Lisa Blount

Lisa Blount July 1 1957 October 27 2010 was an American film and television actress and Oscarwinning producer Lisa 5 9 175 m was born on July 1 1957 Cancer in Fayetteville Arkansas USA as Lisa Suzanne Blount She has a brother Greg Blount who appeared on one episode of American Gladiators 1989 but was injured and unable to participate further Lisa Blounts second cousin is conservative filmmaker and inventor Cody G Carson who is best known for being the founder of the Arkansas Movie Makers Organization AMMO Lisa grew up in Jacksonville Arkansas and graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1975 She actually quit high school at age sixteen and enrolled at the University of Arkansas despite not having a high school diploma Her film career began at age 17 when as a college student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville she was cast by director James Bridges to play a James Deanobsessed goth girl in September 30 1955 1977 She was known as the scream queen star of a few 80s horror movies but she is best remembered as the cynical ambitious but insecure best friend to Debra Winger whose paramour played by David Keith commits suicide when Lisas character refuses to marry him because he has dropped out of the Navys officers training program in An Officer and a Gentleman 1982 In 1983 she was voted Favorite Female Newcomer by US magazine readers poll She married Christopher Tufty on March 19 1982 but however was divorce sometime prior to her marriage to actorwriterdirector Ray McKinnon sometime in 1998 The February 6 1985 issue of Variety announced the film Ombre sul ponte English title Shadow on the Bridge would begin filming in March 1985 with director Ruggero Deodato starring Franco Nero Patrick Wayne Lisa Blount and Eli Wallach No evidence the film was ever made or released She executive produced The Accountant 2001 which was written and directed by her husband McKinnon and won the Oscar for best live action short Lisa Blounts mother Louise found her dead on October 25 2010 age 53 in Little Rock Arkansas USA in her home after two days of not being able to reach her Louise claims that at the time of her daughters death she Lisa was suffering from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ITP a blood disorder in which low levels of platelets keep blood from clotting and lead to bleeding and bruising No signs of foul play were reported by Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper but he did not release cause of death The police report listed her death as natural Her husband Ray McKinnon had been out of town at the time filming the remake of Footloose in Atlanta They had been living in Little Rock AR since 2005 after moving there due to Blounts health problems