# Linnea Quigley
**Linnea Quigley** (born 1958 in [Davenport, Iowa](https://www.edgepedia.org/davenport-iowa)) is an American actress, producer, and musician whose portrayal of the punk Trash in *[The Return of the Living Dead](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-return-of-the-living-dead)* (1985) made her one of the defining "scream queens" of 1980s horror cinema, particularly in low-budget and direct-to-video genre films.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) • [2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958, Davenport, Iowa[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) |
| Signature role | Trash in *The Return of the Living Dead* (1985), which established her as "Queen of the Bs"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) |
| Filmography | IMDb lists 183 acting credits and describes a career of more than 35 years and more than 125 films; her official site claims more than 200 films[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) • [3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/) |
| Late-1980s peak | *Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama*, *Night of the Demons*, and *Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers* (all 1988)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) |
| Music | Guitarist and singer in the all-female band Mad Whistle, then The Skirts; the Skirts re-formed in August 2003[4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958) • [5](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=42716) |
| Books | *The Linnea Quigley Bio & Chainsaw Book* (1992), *I'm Screaming as Fast as I Can: My Life in B-Movies* (1995), and *Skin*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) • [4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958) |
| Recognition | Playboy named her "the sexiest scream queen of all time" in 2017; Trailblazer Award, 2018 Idaho Horror Film Festival[3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/) |
## Early life and identity
Quigley was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1958, to Heath and Dorothy Quigley; her mother was a housewife and her father a chiropractor and psychologist.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) [Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) works disagree on the order of her given names: Encyclopedia.com gives her full name as Linnea Barbara Quigley, while IMDb gives Barbara Linnea Quigley.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quigley-linnea-1958-jesse-dalton-jessie-dalton-barbara-gold) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, worked at a [Jack LaLanne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-lalanne) spa, attended the John Robert Powers Modeling School, and worked as a professional model before acting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) • [6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quigley-linnea-1958-jesse-dalton-jessie-dalton-barbara-gold) She also used the pseudonyms Jesse Dalton, Jessie Dalton, and Barbara Gold in early credits.[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quigley-linnea-1958-jesse-dalton-jessie-dalton-barbara-gold)
## Career beginnings
Her first roles of note came in smaller erotic films such as *Fairy Tales* and *Audition* in 1978.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) She followed with an uncredited mannequin role in *Tourist Trap* (1979), a murdered sex worker in *Stone Cold Dead* (1979), and early genre parts in *Don't Go Near the Park* and the slasher *Graduation Day* (1981).[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) • [4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958) On *Graduation Day* she took the role of the doomed Dolores when the original actress refused to do nude scenes.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/)
## Breakthrough and the scream-queen persona
**Trash.** In 1985 Quigley landed her most memorable role, the death-obsessed punk Trash in [Dan O'Bannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-obannon)'s *The Return of the Living Dead*, a film that became a video-store staple and cult classic.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) The role established her firmly as "Queen of the Bs" and anchored a late-1980s run that included *Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama*, *Night of the Demons*, and *Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers* (all 1988).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) The American Film Institute catalog also credits her as Heather in *Savage Streets* (1984), Bianca in *Creepozoids* (1987), Denise in *Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2* (1987), Lu De Belle in *Treasure of the Moon Goddess* (1987), Spider in *Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama* (1988), Suzanne in *Night of the Demons* (1988), the "Soul from Freddy's chest" in *[A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-the-dream-master)* (1988), and a nurse in *Innocent Blood* (1992).[7](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256156-Linnea-Quigley)
## B-movie career, 1980s and 1990s
Quigley built a long career working with directors David DeCoteau and Kevin Tenney.[4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958) In the 1990s she took small mainstream-adjacent parts in [John Landis](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-landis)'s vampire film *Innocent Blood* (1992), the direct-to-video *Pumpkinhead II: Bloodwings* (1993), and an uncredited role in the star-studded *Phantoms* (1998).[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/)
## Beyond acting: music, writing, and production
Quigley played guitar in an all-female band called Mad Whistle in the early 1980s before starting The Skirts, in which she sang and played guitar; the Skirts recorded several albums before disbanding so she could act full time.[4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958) • [3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/) In August 2003 she re-formed the Skirts to play the Monster Mania festival in [Cherry Hill, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/cherry-hill-new-jersey), and the Scream Fest in [Plantation, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/plantation-florida).[5](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=42716)
Her producing credits include executive producer of *Creepozoids* (1987), co-producer of *Murder Weapon* (1989) with Fred Kennamer, and co-producer of *The Girl I Want* (1993).[6](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quigley-linnea-1958-jesse-dalton-jessie-dalton-barbara-gold) In 1990 she released *Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout*, a parody that was part exercise video and part goofy zombie film.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) She has also written three books about her life in the B-movie industry: *The Linnea Quigley Bio & Chainsaw Book* (1992), *I'm Screaming as Fast as I Can: My Life in B-Movies* (1995), and *Skin*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) • [4](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958)
## By the numbers
The size of her filmography depends on the source. IMDb lists 183 acting credits, 10 producer credits, 6 soundtrack credits, 1 composer credit, 64 self credits, and 23 archive-footage appearances, and describes a career of more than 35 years and more than 125 films.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) Her official site states she has starred in more than 200 films.[3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/) Neither source quantifies the horror share of the filmography, though horror and exploitation titles dominate the roles named in the sources above.
## How she compares with other scream queens
The term "scream queen" is commonly used for an actress associated with horror-film roles, and Quigley is routinely positioned alongside [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-lee-curtis), Neve Campbell, and [Heather Langenkamp](https://www.edgepedia.org/heather-langenkamp).[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) The difference is one of career shape: Curtis, Campbell, and Langenkamp anchored blockbuster horror franchises, while Quigley never did, instead appearing in many low-budget B films that remain remembered by genre fans.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) For a segment of horror fans she is "just as important if not more so" for her willingness to go beyond the grain of what a [scream queen](https://www.edgepedia.org/scream-queen) was supposed to be.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/)
## Later career and legacy
Quigley continued acting through the 2000s and 2010s, with credits slowing in recent years, and remains a staple of the horror convention circuit; she appears in the documentary *In Search of Darkness II*.[2](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/) She moved to Florida in 2001 to be near her ailing parents and is a vegan and animal-rights advocate.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/) Her official biography adds that she keeps a dozen rescue dogs and works toward building an animal sanctuary.[3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/)
Recognition within fandom includes Playboy naming her "the sexiest scream queen of all time" in 2017 and the Trailblazer Award at the 2018 Idaho Horror Film Festival.[3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/) *Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout* retains a large fan base whose members dress as her film characters.[3](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/)
## References
1. [Linnea Quigley, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001643/)
2. [Linnea Quigley Is a Scream Queen Who Isn't Afraid to Be Bad, Collider](https://collider.com/linnea-quigley-horror-scream-queen-silent-night-deadly-night/)
3. [About Linnea, official site](https://linnea-quigley.com/about-us/)
4. [Iowa Time Machine: Iowa's Scream Queen – May 27, 1958, Notes on Iowa](https://www.notesoniowa.com/post/iowa-time-machine-iowa-s-scream-queen-may-27-1958)
5. [Linnea QUIGLEY, Anime News Network Encyclopedia](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=42716)
6. [Quigley, Linnea 1958–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quigley-linnea-1958-jesse-dalton-jessie-dalton-barbara-gold)
7. [Linnea Quigley, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/256156-Linnea-Quigley)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Character actors, B-movie and genre-circuit performers › American performers, mid era › Surnames K to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license