Julie E. “Tawny” Kitaen is an American actress, comedian, model, and media celebrity. Actress and television personality Tawny Kitaen dropped out of high school and started her career as a model in her teenage. In the mid-1980s, she performed in films and started dating Whitesnake rocker, David Coverdale.
She starred in numerous Whitesnake videos, Kitaen became a sex symbol of the 1980s. After marrying and divorcing Coverdale, she appeared on television shows, and in 2006, Kitaen was back in the limelight on the reality show The Surreal Life. Kitaen made public her struggle with drugs on Celebrity Rehab.
Early Life of Tawny Kitaen
Julie E. Kitaen was born on August 5, 1961, in San Diego, California. She was born to the parents Linda Linda Née Taylor and Terry Kitaen. Her father served with Neon Sign Company, and her mother was a homemaker.
At the age of 12, she adopted the nickname “Tawny.” Kitaen was diagnosed with dyslexia, and that influenced her education. She studied in Mission Bay High School, San Diego but had to leave due to her health issues. She went into modeling and acting to help herself.
Career of Tawny Kitaen
Tawny Kitaen leveraged on her striking looks to move into the entertainment industry. Dropping out of school, she had insignificant roles in films and television series. She appeared on the game show “To Tell the Truth” in 1976. In the 1980s, her involvement and later marriage to Whitesnake’s member David Coverdale provided her the opportunity to appear in music videos of the band including “The Deeper The Love,” “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love,” and “Still of the Night.”
These appearances made her a sex symbol in the 1980s, supporting her to get acting roles. In 1983, Kitaen made an acting debut with a minor role in the television movie Malibu. This was followed by a title character in the erotic-adventure film, The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak in 1984. That same year, she co-starred in Bachelor Party as Debbie Thompson, a bride-to-be of Tom Hanks. Kitten performed Linda Brewster in the horror movie, Witchboard, 1986.
Tawny Kitaen would later in 1997 performed in another horror movie Dead Tides, alongside wrestler Roddy Piper. Others include Happy Hour, 2002, Too Cool, 2009, and Naked After Midnight in 2014.
Movie Career of Tawny Kitaen
Being a gymnast in high school, she had the Hollywood-esque physique that was so wanted. Her beautiful, big, red hair epitomized everything men search for in women back then.
As mentioned above, her acting career started when she appeared on the game show To Tell The Truth in 1976. In 1984, Tawny Kitaen got the lead in her film debut in an erotic-adventure picture. It was called, The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak.
That same year she shared the screen with Tom Hanks in the movie Bachelor Party. She played his bride-to-be. This was apparently her biggest movie role. Although she only had a brief part in the film, she got to work with one of the best actors of that generation.
In 1986, she starred in another lead role in a horror film titled Witchboard. Although she had other roles in films, Bachelor Party, gave Tawny her first big break. Tawny Kitaen’s other movie roles included Crystal 1986, Instant justice 1986, Three of Hearts 1993, Dead Tides 1997, and After Midnight 2014. Sadly, for Kitaen, her movie career would never really set into anything long-term. Her good looks could only take her so far. Sure, people thought she was gorgeous, but she was never really taken seriously as an actress. In fact, many say she was lucky even to land the roles she did, given her less than stellar acting skills.
Tawny Kitaen Whitesnake
Even though Tawny had some lead roles in films, she did not become what is considered a ‘household name’ until she started her starring in music videos. In fact, she became immediately famous once she appeared in the Whitesnake’s video for “Here I Go Again.”
Some of the other Whitesnake videos she starred in include “Still of the Night,” “Is This Love,” and “The Deeper The Love.”
In these music videos, Tawny Kitaen performed a provocative vixen. One of her most famous video scenes of all time was when Tawny laid out on a sports car in the band’s “Here I Go Again.” This was sadly the highlight of the young star’s career. Back then, you could hardly turn on MTV without seeing Tawny’s red hair.
With the ample visibility of these music videos on MTV, they moved her to widespread recognition. She was also dating at the time, David Coverdale, lead singer of Whitesnake. Tawny went on to marry him in 1989, but the pair divorced two years later.
In addition to the music videos, Tawny Kitaen also appeared on album covers for Whitesnake and Ratt.
Television Career of Tawny Kitaen
Tawny was a co-host with Dave Coulier on America’s Funniest People from 1992 to 1994. Tawny also had a part in The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which was a comedy show. She performed in 19 episodes playing as a night-time D.J. She also had recurring roles in the show Hercules. Like other female actresses of the time, Tawny Kitaen had a cameo on Seinfeld in 1991. But similar to her movie career, nothing really took off for her.
In 2006, she tried to restart her career as an actress by appearing in a reality television series. In the sixth season, she joined the cast of The Surreal Life. This was a show about a group of celebrities who were once-famous living together in one house. The show actually spoiled a lot of the participants’ careers rather than help.
In 2008, Tawny was in the second season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. On this show, she took the efforts she was enduring public, which was having a drug problem. She had been charged with possession of cocaine in 2006. Tawny then completed a televised treatment program. She had trouble maintaining her serenity and was arrested for driving under the impact in 2009.
Marriage & Family of Tawny Kitaen
The woman has been married twice, and both of her marriages were not successful. During the 80s, Tawny Kitaen was mainly dating David Coverdale, who was the lead singer of Whitesnake. Tawny went on to marry him in 1989 but divorced soon after in 1991. She then became involved with Chuck Finley, who was a known baseball player. The couple married in 1997.
At the time of their marriage, they had a daughter, and in 1998, they welcomed another daughter to their family. With a family to raise, Tawny Kitaen dropped out of the professional world to focus on her family.
She made headlines again in 2002 but not for a performance in a film or television show, instead of for misbehavior spousal abuse. These two charges stemmed from a dispute between Chuck and her.
He alleged that during an argument, he was assaulted, so she was arrested on these charges. The police statement stated that she was hitting her husband regularly in the face with her high-heeled shoes. The charges later settled and finally dropped after she did a year in a program called spousal battery counseling. Chuck filed for divorce three days after the occurrence. Today, Tawny Kitaen remains unmarried and is spending more time with her daughters.
Legal Issues
As one of the legal issues was discussed above, In 2002, Kitaen made headlines for a domestic fight between her and her husband. She was arrested on two charges of misdemeanor spousal abuse after allegedly physically assaulting Finley during an argument. Finley filed for divorce three days after the incident. That September, Kitaen settled the case. The charges against her were dropped after she completed a year of counseling.
Later, Kitaen attempted to resurrect her career by appearing on a reality television series in 2006. She joined the cast of The Surreal Life for its sixth season. The show filmed a group of once-famous celebrities living together under one roof. Kitaen appeared with actress Florence Henderson; American Idol contestant Corey Clark; performer Alexis Arquette; and others on the show. That same year, Kitaen was imprisoned for cocaine ownership. The charge against her was dismissed after she competed for a six-month rehabilitation program. The following year, Kitaen started her own legal battle. She filed suit against a former boyfriend, claiming that he scammed her out of $3 million of her assets. The pair finally settled in 2009.
Tawny Kitaen Now and Then
Tawny Kitaen today has not lost her fame. Although her career peak falls in the 80-90 years, now the actress continues to play in shows and T.V. series. Holding such great success, she also had problems with the law, which happened twice from 2006 to 2009. Perhaps this became a reason to leave public life and spend more time with her daughters.
Tawny Kitaen Plastic Surgery
The once attractive and charismatic actress Tawny Kitaen has definitely undergone some nip and tucks. Critics say the fact that Tawny has no lines on her forehead is all because of the Botox. She is also considered to have had her brows lifted and her upper and lower lids also done. This is why her brows hardly move at all. It is also assumed that she may have had cheek implants because they seem to be a lot fuller and even more rounder these days. However, her appearance has been improving year after year. It’s also rumored that Twany had a boob job. It also seems that Tawny may have had an augmentation done on her lips, probably with collagen or perhaps Restylane injections. It is assumed, people may think that Tawny’s appearance has become a disaster entirely now if they had a pill that would make you ignore the words “Plastic Surgery” Tawny should get it treated by it.
Net worth of Tawny Kitaen
It is estimated that the net worth of Tawny Kitaen as of 2021 is $5 Million.
End of the glamorous era of Tawny Kitaen
The actress, Tawny Kitaen, who performed in “Bachelor Party” and whose personal life was full of extreme ups and downs, has died in Newport Beach on Friday, May 7, 2021, at the age of 59.
Tawny’s daughters, Wynter and Raine, tell: “We are heartbroken and saddened to announce the death of our mom. We just want to say thank you for all of you, her fans and her friends, for always showing her such support and love. You gave her life everyday. We miss her and love her and we know her legacy will live on forever.“
Her brother Jordan Kitaen believed she died of a broken heart because losing their father was too much for Tawny to deal with.
Tawny was shattered by the recent death of her father, who passed away April 12 after a long fight with skin cancer. Jorden thinks the death was too much for Tawny’s system to handle, especially when their dad’s funeral was just days away when she passed away.
However, Jordan says, We’re told Tawny, the oldest child was very closed with their father, and Jordan describes their relationship as an “uncanny connection.”
Police have talked to the family, informing them there was nothing found at the scene signifying drugs, pills or alcohol were a factor in her death and no signs she took her own life, either.
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