Tawny Kitaen

Julie Ellen "Tawny" Kitaen ( ki-TAYN; August 5, 1961 – May 7, 2021) was an American actress. She began her career as a television actress, appearing in the television films Malibu (1983) and California Girls (1985). She also starred in the comedies The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak and Bachelor Party (both 1984), and the horror film Witchboard (1986).

Kitaen garnered widespread recognition for her appearances in a number of music videos, including Ratt's "Back for More" (1984) and Whitesnake's "Still of the Night", "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again" (all 1987).

In the 2000s, Kitaen began appearing on reality television series, including The Surreal Life (2006) and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (2008), the latter of which documented Kitaen's issues with substance abuse.

Early life

Julie Ellen Kitaen was born in San Diego, California, on August 5, 1961. She was the eldest of three children born to Linda Kitaen (née Taylor), a housewife and one-time beauty pageant participant, and Terry Kitaen, an employee of a neon sign company. Kitaen's mother was of Irish and Scottish descent, while her father was of Russian-Jewish heritage. Kitaen was raised in her father's Jewish faith.

She began using the nickname "Tawny" at the age of 12 on her own initiative. As a child, she struggled with dyslexia, which led to her dropping out of Mission Bay High School. At the age of 14, with backstage passes after a Peter Frampton concert at Balboa Stadium, she witnessed the VIP treatment afforded Frampton's girlfriend Penny and aspired to attain it for herself.