Marlene Clark obit

MARLENE CLARK, MODEL, ‘GANJA & HESS,’ ‘SANFORD & SON’ ACTRESS, DIES @ 73

 

She was not on the list.

Glass Hair Design posted a remembrance stating that Clark died on May 18, the same day as her Slaughter (1972) co-star Jim Brown, who died at 87.

Clark was born December 19, 1949, and grew up in Harlem. Her first career was as a fashion model, but she segued naturally into films with 1968's For Love of Ivy, which starred Sidney Poitier (1927-2022).

Though uncredited for her work in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Putney Swope (1969), she was pictured on the poster of the latter, directed by Robert Downey Sr. (1936-2021).

She was directed by Hal Ashby (1929-1988) in his debut The Landlord (1970) and by Larry Hagman (1931-2012) in Beware! The Blob (1972), goingo n to appear with Jim Brown in Slaughter and then in the genre flick Night of the Cobra Woman (1972).

Her most famous and appreciated film was Ganja & Hess (1973) by Bill Gunn (1934-1989), a vampire classic.

Other film work includes Enter the Dragon (1973) and Switchblade Sisters (1975).

On TV, Clark was known as the character Lamont's girlfriend on Sanford & Son (1976-1977). She acted on TV until 1988.

 

There is no word on survivors.

 

Partial filmography

 

Actress

Robin Givens, Brian Robbins, Dan Frischman, Khrystyne Haje, Howard Hesseman, and Dan Schneider in Head of the Class (1986)

Head of the Class

Mrs. Merriman

TV Series

1988

1 episode

 

Michael Landon in Highway to Heaven (1984)

Highway to Heaven

Rachel Pierson

TV Series

1987

1 episode

 

Flamingo Road (1980)

Flamingo Road

TV Series

1982

1 episode

 

Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones (1973)

Barnaby Jones

Bank Clerk

TV Series

1980

1 episode

 

What's Happening!! (1976)

What's Happening!!

Secretary

TV Series

1979

1 episode

 

The Baron (1977)

The Baron

Caroline

1977

 

Bunco (1977)

Bunco

Nickey

TV Movie

1977

 

The Richard Pryor Show (1977)

The Richard Pryor Show

TV Series

1977

1 episode

 

Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson in Sanford and Son (1972)

Sanford and Son

Janet Lawson

TV Series

1976–1977

6 episodes

 

Kate Jackson, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean in The Rookies (1972)

The Rookies

Teresa Clements

TV Series

1976

1 episode

 

The Jezebels (1975)

The Jezebels

Muff

1975

 

Lord Shango (1975)

Lord Shango

Jenny

1975

 

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967)

Black Mamba

The Witch

1974

 

Newman's Law (1974)

Newman's Law

Edie

1974

 

Peter Cushing, Michael Gambon, Tom Chadbon, Marlene Clark, Anton Diffring, Charles Gray, Calvin Lockhart, and Ciaran Madden in The Beast Must Die (1974)

The Beast Must Die

Caroline Newcliffe

1974

 

Bruce Lee, Ahna Capri, Jim Kelly, John Saxon, Kien Shih, and Robert Wall in Enter the Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon

Secretary

1973

 

Ganja & Hess (1973)

Ganja & Hess

Ganja Meda

1973

 

Incident on a Dark Street (1973)

Incident on a Dark Street

Rose

TV Movie

1973

 

Parachute to Paradise

TV Movie

1972

 

Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)

McCloud

Sabrina Crawford

TV Series

1972

1 episode

 

Jim Brown and Stella Stevens in Slaughter (1972)

Slaughter

Kim

1972

 

Larry Hagman, Shelley Berman, Godfrey Cambridge, Carol Lynley, and Robert Walker Jr. in Beware! The Blob (1972)

Beware! The Blob

Mariane Hargis

1972

 

Peggy Lipton, Michael Cole, and Clarence Williams III in Mod Squad (1968)

Mod Squad

JudyRuthie Rush

TV Series

1970–1972

2 episodes

 

Night of the Cobra Woman (1972)

Night of the Cobra Woman

Lena Aruza

1972

 

Telly Savalas, Ivan Dixon, John Marley, and Tom Stern in Clay Pigeon (1971)

Clay Pigeon

Saddle

1971

 

Bonanza (1959)

Bonanza

Liza Walter

TV Series

1971

1 episode

 

Christopher George in The Immortal (1969)

The Immortal

Carol Carver

TV Series

1970

1 episode

 

James Brolin, Robert Young, and Elena Verdugo in Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969)

Marcus Welby, M.D.

Lorine

TV Series

1970

1 episode

 

Dan Dailey and Julie Sommars in The Governor & J.J. (1969)

The Governor & J.J.

Diane

TV Series

1970

1 episode

 

Lost Flight (1970)

Lost Flight

TV Movie

1970

 

The Landlord (1970)

The Landlord

Marlene

1970

 

Stop! (1970)

Stop!

Marlene

1970

 

The Bill Cosby Show (1969)

The Bill Cosby Show

Vicki Himbrough

TV Series

1970

1 episode

 

Putney Swope (1969)

Putney Swope

Stewardess (uncredited)

1969

 

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Midnight Cowboy

Girl at Party (uncredited)

1969

 

Sidney Poitier in For Love of Ivy (1968)

For Love of Ivy

Radio Phone Girl

1968