Raven De La Croix (born Lynn Christie Martin; August 24, 1947) is an American actress and stripper known for her lead role in the 1976 Russ Meyer film Up!. When Meyer first discovered her at Joe Allen's, a hangout in West Hollywood, California, she had no acting experience. In 2011, Owen Gleiberman wrote that she "...may be [Meyer's] most spectacular siren". She is the granddaughter of aviation pioneer Lieutenant William Knox Martin.
Biography De La Croix was born as Lynn Christie Martin in Manhattan, New York City to a poor family and was the oldest of eight children. In Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film, author Jimmy McDonough wrote, "Her exotic looks come from the blend of her father's Comanche Indian heritage and French blood on her mother's side."Jimmy McDonough, Big Bosoms and Square Jaws, page 304.
She was a licensed nurse and worked for a time at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. She also worked several other jobs, including prison drug lecturer where she was seen by a prisoner who later recommended her to work for a theatrical agency. Later, she was noticed in a Hollywood restaurant by a talent scout for Eddie Foy, Jr., which eventually led to an appointment with Russ Meyer. De La Croix also worked at the Melody Burlesk in New York as a stripper.
Her first marriage was abusive. The August 1986 issue of Wrestling Eye Magazine notes on page 48 that, "a recent article in Rock Island, Illinois QUAD TIMES reported she was engaged to wrestler Greg The Hammer Valentine".August 1986 Wrestling Eye Magazine Page 48 Col 1
Filmography
Films YearTitleRoleOther notes 1976 Up! Margo Winchester (also designed her own costumes and performed her own stunts.) 1977 The Chicken Chronicles Mrs. Worth 1977 The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington 1978 Jokes My Folks Never Told Me Bride 1980 The Blues Brothers Woman in Concert Crowd (uncredited) 1983 Screwballs Miss Anna Tomical (a stripper) 1984 The Lost Empire Whitestar (also associate producer, costume designer, acted as animal handler and performed her own stunts.) 1987 Heat and Sunlight as herself, Raven De La Croix (her last burlesque performance on film) 1996 The Elastic Zenith Narrator (co-producer, documentary) 2001 The Double-D Avenger Dr. De La Croix 2005 Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove Gypsy Woman 2006 Alien Secrets Brandon's Sister-in-Law (co-producer)
Television YearTitleRoleOther notes1982 Hear No Evil Candy Burns 1987 A Current Affair as Rev. Dr. Lynn Christie Ana
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