Tributes have poured in for Superman star Valerie Perrine, who has passed away after living with Parkinson’s for more than 15 years.
An announcement on her Facebook page said the star had “faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining. She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest”.
Superman star
Born in 1943, Perrine starred in Hollywood roles including Honey Bruce in ‘Lenny’, and playing Lex Luther’s companion Eve Teschmacher, alongside Christopher Reeve, in the original 1978 ‘Superman’.
In an interview with Parkinson’s Life, she said acting was not a career she had pursued, saying: “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.”
Valerie Perrine and Parkinson’s
Perrine was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015. She noticed symptoms years before receiving a diagnosis.
“I first noticed I had a tremor on a movie set. I was carrying dishes in a scene, and we were doing multiple takes. The sound man came over and asked me not to shake them so much,” she said. “That was the first time I noticed I had tremors. I was diagnosed with essential tremors first. Then my Parkinson’s diagnosis came years later.”
In recent years, she worked with director and close friend Stacey Souther, whom she described as ‘like a son to me’, on the documentary ‘Valerie’.
Speaking to Parkinson’s Life, Souther said: “This film is a love letter to her. I didn’t want her to be forgotten. I wanted her life and legacy to be celebrated and shared with the world.”
