Valda Hansen

Valda Joanne Hansen (November 3, 1932 – July 21, 1993) was an American actress, known for her performances in a number of B-movies in the 1950s and 1970s.

Valda Hansen
Born	Valda Joanne Hansen (1932-11-03)November 3, 1932 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1993(1993-07-21) (aged 60) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Years active	1955–1975

Her most famous role was that of the White Ghost in Ed Wood's Night of the Ghouls (1959). She had previously played a stripper in Strips Around the World (1955). She returned to the screen in the 1970s and appeared in movies such as Cain's Cutthroats (1971), Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973) and Wham! Bam! Thank You, Spaceman! (1975, in which she was credited as "Zelda"). She also appeared in a 1992 documentary about the filmmaker Ed Wood entitled Flying Saucers over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion.[1]

Career

Hansen first came across Ed Wood in 1957 at a local theater production. Impressed with what he saw, Wood asked her to think about a role in Revenge of the Dead. She accepted the role which was that of a ghost. He also got her to bleach her hair for the role.[2] The film was later released as Night of the Ghouls[3]

She played the part of Sister Ann in the biker film, Outlaw Riders which was directed by Tony Huston.[4][5]

She appeared in the 1973 film, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off which starred Jim Brown, Ed McMahon, Don Stroud and Brock Peters.[6]

Later years

Hansen retired from acting around 1975, and died in Hollywood on July 21, 1993, aged 60, from cancer.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1955	Strips Around the World	Stripper	(as Valda)
1959	Night of the Ghouls	Sheila, the White Ghost
1970	Cain's Cutthroats	Zelda
1970	Norma	Roommate
1971	Outlaw Riders	Sister Anne
1972	The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid	Nude girl	(as Valda J. Johnson)
1973	Slaughter's Big Rip-Off	Burtoli's Blonde	(as Valda Hanson)
1975	Wham! Bam! Thank You, Spaceman!	Gloria	(credited as Zelda), (final film role)
1992	Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion	Herself	Video Documentary

References

1. Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion (Video 1992), retrieved March 11, 2018
2. Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films, By Bob Craig - Page 183 7. Night of the Ghouls (ca. 1959)
3. Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992) ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
4. Filmweb - Outlaw Riders (1971)
5. High on the Hogs: A Biker Filmography, David Stidworthy - Page 142
6. Letterboxd - Slaughter’s Big Rip Off 1973 Directed by Gordon Douglas

External links

• Valda Hansen on IMDb