Rebecca Balding–known to horror fans for her leading roles in Silent Scream and The Boogens–has passed away at the age of 73.
Balding passed away following a battle with ovarian cancer, her husband and actor/director James L. Conway told Deadline.
Balding–who studied acting at the University of Kansas–began her career on the stage in Chicago before moving to Hollywood to guest star on several TV shows. She is perhaps best known for her roles on Soap, opposite Billy Crystal, and on the original Charmed, playing Alyssa Milano’s boss.
In 1979, Balding starred in Silent Scream, a slasher film from director Denny Harris that went on to become one of the most financially successful independent horror films of the 1970s. In the movie, Balding plays a college student who finds rooming in a hilltop boarding house where a homicidal maniac is on the loose.
Following that success, Balding headlined The Boogens in 1981, a horror film directed by her husband James L. Conway. The film follows a construction team of four men who work to reopen an abandoned silver mine a century after a mysterious massacre forced the military to shut it down. Unfortunately, their excavating inadvertently frees reptilian creatures lurking deep in the mine shafts.
Balding is survived by her husband, her daughters Sarah and Kathleen and her grandchildren.
The staff of Horror News Network extends its condolences to Balding’s family, friends and colleagues.
