Dey Young may not be the most prominent actress on television or even in science-fiction, but she's certainly been prolific over the past thirty years. Born on July 28, 1955 in Bloomfield Hills, MI Young began her acting career in 1979, after studying at Kingswood School. Apparently the theater and film trade runs in the family; in addition to once being married to David Ladd, Dey Young is sister to actress Leigh-Taylor Young.
One of Young's earliest and best-remembered roles, was co-starring with fellow Foxy Lady P.J. Soles in the made-to-be-a-cult-hit, Rock n' Roll High School (1979). In addition to starring Dey Young, P.J. Soles, Mary Woronov, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard, the film also features seminal punk-band and rock folk-heroes, The Ramones!
In case you can't tell from the trailer... In this particular Roger Corman Classic, Young plays the fairly-nerdy best friend Kate Rambeau. Don't be deceived by her good-girl shirtwaists, Young's Rambeau is brainy but hot-blooded and even gets her own sub-plot! Just as into the boys as her gal-pal Riff, Kate's girlish lust sits on Van Patten's clueless blond-jock, Tom. While Kate's efforts to hook it up with the object of her desire are often played for laughs, everything in Rock n' Roll High School is played for laughs. In the end, Young's Rambeau not only gets her man, she gets to go to the Ramones concert and then later watch them (SPOILER ALERT) blow up Vince Lombardi High. Are these not the things of which a teenager's dreams are made?
One of Young's most widely seen appearances to date may have been a fairly small one; a few years after starring in Rock n' Roll High School she appeared in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (1987) as the saucy space-diner waitress. Some of Dey Young's other Sci-Fi roles include: Carol Martin in The Outer Limits (1998), Judy Bishop in The X Files (1994), and Amy in The Running Man (1987). She's also appeared on Star Trek several times, making appearances in four of the franchise's different series. Young is still acting today and has appeared in What Just Happened (2008), The Young and the Restless (2008) as well as AMC's runaway-hit MadMen (2007).
Dey Young's artistic inclinations are not limited to acting, she's also been sculpting since 1977. Working in stone, bronze and terracotta, her work often features or is highly reminiscent of the curved contours of the feminine physique. Young has had exhibitions at the University of Judaism, Arcona Studio, and the Earl McGrath Gallery. See her sculpture for yourself here!
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTED VIEWING/READING:
-Back to School: A Retrospective - 'Rock 'N' Roll High School' Rock on Edition DVD (2005)
-Dey Young's extensive list of credits at IMDB.com
