Valerie Perrine died on Monday in Beverly Hills. She was 81 years old. Her friend Stacey Souther shared the news on Perrine’s Facebook account: “It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away.”

Souther went on to describe how Perrine had suffered from Parkinson’s for more than 15 years – a diagnosis that, according to her friend, she bore with remarkable poise, without complaint, with courage and openness. “She was a true inspiration who lived her life to the fullest – and what a great life it was. The world is less beautiful without her,” Souther continued. At the same time, she called for donations via the GoFundMe platform to fulfill Perrine’s last wish: a burial at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Years of illness have completely consumed her finances.

Valerie Perrine started out as a showgirl in Las Vegas

Before Hollywood discovered her, Perrine was a showgirl on the stages of Las Vegas. In 1972 she made the step into the film business with “Schlachthof 5”, followed a year later by “The Last Hero of America”. She also attracted attention in prudish America with the first uncovered shower scene in the theater adaptation of “Steambath”.

But the decisive breakthrough came in 1974 with the Lenny Bruce biopic “Lenny” alongside Dustin Hoffman: for her portrayal of Honey, the controversial comedian’s wife, Perrine received an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for best actress.

She played Lex Luthor’s girlfriend in Superman

Valerie Perrine became known to an audience of millions primarily through her role in “Superman” (1978) and its sequel. As Miss Teschmacher, the girlfriend of the supervillain Lex Luthor, she even saved Superman, who was weakened by kryptonite, in one of the most impressive scenes in the film.

In the following years she appeared in front of the camera in “The Electric Rider” with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda and played with Jack Nicholson in “Border Patrol” (1982). In 2002 she played one of Mel Gibson’s assistants in the hit comedy “What Women Want” and she was also seen in various TV productions, such as “Emergency Room”.

Her last film appearance was in 2014’s “Silver Skies.” Parkinson’s disease, which became known in 2015, put an end to her active career.