Table of Biography
Rebecca Schaeffer was a popular American model and actress. Rebecca Schaeffer was best known for her performances in the movies like “My Sister Sam“, “The End of Innocence”, “Out of Time”, “Radio Days”, and many more.
Early Life and Childhood
Rebecca Schaeffer was born Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer on November 6, 1967, in Eugene, Oregon, U.S. Her age was 21 years old at the time of her murder. She was born to Jewish parents Dr. Benson Schaeffer (father) and Danna (née Wilner) (mother).
Likewise, her father was a child psychologist. Her mother was a writer and instructor who taught at Willamette University and Portland Community College. Rebecca was raised in Portland. She held American nationality and followed the Jewish religion. According to her birthdate, she was born under the sun sign Scorpio.
Caption: Rebecca Schaeffer with her father
Source: E! Online
She initially wanted to become a rabbi, but in her junior year of high school, she started modeling. She made appearances in television advertisements, department store catalogs, and as an extra in a television movie. When she was 16 years old, she spent the summer of 1984 working in New York City for Elite Model Management. With her parents’ approval, she stayed in the city to pursue modeling.
Education
As for her educational background, she was a high school student. She attended Lincoln High School.
Career and Professional Life
Schaeffer attended Professional Children’s School while living and working in New York. Additionally, she briefly appeared in the daytime soap opera Guiding Light. Schaeffer was cast as Annie Barnes on ABC’s One Life to Live in late 1984 for a six-month stay.
She made an effort to improve her modeling prospects during this time. She struggled to obtain employment because, at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 meters), she was considered too short for high-fashion modeling. Rebecca moved to Japan in 1985 in the hopes of securing more modeling jobs, but she continued to struggle because of her size. She decided to concentrate on an acting career when she got back to New York City.
Schaeffer was given a small part in Woody Allen’s comedy Radio Days in 1986, but other than one brief scene, her character was cut out. She kept modeling while simultaneously working as a waiter. Television producers who were casting for the comedy My Sister Sam starring Pam Dawber saw her when she appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine.’
Schaeffer was chosen to play Patricia “Patti” Russell, a young woman who, upon the passing of their parents, relocates from Oregon to San Francisco to live with her 29-year-old sister Samantha (“Sam”). While filming the series, Schaeffer shared a home with co-star Pam Dawber. After debuting as one of the top 25 hits, My Sister Sam’s second season was canceled in April 1988 because of declining ratings.
After My Sister Sam, Schaeffer appeared in minor roles in the movies Out of Time, Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair, The End of Innocence, and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. Additionally, she represented Thursday’s Child, a children’s charity.
Rebecca Schaeffer – Murder
Schaeffer passed away on July 18, 1989, at her West Hollywood home by a 19-year-old fan named Robert John Bardo. Bardo had been following her for three years until she passed away. Samantha Smith, a young peace activist who died in an aircraft disaster in 1985, had once consumed his attention. Schaeffer responded to one of the several letters he sent her after that. He visited Los Angeles in 1987 in the hope of meeting Schaeffer on the set of My Sister Sam, but Warner Bros. security refused to let him in. Madonna.
In 1989, Bardo saw Schaeffer in bed with another actor in the black comedy Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. Apparently, out of jealousy, he became angry at the scene and decided that Schaeffer should be punished for “becoming another Hollywood whore.” Actress Theresa Saldana had been harassed and stabbed by Arthur Richard Jackson in 1982, and Bardo discovered that Jackson had used a private detective to get Saldana’s address. He received a Ruger GP100.357 handgun with the aid of his brother.
More.
Bardo made a third trip to Los Angeles and walked the area where Schaeffer resided, asking locals if she indeed lived there. He rang the doorbell once he was convinced the address was accurate. Schaeffer answered the door as she was getting ready for an audition for The Godfather Part III and was anticipating a script delivery. She instructed Bardo not to visit her house again after he showed her a letter and autograph she had previously sent him.
After breakfasting nearby at a diner, he left for her place and came back an hour later. Bardo subsequently recalled that when she answered the door, “a cold look was on her face.”
In the doorway of her apartment building, he pulled out a revolver and shot her in the chest at point-blank range; according to Bardo, she collapsed and spoke just the word “Why?” After being taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s emergency room, Schaeffer was declared dead 30 minutes later. She was buried in Portland’s Ahavai Sholom Cemetery.
Aftermath
The following day, after people on the road reported seeing a man racing through traffic on Interstate 10, Tucson Police Chief Peter Ronstadt arrested Bardo. He quickly admitted to the killing. The investigation in his case was led by Marcia Clark, who became well-known for her work as the main prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
In a bench trial, Bardo was found guilty of capital murder and given a life sentence without the possibility of release. The federal law governing the disclosure of personal information through the DMV was modified as a result of this occurrence. To prohibit the DMV from disclosing private addresses, the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act was passed in 1994. Schaeffer was seeing director Brad Silberling when she passed away.
Rebecca Schaeffer – Personal Life
Her sexual orientation was straight. As for her relationship status, Rebecca Schaeffer was in a relationship with the popular American film director, Brad Silberling. They met at UCLA Film School and dated each other until the time of her death. However, other information about her love life is not available. Her boyfriend is currently married to Amy Brenneman.
Caption: Rebecca Schaeffer with her boyfriend, Brad Silberling
Source: Pinterest
Rebecca Schaeffer – Net Worth 2024
Rebecca Schaeffer had earned a hefty amount of money throughout her successful acting career. She had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death. However, she hadn’t shared her salary and other asset values.
Social Media
Reflecting on her social media presence, Rebecca Schaeffer wasn’t active on any social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. However, she has a fan-created account on Facebook and Instagram. Her fan has created the account on her loving memory.
Rebecca Schaeffer – Body Measurements
Coming to her physical appearance, she had an attractive and dazzling personality. She had a height of 5 feet 5 inches and a weight of 62kg. However, there is no information about her body size, dress size, shoe size, and so on. She had a pair of brown eyes with black colored hair.