Valerie Perrine, Superman's Original Eve Teschmacher, Dead At 82

Valerie Perrine, whose career took her all the way from the glittering lights of Las Vegas to the glimmering glow of Hollywood, died on March 23, 2026. She was 82 years old. Perrine's death was confirmed by her close friend Stacey Souther on Facebook. Souther had been helping to take care of Perrine after she was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2015. "She faced Parkinson's disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining. She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest — and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it," his statement reads in part.

Perrine earned a best actress nomination at the 1974 Oscars for playing "Hot" Honey Bruce, the stripper wife of Lenny Bruce (Dustin Hoffman) in "Lenny." She also appeared in "The Electric Horseman," "The Last American Hero," and was Eve Teschmacher in Richard Donner's beloved 1978 movie take on "Superman." While her career slowed down in 1980 thanks to the mega-bomb "Can't Stop The Music" (part of a double-feature that inspired the Razzies), she continued acting until 2016. She'll always be remember for her spirited characters, and for bringing a new "Superman" character into comic canon, instead of the reverse.

Valerie Perrine got her start as a showgirl in Las Vegas, working in the "Lido de Paris" revue at the Stardust Resort and Casino. She moved to Los Angeles and stumbled into acting. "I was at a small dinner party where an agent was looking for someone to play the role of Montana Wildhack in George Roy Hill's film production of 'Slaughterhouse-Five.' The agent saw something in me and thought I would be perfect for the part. That's how I became an actress," she told Parkinson's Europe.

Perrine's career skyrocketed from there, and she wasn't afraid to get daring with her choices and parts. She broke ground by becoming the first woman to appear nude on American broadcast television, going topless in a PBS "Hollywood Television Theater" broadcast of the play "Steambath." 

After "Can't Stop the Music," Perrine reprised the part of Eve Teschmacher in "Superman II," and guested on multiple sitcoms and television dramas. She played Margo in the Mel Gibson rom-com "What Women Want," and also played Brigitta, Detective John Munch's (Richard Belzer) photographer ex-girlfriend in an episode of "Homicide: Life on the Streets." Her final role was in the 2016 independent film, "Silver Skies."