The sultry Vanity first appeared on the scene in the mid eighties, often
photographed with her bizarre boyfriend Prince. The Canadian born actress/singer
was soon popping up in a slew of fun 80's flicks and recording horrible
albums with her group Vanity 6. It seemed we'd have the pleasure of Vanity's
company for years to come but she suddenly just up and disappeared! So
what happened to Vanity when she seemed to be destined for stardom? She
became "born again" and quit the scene! Ugh.
Vanity's (AKA Denise Mathews) complete movie output consists of cult
movies. The much sought after and debated, Tanya's Island, became a
"Holy Grail" for many bad film fans. Nearly impossible to find for many
years it became notorious for featuring Vanity in strange soft-core
situations - many question if the credited D.D. Winters is actually
Vanity - it sure the hell looks like her.
Vanity would appear in the strange hodgepodge that is Berry Gordy's
The Last Dragon - was sexy as hell in Frankenheimer's nasty, underrated
thriller 52 Pick-Up - played opposite Billy Dee Williams in Larry Cohen's
Deadly Illusion - and played a coked up harlot trying to escape abuse
in Action Jackson.
Action Jackson (1988) is possibly my favorite "Hard Body" film of the
80's. Not only does it have a great title, but it delivers doses of
nudity, violence and sadism. Giving Carl "Apollo Creed" Weathers the
title role was a stroke of genius - as a teen I thought there might
be a whole line of these Action Jackson films! Not one sequel?! Damn
you..damn you all to hell. Oh yeah - Vanity looks stunning in the film
and actually delivers a terrific Exploitation performance.
Vanity also sang with the 80's group Vanity 6 - you may have had the misfortune of hearing their hit single "Nasty Girl."
Vanity was extremly photogenic, unafraid to show some skin,
and was a nice counterpart to the strong male leads in her films. It's
a shame that she quit the business. The gallery features Vanity in Playboy's April 1988 issue.
