Deanna Booher (August 6, 1948 – January 7, 2022) was an American actress, professional wrestler, and roller derby skater. She is known for her appearances with Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as Matilda the Hun, as well as her appearances in films such as Brainsmasher... A Love Story and Spaceballs.
Early life Booher grew up in Lake Arrowhead, California. Prior to becoming involved in wrestling, she held jobs including as a masseuse and as a phone sex operator. She wrestled at El Camino Junior College in California, helping the team win a state championship.
Professional wrestling career Booher made her first foray into professional wrestling by organizing amateur mud wrestling shows, performing as a masked character named "Queen Kong". After California's gaming commission barred her from wrestling men, her first professional match was against a bear.
Booher later teamed with GLOW creator David McLane and director Matt Cimber to cast, recruit and train performers for the first all-women's professional wrestling show. She also wrote the show's theme song. Booher portrayed Matilda the Hun in GLOW. Her villainous character ate raw meat in the ring and scared children in the crowd, which Booher said she enjoyed.
After two years with GLOW, Booher and others left to form a competing show called Powerful Women of Wrestling, but it was unsuccessful.
Booher said she learned her signature move, a big splash, from watching English professional wrestler Big Daddy.
In 2012, Booher appeared in a documentary about GLOW, titled GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.
Acting career After Booher's professional wrestling career, she earned a living doing stunt work as well as by performing singing telegrams that incorporated aspects of wrestling.
Booher had several film roles in her career, including in the Mel Brooks comedy Spaceballs. She was in the romantic comedy Brainsmasher... A Love Story alongside Andrew "Dice" Clay and Teri Hatcher. She also appeared in the music video for Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator", carrying a dwarf on her shoulders.
She also had guest-starring roles in television, including Married... with Children, My Two Dads, Mama's Family and Night Court. She often portrayed her Queen Kong character in these roles.
Personal life and death Booher was married to her husband Ken Booher for 39 years before he died. She had one son, Dean Booher.
By 2017, Booher used a motorized wheelchair because of wrestling-related spinal deterioration. In her later life, she had lupus and peripheral neuropathy. She died on January 7, 2022, at the age of 73.
Tributes In July 2024, a stage show in tribute of Booher was co-written, co-directed and co-starred by Tracee Meltzer and Robert Nguyen called Matilda the Hun: The Raw Meat at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood. The show was nominated in 10 different categories for BroadwayWorld Awards and resulted in 3 wins for David Navarro for Best Music Direction & Orchestra Performance, Best Scenic Design of a Play or Musical and Best Sound Design of a Play or Musical.
Filmography + Film roles Year Title Role Notes 1984 Delta Pi Tawny "Terrible Tawny" 1985 Grunt! The Wrestling Movie Female Wrestler 1986 Welcome to 18 Tough Broad 1987 Spaceballs Bearded Lady 1987 Lust for Freedom Edna "Big Eddie" 1987 Deathstalker II Gorgo, Amazon Champion Wrestler 1987 Dirty Laundry Big Lady With Whip 1987 Crazy Legs Louise 1989 Cage Gang Girl 1989 Slash Dance "Repo" 1990 Club Fed The Ex-Wife 1992 The Nutt House Large Nurse 1993 Brainsmasher... A Love Story Bertha 1993 Little Miss Millions Sarge 1994 Save Me Nude Model 1995 Theodore Rex Meanest Woman Truck Driver 1997 Meet Wally Sparks Lady Party Guest 1998 Heaven and the Suicide King Shirley 2015 The Dog Wedding Elaine Pierce Femme d'Action Invader Manager Television movie
+ Television roles Year Title Role Notes 1985 Hardcastle and McCormick Woman Wrestler (uncredited) Episode: "Strangle Hold" 1987 Mama's Family Masked Mabel #1 Episode: "Mama Mania" 1987 Night Court Maggie Episode: "Ladies Night" 1989 Nadine Episode: "The Game Show" 1989 Amen Ilona Episode: "Sing, Sister, Sing" 1989 My Two Dads Mrs. Lurch Episode: "Joey Gets Pinned" 1990 Dream On Olga Episode: "Death Takes a Coffee Break" 1990 In Living Color Wife (uncredited) Episode: "Homey D. Clown Returns" 1991 Parker Lewis Can't Lose Maxine Episode: "A Walk on the Dark Side" 1995 Married... with Children Biker Chick Episode: "The Weaker Sex"
+ Music video roles Year Title Role Notes 1989 Love in an Elevator Wrestler Single by Aerosmith
Bibliography Glamazon Queen Kong: My Life of Glitter, Guts, and Glory (2014)
References
External links
Papers of Deanna Booher, 1970-2017: A Finding Aid. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.