Laurie Zimmer Explained

Laurie Zimmer
Birth Name:Laura Ann Zimmer
Birth Date:2 March 1949
Occupation:Actress (former)
Notable Works:Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Years Active:1976–1979
Spouse:James Bruce Steele
Children:2

Laurie Zimmer (born March 2, 1949; also credited as Laura Fanning) is an American former actress best known for her role as Leigh, the courageous secretary of the besieged police station, in John Carpenter's 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13.[1]

Acting career

Zimmer had a brief acting career during the mid-to-late 1970s. After playing the female lead opposite Darwin Joston and Austin Stoker in Assault on Precinct 13, Zimmer appeared on stage in a Los Angeles production of the John Ford Noonan play, Getting Through The Night, where her performance was reviewed as "a model of prissiness and timorous self-importance".[2] She then appeared (as Laura Fanning) in the 1977 comedy spoof American Raspberry, and two 1977 French films: Jean Eustache's Une sale histoire ("A Dirty Story") and Charlotte Szlovak's Slow City, Moving Fast (also known by the French title D'un Jour a L'Autre). Shortly thereafter, Zimmer's career stalled, and, after playing her fifth role (in 1979's television movie Survival of Dana), she permanently retired from acting.[1]

Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer?

Charlotte Szlovak, who had directed Zimmer in Slow City, Moving Fast, released her documentary film Do You Remember Laurie Zimmer? in 2003. The film chronicles Szlovak's search to discover why Zimmer quit acting, where she is now, and what she is doing.[1]

The film reveals that Zimmer now lives near San Francisco, California, works as a teacher, is married to actor Bruce Steele, and has two sons, one of whom is musician Julian Steele of the band The K.O. Bros.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1976Assault on Precinct 13 Leigh [3]
1977American Raspberry Miracle White Lady[4]
1977Une sale histoire Short[5]
1978D'un jour à l'autreAngela[6]
1978ABC Weekend SpecialAlvin's MomEpisode: "Little Lulu"[7]
1979Survival of DanaClerkTV movie[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Roysdon . Keith . 'Assault on Precinct 13' was the Siege Thriller Done to Perfection . CrimeReads . CrimeReads . 13 May 2023 . 10 May 2023.
  2. Sylvie Drake, "La Mama's Zesty Little Women", Los Angeles Times (July 17, 1976), p. 37.
  3. Web site: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). https://web.archive.org/web/20160629121219/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bc12c41. dead. June 29, 2016. bfi.org.uk. May 29, 2023.
  4. Web site: American Raspberry (1977). https://web.archive.org/web/20190516190715/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6eb78969. dead. May 16, 2019. bfi.org.uk. May 29, 2023.
  5. Web site: D'un jour à l'autre. unifrance.org. May 29, 2023.
  6. Web site: Une sale histoire. unifrance.org. May 29, 2023.
  7. Web site: ABC Weekend Special - "Little Lulu". YouTube. October 7, 2021. May 29, 2023.
  8. Web site: The Survival Of Dana. tcm.com. May 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20201017045842/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/22298/the-survival-of-dana/#overview. October 17, 2020.