She is best known for her role as the teenage girlfriend of a rock 'n' roll legend in an iconic 1980s film. On Tuesday, the 60-year-old actress was pictured making a rare public appearance as she ran errands in Los Angeles.
Casual Comfort in Los Angeles
The star, who is the daughter of a film producer and an actress, kept comfortable in a striped shirt, brown sweatpants, and Birkenstock clogs. She accessorised with a crossbody bag and was pictured chatting on her phone.
Who Is She?
That's right, it's Danielle von Zerneck! She famously played Ritchie Valens' girlfriend Donna Ludwig in the iconic 1987 movie La Bamba, alongside co-star Lou Diamond Phillips. The film was a biopic of the singer, a pioneer of Chicano rock, who died at just 17 in a 1959 plane crash on what became known as 'The Day the Music Died.' The Iowa crash also claimed the lives of fellow musicians Buddy Holly and J. P. 'The Big Bopper' Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson. Valens had been in a relationship with his high school sweetheart Donna from 1957 until his death.
Early Career and Notable Roles
Before she portrayed Donna, von Zerneck played Louisa 'Lou' Swenson on General Hospital from 1983 to 1984. She started her acting career in commercials and television films. In 1985, she played Ellie Sawyer in My Science Project alongside Raphael Sbarge. In 1986, she starred alongside Grey's Anatomy heartthrob Patrick Dempsey in the ABC TV movie A Fighting Choice.
After La Bamba, von Zerneck appeared in the 1990 romantic comedy Opposites Attract alongside Barbara Eden and John Forsythe. She also starred in the 1995 film Living in Oblivion alongside Steve Buscemi. Outside of films, she made appearances on TV shows including Family Ties and Doogie Howser, M.D.
Later Career and Personal Life
Her last acting credit was in the 2001 television film Acceptable Risk. In recent years, she has focused on producing, with projects including Recovery Road, No One Would Tell, and Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. She grew up in a family connected to the entertainment industry: her father is film producer Frank von Zerneck and her mother is actress Julie Mannix. In 1989, von Zerneck married English accordion player James Fearnley, 71, a member of the Irish folk/punk band The Pogues. The Los Angeles native continues to keep a low profile, but her rare outing delighted fans who remember her iconic role.
