Dana Kimmell

Dana Kimmell was born on May 21, 1959, in Texarkana, Arkansas. She spent her early years in Kingsburg, California, before her family relocated to Center, Texas. In 1974, at the age of 15, Kimmell was selected from 20,000 applicants by “Teen” magazine to participate in a week-long modeling assignment in Hollywood. Her modeling career continued, leading to a cover appearance for the magazine the following year. Upon returning to Kingsburg for her senior year, she graduated as valedictorian from Bullard High School in Fresno in 1977. Following graduation, Kimmell signed with Nina Blanchard’s modeling agency and began pursuing acting opportunities, making her professional debut on “Charlie’s Angels” in 1977. She attended the University of California for two years before leaving to fully commit to her acting career. She married John Anderson on September 18, 1982, and they have four children.

Kimmell transitioned to theatrical films in the early 1980s. She made her film debut in the slasher film “Sweet Sixteen” (filmed in 1982, released 1983). Her performance in “Sweet Sixteen” led to her being cast as Chris Higgins in “Friday the 13th Part III” (1982), a film that debuted at number one at the U.S. Box Office and grossed over $34 million worldwide. She established guidelines for her career, refusing nude scenes and profanity in her projects. Her final theatrical role to date was playing Sally McQuade, the daughter of Chuck Norris’s character, in “Lone Wolf McQuade” (1983), which was also a box office success.

Simultaneously with her film work, Kimmell maintained an active television career. Her most prominent television role was Dawn Marshall in the NBC soap opera “Texas” (1980), where she appeared in 51 episodes. She originally portrayed the character in an episode of “Another World” (1980) before the spin-off series. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kimmell made numerous guest appearances on popular TV series, including “Charlie’s Angels” (1977), “Diff’rent Strokes” (1981–1984), “The Facts of Life” (1982), “Days of Our Lives” (1983–1984), “Hotel” (1986), and “The Young and the Restless” (1984). She also appeared in several television films such as “Midnight Offerings” (1981) and “By Dawn’s Early Light” (1990).