsTelevision miniseries1994Burke's LawSuzanne DubonetEpisode: "Who Killed the Romance?"1995Homicide: Life on the StreetBrigitta SvendsenEpisode: "Law & Disorder"ERCookie LewisEpisodes: "Motherhood", "And Baby Makes Two"1996Nash BridgesMrs. Nassiter3 episodes1997The PracticeJane ElaineEpisode: "Hide and Seek"1998Walker, Texas RangerMarge WymanEpisode: "Eyes of a Ranger"1998–1999As the World TurnsDolores PierceSoap opera2001Just Shoot Me!CarolEpisode: "Where's Poppa?"Family LawHelen WatsonEpisode: "The Gay Divorcee"The BeastMrs. SilbergerEpisode: "The Delivery"2002Grounded for LifeMaureen BustamanteEpisode: "I Fought the In-Laws"2005Third WatchMerleneEpisode: "Welcome Home"2011Lights OutMae2 episodes

Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result1974New York Film Critics CircleBest Supporting ActressLennyBest ActressNational Board of ReviewBest Supporting Actress1975Cannes Film FestivalBest ActressGolden Globe AwardBest Actress in a Motion Picture – DramaAcademy AwardsBest Actress in a Leading Role1976British Academy Film AwardsMost Promising Newcomer to Leading Film RolesBest Actress1979Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror FilmsBest Supporting ActressSuperman1980Golden Raspberry AwardsWorst ActressCan't Stop the Music1985CableACE AwardBest Actress in a Comedy SeriesFaerie Tale Theatre

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