Laurie Bartram

Laurie Lee Bartram (May 16, 1958 – May 25, 2007) was an American actress and ballet dancer best known for her role as "Brenda" in the 1980 landmark slasher film Friday the 13th.

Career

She was an actress and ballet dancer. She danced from an early age, eventually dancing at the St. Louis Muny Opera in performances with the Stuttgart Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet, among many other performances in and around St. Louis. She is perhaps best known for her role as the camp counselor Brenda in the original film Friday the 13th, a performance where she was praised as one of the more "likeable" characters in the film. She also appeared in the soap opera Another World as recurring character Karen Campbell, and in two episodes of the 1972 TV series Emergency!, although she was credited as "Laurie Brighton". Finally, she also had an uncredited appearance in the 1974 horror film The House of Seven Corpses as Debbie.

After Friday the 13th, Bartram directed and choreographed local theater productions, made costumes for numerous productions and did voice work for local businesses including WSET in Lynchburg, Virginia. She also did numerous local commercials and billboards.

Personal life

After leaving the entertainment industry, Bartram decided to pursue an education. She attended Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University), where she met her future husband, Gregory McCauley. The couple had five children, named Lauren, Scott, Jordan, Francis, and Isabelle, all of whom were home-schooled. Bartram resided in Tacoma, Washington, and later in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Death

Laurie Bartram died from pancreatic cancer on May 25, 2007, nine days after her forty-ninth birthday, and is survived by her husband and her five children. The documentary His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th was dedicated to her memory, as well as several other deceased cast and crew members.

Filmography