Tawny Kitaen
Encyclopedia
Julie "Tawny" Kitaen k (born August 5, 1961) is an American
actress and media personality. She became famous in the 1980s for appearing in several hard rock
videos for the band Whitesnake
, including the hit "Here I Go Again
". Kitaen was married to Whitesnake lead singer David Coverdale
from 1989–1991. She had recurring parts on multiple television series such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
and co-hosted America's Funniest People
from 1992–1994. She was arrested for drug possession in 2006, has been in and out of rehab programs, was part of The Surreal Life
cast in 2006, and was one of the patients in Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
.
in 1961 to a Jewish-American father, Terry Kitaen, who was an employee of a neon sign company, and Linda Taylor Kitaen, a housewife and a former beauty pageant queen. Julie began using the name "Tawny" at the age of 12, on her own initiative.
Kitaen was romantically linked at various times to Tommy Lee
, O.J. Simpson, Jerry Seinfeld
, and Jon Stewart
. Kitaen married David Coverdale
in 1989, but the two divorced in 1991. After her marriage to Coverdale ended, she married baseball pitcher Chuck Finley
in 1997. They had two daughters, Wynter Finley in 1993 and Raine Finley in 1998. Kitaen appeared in a feature of professional athletes and their wives in the 1999 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
.
, Malibu
. In 1984, she starred as the title character of the erotic-adventure movie The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak
(a.k.a. Gwendoline). She also co-starred in the movie Bachelor Party as the bride-to-be of a young Tom Hanks
and was the star of the 1986 horror movie Witchboard
. She also starred in the not so well known film "Crystal Heart" in 1986.
Kitaen became associated with the glam metal
scene because of her high school sweetheart, Ratt
guitarist and founder Robbin Crosby
. Her legs appeared on the cover of Ratt's self-titled EP wearing black stockings and red pumps, pictured with white mice climbing up her legs. Then, in ripped-up clothes, she appeared on the cover of Ratt's Out of the Cellar
. She also can be seen at the beginning of the Ratt video "Back for More" as the girl in the 1950s-style skirt at the jukebox.
In 1987, her boyfriend was David Coverdale
, the lead singer of Whitesnake
, and she appeared in several of the band's music videos, the most famous of which was for the song "Here I Go Again
", in which she did the splits and rolled around on the hood of two Jaguars
while wearing a white negligee. She also appeared in the videos for "Is This Love
" and "Still of the Night
". In 1989, she appeared in the video for "The Deeper the Love
".
After her music-video appearances, Kitaen took on a number of television roles. She was co-host of America's Funniest People
with Dave Coulier
from 1992-4, and was a regular cast member on The New WKRP in Cincinnati
from 1991-3. She guest-starred in the episode The Nose Job
of the sitcom Seinfeld
in 1991 and in Season 9 Episode 1 of Married... with Children
called 'Shoeway to Heaven' in 1994. She had a recurring role as Deianira
in three of the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
television movies in 1994, and then in the regular television series. From 1992-6, she provided the voice of "Annabelle" in the animated television show Eek! The Cat
.
Kitaen was one of the cast of the sixth edition of the VH1 reality television show, The Surreal Life
, which began airing in March 2006. In addition, in late 2007, she appeared on Rock of Love Season 1
. Kitaen also appeared in the second season of the VH1 reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
, which began in October 2008. Dr. Drew Pinsky voiced concern for her use of triazolam
after she admitted to using more than 0.5 mg per use. Pinsky guaranteed her that taking the drug (as with any benzodiazepine
) in such high doses will eventually cause her to have a seizure
. For fear of her life, Pinsky cut the dosage in half, despite Kitaen's protests.
for an incident involving her then-husband, professional baseball player Chuck Finley
. Three days later, Finley filed for divorce. After a plea bargain
, Kitaen agreed to "enter a spousal battery counseling program and avoid contact with Finley." The couple was married for five years and have two daughters, Wynter and Raine.
In November 2006, prosecutors charged Kitaen with possessing 15 grams of cocaine
in her San Juan Capistrano home in Orange County
. They said her two children were home at the time and Kitaen had given deputies permission for the search. In December 2006, she entered a six-month rehabilitation program in exchange for the dismissal of a felony
drug possession
charge.
On September 26, 2009, Kitaen was arrested for driving under the influence
in Newport Beach, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and media personality. She became famous in the 1980s for appearing in several hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
videos for the band Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, including the hit "Here I Go Again
Here I Go Again
"Here I Go Again" is a #1 hit song recorded by Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the song was re-recorded for their eponymous 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was re-recorded yet another time that year in a new "radio-mix" version...
". Kitaen was married to Whitesnake lead singer David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
from 1989–1991. She had recurring parts on multiple television series such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
and co-hosted America's Funniest People
America's Funniest People
America's Funniest People is an American reality series on ABC that debuted on May 1, 1990 as an hour-long special, and later as a weekly half-hour prime time series from September 8, 1990 to August 28, 1994. It was hosted by Dave Coulier and Arleen Sorkin from 1990 to 1992. Tawny Kitaen replaced...
from 1992–1994. She was arrested for drug possession in 2006, has been in and out of rehab programs, was part of The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of past-their-prime celebrities and records them as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks...
cast in 2006, and was one of the patients in Season 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is a reality television show airing on the cable network VH1 that chronicles a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first season premiered...
.
Personal life
Julie Kitaen was born in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
in 1961 to a Jewish-American father, Terry Kitaen, who was an employee of a neon sign company, and Linda Taylor Kitaen, a housewife and a former beauty pageant queen. Julie began using the name "Tawny" at the age of 12, on her own initiative.
Kitaen was romantically linked at various times to Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee
Thomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
, O.J. Simpson, Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
, and Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
. Kitaen married David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
in 1989, but the two divorced in 1991. After her marriage to Coverdale ended, she married baseball pitcher Chuck Finley
Chuck Finley
Charles Edward "Chuck" Finley is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1986-2002 for three different teams, but pitched primarily with the California Angels...
in 1997. They had two daughters, Wynter Finley in 1993 and Raine Finley in 1998. Kitaen appeared in a feature of professional athletes and their wives in the 1999 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....
.
Career
Kitaen began her acting career in 1983 with a minor role in the television movieTelevision movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, Malibu
Malibu (film)
Malibu is a 1983 television film, based on a novel by William Murray. Featuring Kim Novak, Susan Dey, Troy Donahue and James Coburn, the all star miniseries involves a young couple from Milwaukee, who move into the fabled, high-society Malibu beach community, and become involved with the lives of...
. In 1984, she starred as the title character of the erotic-adventure movie The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak
The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak
The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak is a French action/sexploitation film released in 1984, directed by Just Jaeckin...
(a.k.a. Gwendoline). She also co-starred in the movie Bachelor Party as the bride-to-be of a young Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and was the star of the 1986 horror movie Witchboard
Witchboard
Witchboard is a 1986 American horror film written and directed by Kevin S. Tenney, and starring Tawny Kitaen and Stephen Nichols. The film focuses on a female college student who is harassed and later possessed by an evil spirit after communicating with it through a friend's Ouija board...
. She also starred in the not so well known film "Crystal Heart" in 1986.
Kitaen became associated with the glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
scene because of her high school sweetheart, Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
guitarist and founder Robbin Crosby
Robbin Crosby
Robbin Crosby was an American guitarist who was a member of glam metal band Ratt, earning several platinum albums in the U.S. in the mid-to-late 1980s. Crosby was HIV positive, but died from a heroin overdose in 2002....
. Her legs appeared on the cover of Ratt's self-titled EP wearing black stockings and red pumps, pictured with white mice climbing up her legs. Then, in ripped-up clothes, she appeared on the cover of Ratt's Out of the Cellar
Out of the Cellar
Out of the Cellar is the breakthrough album by heavy metal band Ratt, released in 1984. It is currently certified 3x platinum by the RIAA. Produced by Beau Hill, the album features their best-known hit, "Round and Round", and other hits such as "Wanted Man", "Lack of Communication" and a...
. She also can be seen at the beginning of the Ratt video "Back for More" as the girl in the 1950s-style skirt at the jukebox.
In 1987, her boyfriend was David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
, the lead singer of Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, and she appeared in several of the band's music videos, the most famous of which was for the song "Here I Go Again
Here I Go Again
"Here I Go Again" is a #1 hit song recorded by Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the song was re-recorded for their eponymous 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was re-recorded yet another time that year in a new "radio-mix" version...
", in which she did the splits and rolled around on the hood of two Jaguars
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
while wearing a white negligee. She also appeared in the videos for "Is This Love
Is This Love (Whitesnake song)
"Is This Love" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake. The song is taken from their self-titled album, which released in 1987.The song was written by vocalist David Coverdale and guitarist John Sykes during the albums early writing process , but it was long rumored that the song had...
" and "Still of the Night
Still of the Night (song)
"Still of the Night" is a single released by Whitesnake, from their hugely successful self titled 1987 album. It reached #16 in the U.K., #18 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks and #79 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released on March 9, 1987...
". In 1989, she appeared in the video for "The Deeper the Love
The Deeper the Love
"The Deeper the Love" is a song by the English hard rock band Whitesnake, taken from their 1989 album Slip of the Tongue. The song reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and #35 on the UK Singles Chart....
".
After her music-video appearances, Kitaen took on a number of television roles. She was co-host of America's Funniest People
America's Funniest People
America's Funniest People is an American reality series on ABC that debuted on May 1, 1990 as an hour-long special, and later as a weekly half-hour prime time series from September 8, 1990 to August 28, 1994. It was hosted by Dave Coulier and Arleen Sorkin from 1990 to 1992. Tawny Kitaen replaced...
with Dave Coulier
Dave Coulier
David Alan "Dave" Coulier is an American stand-up comedian, impressionist, television and voice actor, and television host. He is well-known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, which ran from 1987 to 1995....
from 1992-4, and was a regular cast member on The New WKRP in Cincinnati
The New WKRP in Cincinnati
The New WKRP in Cincinnati is a sequel/spin-off of the original CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. It was made for the syndication market from 1991 to 1993....
from 1991-3. She guest-starred in the episode The Nose Job
The Nose Job
"The Nose Job" is the twenty-sixth episode of Seinfeld. It is the ninth episode of the show's third season. It first aired on November 20, 1991.The episode was written by Peter Mehlman and was directed by Tom Cherones.-Plot:...
of the sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
in 1991 and in Season 9 Episode 1 of Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
called 'Shoeway to Heaven' in 1994. She had a recurring role as Deianira
Deianira
Deïanira or Dejanira is a figure in Greek mythology, best-known for being Heracles' third wife and, in the late Classical story, unwittingly killing him with the Shirt of Nessus...
in three of the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
television movies in 1994, and then in the regular television series. From 1992-6, she provided the voice of "Annabelle" in the animated television show Eek! The Cat
Eek! The Cat
Eek! The Cat is an American and Canadian animated series, created by Savage Steve Holland and Bill Kopp and produced by Fox Kids and Savage Studios with animation by Nelvana, that ran from September 11, 1992, to August 1, 1997.-Premise:Eek! the Cat is about a purple cat named Eek whose motto is...
.
Kitaen was one of the cast of the sixth edition of the VH1 reality television show, The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of past-their-prime celebrities and records them as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks...
, which began airing in March 2006. In addition, in late 2007, she appeared on Rock of Love Season 1
Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
Rock of Love with Bret Michaels is an American reality television dating game show. It stars Bret Michaels, the lead singer from the band Poison. The show closely resembles its sister show Flavor of Love. The first season featured 25 women competing to be Michaels' girlfriend. Each week, the women...
. Kitaen also appeared in the second season of the VH1 reality TV show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew is a reality television show airing on the cable network VH1 that chronicles a group of celebrities as they are treated for alcohol and drug addiction by Dr. Drew Pinsky and his staff at the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California. The first season premiered...
, which began in October 2008. Dr. Drew Pinsky voiced concern for her use of triazolam
Triazolam
Triazolam is a benzodiazepine drug. It possesses pharmacological properties similar to that of other benzodiazepines, but it is generally only used as a sedative to treat severe insomnia...
after she admitted to using more than 0.5 mg per use. Pinsky guaranteed her that taking the drug (as with any benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepine
A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring...
) in such high doses will eventually cause her to have a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
. For fear of her life, Pinsky cut the dosage in half, despite Kitaen's protests.
Legal troubles
In 2002, Kitaen was charged with domestic violenceDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
for an incident involving her then-husband, professional baseball player Chuck Finley
Chuck Finley
Charles Edward "Chuck" Finley is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1986-2002 for three different teams, but pitched primarily with the California Angels...
. Three days later, Finley filed for divorce. After a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, Kitaen agreed to "enter a spousal battery counseling program and avoid contact with Finley." The couple was married for five years and have two daughters, Wynter and Raine.
In November 2006, prosecutors charged Kitaen with possessing 15 grams of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in her San Juan Capistrano home in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. They said her two children were home at the time and Kitaen had given deputies permission for the search. In December 2006, she entered a six-month rehabilitation program in exchange for the dismissal of a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
drug possession
Drug possession
Drug possession is the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one's possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise. Illegal drugs fall into different categories and sentences vary depending on the amount, type of drug, circumstances, and jurisdiction.A person has...
charge.
On September 26, 2009, Kitaen was arrested for driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
.