Vanessa Howard

Vanessa Howard (born Vanessa Tolhurst, 10 October 1948, Shoreham-by-Sea, United Kingdom[1] – 23 November 2010), later known as Vanessa Chartoff, was a British film actress and professional backup singer. Howard starred primarily in exploitation and horror films, including The Blood Beast Terror and Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly. The box-office failure of her later projects resulted in her decision to retire from acting.

Howard married film producer Robert Chartoff in July 1970; the couple divorced some time prior to 1992. Following her divorce, she worked with California programs dedicated to helping recently divorced homemakers reintegrate into the workforce, including the Mission Valley Regional Occupation Center in Fremont. She died in Los Angeles on 23 November 2010, of complications from COPD.[2]

A retrospective on her life – assembled by horror journalist Preston Fassel with the cooperation of her family and the assistance of UK blogger Richard Halfhide – appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of the horror journal Screem, addressing multiple rumours about her life, career, and the time in between her retirement and death.[3]