Tawny Kitaen

Julie Ellen "Tawny" Kitaen (August 5 1961 - May 7 2021) was an American model, actress and media persona. Her acting career on television began with Malibu (1983), and California Girls (1985). She also starred in the comedies The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak and Bachelor Party (both 1984) as well as the film of horror Witchboard (1986). Kitaen was a popular choice for her performances in a number of heavy metal music videos, including Ratt's "Back for More" (1984) and Whitesnake's "Still of the Night", "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again" (all 1987).In the decade of 2000, Kitaen transitioned into appearing in reality-TV shows which included The Surreal Life (2006) and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008) The latter of which documented Kitaen's problems with substance abuse. She was born Julie Kitaen in San Diego, California in 1961, the oldest of three children born to Linda Kitaen (nee Taylor), a housewife and one-time beauty pageant participant, and Terry Kitaen, an employee of a company that makes neon signs. Kitaen was born to a Russian-Jewish father as well as a Scottish mother. [3] Kitaen was raised in the Jewish faith. Kitaen was first introduced to the name "Tawny" when she was 12 years old on her own initiative. [6] She was dyslexic as a young child. This led her to drop out from Mission Bay High School. [7] She was 14 when she first saw Penny Frampton perform at Balboa Stadium. [9]