Laurie Bartram

Laurie Lee Bartram (May 16, 1958 – May 25, 2007)[1] was an American actress and ballet dancer best known for her role as "Brenda" in the 1980 landmark slasher film Friday the 13th.

Laurie Lee Bartram
Born	Laurie Lee Bartram May 16, 1958 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	May 25, 2007 (aged 49) Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
Other names	Laurie Brighton
Occupation	Actress ballet dancer
Years active	1973–2007
Spouse(s)	Gregory McCauley (?–2007)
Children	5

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 Jones in the original film Friday the 13th,[2] 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 in the early 1980s, Bartram became a born again Christian and 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,[3] named Lauren, Scott, Jordan, Francis, and Isabelle, all of whom were home-schooled. Bartram resided in Tacoma, Washington, and later in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she lived at the time of her death.[1]

Death

Bartram died from pancreatic cancer on May 25, 2007, nine days after her forty-ninth birthday. 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

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	Emergency!	Karen / Jill	2 episodes
1974	The House of Seven Corpses	Debbie	Uncredited
1978–1979	Another World	Karen Campbell	Television series
1980	Friday the 13th	Brenda Jones

References

1. Lentz, Harris M. III (2008). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-786-45191-3.
2. "Where are they now? Laurie Bartram", www.fridaythe13thfilms.com, archived from the original on December 12, 2004, retrieved May 31, 2011
3. Taylor, Jeremy (October 28, 2014). "See the Cast of 'Friday the 13th' Then and Now". The FW. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

External links

• Laurie Bartram at IMDb
• Laurie Bartram at Find a Grave