Dawn Wildsmith

Actor · Born June 11, 1963 (63) · Carmel, California, USA

Dawn Wildsmith was born in Carmel, California, and raised by a beatnik father who owned the Gallery St. Denis art gallery. She began an interest in the arts from a very young age and, by the time she was 12-years-old, had sold her very first painting. In the 1980s, after doing some commercial and print work, she would meet and marry up-and-coming American B-movie director Fred Olen Ray. The two would form the companies Savage Films and A.I.R. during this time, and Dawn would end up appearing in many of the company's horror, action and science fiction releases from 1984 to 1990, beginning with the sci-fi comedy The Adventures of Taura: Prison Ship Star Slammer (1986) (which was filmed in 1984 but not released until several years later). She was cast in both lead and supporting roles; and most often played either tough, take-charge heroines or ruthless, calculating villainess. On occasion, she'd even play a hapless victim, as in the goofy horror comedy The Tomb (1986), where her character was crushed to death after being pushed onto a bed covered in boa constrictors. In the infamous cult classic Surf Nazis Must Die (1987), Wildsmith's vivid performance as a sexually-insatiable nut-case won her a special "Guilty Pleasure" Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She also had memorable roles in Evil Spawn (1987), playing scientist John Carradine's evil, sardonic assistant (who helps transform an aging, insecure actress into an insectoid monster), and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988), as a cackling chainsaw hooker who tries to seduce her way out of doing prison time. In the latter, she also designed the makeup that adorns cult queen Linnea Quigley's body during her notorious "Virgin Dance of the Double Chainsaws." Possibly the best and most memorable performance in Dawn's all-too-brief career was playing a trash-talking tough cookie who tries to help David Carradine retrieve his abducted wife in the post apocalyptic action flick Warlords (1988). Other credits include such popular 1980s B flicks as The Phantom Empire (1988), Beverly Hills Vamp (1989) and Wizards of the Demon Sword (1991). She also appeared briefly in Mohammed Rustam's awful alien-vampire opus Evils of the Night (1985) and had an uncredited bit as a club dancer in Larry Cohen's fun killer mutant baby sequel It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987). Dawn received a "Drive In Academy Award" nomination from John Bloom for her performance in Warlords (1988), was voted "Most Working Actress" in Variety magazine that same year and received a Playboy Magazine pictorial proclaiming her "Queen of the B's" a year later. Sadly, at the height of her fame as a B-movie force to be reckoned with, Dawn abruptly left the business and hasn't appeared in another film since the early 1990s. In fact, her last credited appearance in Steve Latshaw's Jack-O (1995) is actually just recycled footage that was filmed in the late 1980s. Said footage was shot to try to entice producers into backing another project called Teenage Exorcist (1991). That project was eventually filmed in 1991, but the role was recast with Brinke Stevens in the lead. As of 2001, Dawn resided in Ashland, Oregon, and was traveling around the country exhibiting her surrealist artwork.

What are Dawn Wildsmith's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight

Morality

35%

Power

22%

Survival

19%

Bonds

16%

Self

9%

Justice4 Survival2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Wry

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 3 · Wry 1 · Earnest 3

Light

Tone · Weight

lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Stylized

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

Casual

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Easy watch

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 7 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0

Resolved

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Ally

2 of 3

Hero

1 of 3

Heroas Eddy Colchilde in The Phantom Empire (1988)
Allyas Roxanne in Future Force (1989)
Allyas Caroline in Alienator (1990)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd

4

Tense

4

Thrilling

3

Dread

2

Manic

1

Other

2

How their films linger

Fun6 Bittersweet2 Cathartic2

How their films end

Happy4
Bittersweet1
Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dawn Wildsmith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Midnight Pulp2 titles, show their 2 titles on Midnight Pulp
Best of British Television1 title, show their title on Best of British Television
Cineverse1 title, show their title on Cineverse
Howdy1 title, show their title on Howdy
MovieSphere+1 title, show their title on MovieSphere+
Screambox1 title, show their title on Screambox

Subscription and free streaming for Dawn Wildsmith's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.

Lake of Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
as Virginia Price
Jack-O(1995)
as Sorceress
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Wizards of the Demon Sword (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
as Selena
Empire of the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
as Madame Oleska
Alienator(1990)
as Caroline
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Dark Romances Vol. 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
as Carol
Diggin' Up Business (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
as Sable Coats
The Alien Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
as Evelyn Avery (archive footage)
Nerds of a Feather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
as Fortune Telling Client
B.O.R.N.(1989)
as Singer · as Singer (uncredited)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Warlords (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
as Danny
Terminal Force(1989)
as Delilah
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Beverly Hills Vamp(1989)
as Sherry Santa Monica
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Future Force(1989)
as Roxanne
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Deep Space(1988)
as Janice
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Makeup Artist · as Lori
The Phantom Empire(1988)
as Eddy Colchilde
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Evil Spawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
as Evelyn Avery
Surf Nazis Must Die(1987)
as Eva
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Cyclone(1987)
as Hanna
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Commando Squad(1987)
as Consuela
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive(1987)
as Dancer in Club
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Polly Perverse Strikes Again! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
as Theresa
The Adventures of Taura: Prison Ship Star Slammer(1986)
as Muffin
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Armed Response(1986)
Makeup Artist · as Thug #2
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Tomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
as Anna Conda
Beach Blanket Bloodbath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
as Erika Von Fly
Sleazemania Strikes Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
as ("Beach Blanket Bloodbath" segment)

Career shape

Star power in the 82^nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 28 titles from 1985 to 2018; peak year 1987.

Highest rated

Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)

Midcredits 5^th

Film career

19852018

Peak 1987 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

1986Screen debut· The Tomb
1988Career best· Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting28 of 28 · 5^thOther crew2 of 28

By decade

1980s20 · 20 acting · 2 crew1990s7 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 8th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Dawn Wildsmith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 5^th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 6^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

6^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

3^rdpercentile

Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

50^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

Below 25^th14

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 14 titles are Mixed.

Universally Panned3
Mixed11

Most divisive · actor

Beverly Hills Vamp (1989)

78^th percentile spread · 65% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Armed Response (1986)

Midcredits 18^th · 24% liked

Reviewers score the acting 26/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 48, detractors 19. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dawn Wildsmith's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films

Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 43 · moderate

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Dawn Wildsmith work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dawn Wildsmith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fred Olen Ray shares the most, 5.

Dawn Wildsmith

What are Dawn Wildsmith's films like?

Themes

What they feel like to watch

Roles they play

Moods and endings

Where can I watch Dawn Wildsmith's films?

Filmography

Career shape

Film career

By role

By decade

Billing

How do Dawn Wildsmith's films land?

Shape of the crowd

Is Dawn Wildsmith's work okay for kids?

Who does Dawn Wildsmith work with?

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors