Who is Deborah Van Valkenburgh and where is she now? Wiki bio

Deborah Gaye Van Valkenburgh was born in Schenectady, New York State USA, on August 29, 1952, so her zodiac sign is Virgo and she is an American national. She is a former actress, who gained recognition after playing Mercy in the movie “The Warriors” released in 1979. She retired in 2015.

Early life and education

Deborah was raised as an only child in Schenectady by her father, who was an artist, and her mother, who taught English at a local high school. She attended Shaker High School in New York’s Latham, and worked and sang around coffee houses with her band Spur Of The Moment to keep her family financially supported.

She founded the duo The Myrtle Avenue Watermelon when she was 16, and they sang together for several years before breaking up. After graduating from college, she enrolled at New York University’s School of Social Work, but after a year moved to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing.

Deborah’s roles in movies

Her debut film appearance was in the action-crime film “The warriorsin 1979, which was also the most important role of her career. The film stars Michael Beck, James Remar and Dorsey Wright and follows the street gang ‘The Warriors’ who, after being falsely accused of murdering the leader of all the gangs, must survive when all the other gangs turn against them. Deborah also later voiced Mercy in the video game “The Warriors” released in 2005.

She could have played Tina in ‘King of the Mountain’ in 1981 as well as Reva Cody in ‘Streets of Fire’ while being acclaimed for her portrayal of Kate Fraser in the drama thriller film ‘Rampage’ starring Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur and Nicholas Campbell, and follows a serial killer who, after preparing for his death-penalty trial, manages to escape and start killing again.

Deborah went on to appear in such films as “Phantom of the Ritz” in 1988, “One Man Out” in 1989, and “Brainsmasher… A Love Story” in 1993, before being invited to play Cam in the action-crime film “The Mean Guns,” which follows 100 people in a prison who are given guns and forced to kill each other, with the last three living sharing $10 million.

She next appeared in ‘Free Enterprise’ in 1999, the short film ‘Venus Conspiracy’ in 2003 and ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ in 2005, while some of her last appearances in films were in two short films, ‘Broken Heart’. in 2009 and “Love’s Routine” in 2013, as well as the crime drama film “The Trial of Cate McCall” in 2013.

Deborah has appeared in numerous plays performed in some of the most famous theaters in the US, such as The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS), Manhattan Theater Club, and The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, among others. She has only won one award during her career: a PollyGrind Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Fantasy Film in 2012.

Appearances in TV series

She made her debut in the TV series in 1980 through 1985, playing the main character Jackie Rush in the comedy series “Too Close for Comfort”, starring Ted Knight and Nancy Dussault, and follows two sisters living with their witty parents Muriel and Henry. The series was very popular and Deborah was on it until the very end.

Deborah became known for her versatility and was therefore asked for guest appearances. She appeared in some episodes of the series “Hotel” and “Glitter” in 1985, and “New Love, American Style” in 1986. In 1987, Deborah guest-starred in episodes of “Houston Knights” and “Crime Story”, while in 1988 appearing in both “Cagney & Lacey” and “CAT Squad: Python Wolf”.

Deborah continued to appear in some TV series episodes, with some of her most notable appearances appearing in “Bodies of Evidence” in 1992, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” in 1995, and “Chicago Hope” in 1998.

In the 2000s, she guest starred in more than 20 series, including “Once and Again” in 2002, “The Shield” in 2005 and “Criminal Minds” in 2006, while her next notable appearance was in “Days of Our Lives” . ‘, playing Rae in two episodes in 2010. She was then invited to play Candice Larson in three episodes of the crime mystery series ‘The Event’, which follows a man who, while searching for his missing girlfriend, discovers a bigger conspiracy than the president of the country.

Some of Deborah’s most recent TV series roles were in “Chop Shop” and “Stalker” in 2014, and “The Messengers” in 2015.

Love life and relationships

1974, Deborah started dating Peter Halsten Thorkelson, the late American actor, musician and composer – they sang together during those two years they were in a relationship, and split in 1976 due to what appears to be infidelity on Peter’s part as not long after he married Jody Babb who was pregnant of his child – but they divorced two years later. In 1983 he married Reine Stewart, but they divorced after a year, and he then married Barbara Iannoli, divorcing her after ten years of marriage. In 2014, he married Pamela Grapes, and they lived together until February 21, 2019 when Peter died.

Deborah has kept the details of her love life under wraps since she and Peter split, and it seems she hasn’t had another long-term relationship after him – she’s not married and has no children.

Hobbies and other interests

Deborah is a very social person, and stated during an interview how she loves acting because it allows her to meet a variety of people with all different personalities, while also allowing her to play so many different roles. Her main hobby is travelling, and she has been all over the US shooting for movies and TV series, while also visiting several European and Asian countries and visiting Africa twice.

Some of her personal favorite actors and actresses are Jim Carrey, Bruce Willis, and Anne Hathaway while some of her favorite movies include ‘Bruce Almighty’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Les Miserables’. Deborah has been a philanthropist since she launched her acting career, and has donated to various charitable organizations, while also volunteering at a number of them, including the time she went to Africa to help underprivileged people.

Appearance and power

Deborah is 67 years old. She has long brown hair and brown eyes, is 1.6 m tall and weighs about 52 kg. As of March 2020, her ability is estimated at over $4 million.