Film star Valerie Perrine has died at the age of 82. The actor, who found fame in Lenny, Superman I and II, and Can’t Stop the Music, had been living with Parkinson’s disease for many years.
Perrine “passed away peacefully at her home on March 23, 2026, surrounded by love, exactly as she had wished,” according to Stacey Souther, director of the 2019 documentary short Valerie.
“It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away. She faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining,” Souther wrote. “She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest — and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it. I love you, Valerie. I’ll see you on the other side,” Souther added, alongside a heart emoji.
Perrine was born in Galveston, Texas, but her family moved often due to her father’s military career. In the late 1960s, she worked as a showgirl in Las Vegas before later moving to Los Angeles. She did not have a burning ambition to become an actor and was first cast in the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-Five.
In 1975, she was cast in Bob Fosse’s Lenny, portraying Honey Bruce, the wife of comedian Lenny Bruce. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, a Golden Globe nomination, and the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1978, she took on what is possibly her most well-known role, playing villain Lex Luthor’s girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, in Superman. At the time, director Richard Donner’s film was the most expensive movie ever made, and both Superman and its sequel Superman II were shot simultaneously.
Perrine went on to appear in 1979’s The Electric Horseman alongside Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. As the 1980s began, she took on another memorable role as model Samantha Simpson in Can’t Stop the Music, a film that follows a fictionalised version of the creation of disco group the Village People.
The film, alongside the Olivia Newton-John-fronted Xanadu, led to the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards, which celebrate the worst films of the year. Can’t Stop the Music won awards for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay, while Perrine was nominated for Worst Actress. The award ultimately went to Brooke Shields for her performance in The Blue Lagoon.
While the film was critically panned, it has since become a camp classic. In Australia, it traditionally airs on television every New Year’s Eve following the Sydney Harbour fireworks broadcast.
In later years, Perrine appeared in supporting roles, including a memorable appearance in the 2000 film What Women Want alongside Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. She also played the ex-wife of Richard Belzer’s character, Detective John Munch, in Homicide: Life on the Street.
She also appeared in several episodes of the television series ER, playing Cookie Lewis, the mother of regular character Susan Lewis, portrayed by Sherry Stringfield. Guest roles in Nash Bridges, The Practice, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Third Watch followed.
