# Another "who's the woman from the music video" question - George Harrison **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 4, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369 "2022-11-04T18:58:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/21 "2022-11-05T15:45:21Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Willy Smax Interesting. This site doesn’t list it as one he directed. He also seems to have disappeared. He has a Facebook account, but nothing posted on it. His blog ends in 2011 and his website is defunct. Maybe the video is cursed and everyone is being killed off really slowly, one by one. Denisof should be careful, he may be the only one left. > **[Willy Smax](https://musicvideo.fandom.com/wiki/Willy_Smax)** > > Willy Smax is a music video director. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/22 "2022-11-05T15:51:40Z")
I’ve been a huge fan of Willy Smax ever since I was a teen-ager. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/23 "2022-11-05T15:56:14Z")
What red blooded American boy wasn’t? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/24 "2022-11-05T15:57:33Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Maybe the video is cursed and everyone is being killed off really slowly, one by one. Denisof should be careful, he may be the only one left. Jeff Lynne’s still alive, as well. 🙂 Given what has (or hasn’t) been uncovered about the actress, my hypothesis is that she (unlike Denisof) never wound up with a significant acting role, and dropped out of acting. If that’s the case, then, unless she cared to look up things online about the video, out of curiosity, or one of her kids happened across the video and said, “hey, that’s my mom!”, we may never know who she was. Also, Gary Weis (who apparently may or may not have been the director) does have a website, which has a 2019 copyright date on it. > **[Gary Weis Film Director & Fisherman](https://www.garyweis.com/)** > > Gary Weis film director ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/25 "2022-11-05T16:06:36Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > a guy who goes by “Willy Smax,” who also directed the Traveling Wilburys’ video for “End of the Line.” With a name like that, I think Willy Smax was one of the Wilburys’ cousins. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/26 "2022-11-05T16:09:18Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Jeff Lynne’s still alive, as well. 🙂 Not for lack of praying on my part. 🙂 > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Also, Gary Weis (who apparently may or may not have been the director) does have a website, which has a 2019 copyright date on it. Just on the off chance he still checks the site, I sent him an email. Maybe he’ll get back to me. Think I figured out how to tweet to Alexis, looks like three of us since this thread started. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/27 "2022-11-05T16:27:06Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I never saw the _Growing Pains_ show, but I remember reading that Kirk Cameron didn’t want to marry her on the show because he was offended by her nude photos because he’s a super Christian type. I saw her being interviewed about leaving the show and she didn’t mention Cameron by name, but since it was inconceivable to my teenage brain that someone so young would have a stick up their butt about this, I assumed for years that it was Alan Thicke who had a problem. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > Recalling the years of work that went into the _Steppin’ Out_ video thread, I wonder if people back then didn’t think videos would be viewed much in the future. There’s precious little information on most of them. Given that music videos were largely just a way of marketing artists and it was all so new, I don’t think they considered preserving anything for posterity. Other than a few key moments, Elvis or the Beatles on Sullivan for example, what kind of shelf life did performances have? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/28 "2022-11-05T16:39:04Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Other than a few key moments, Elvis or the Beatles on Sullivan for example, what kind of shelf life did performances have? I would guess live performances like that would have even less information available. I’d guess when MTV videos started out, no one thought there would be any lasting presence. They probably just figured once the songs fell off the charts, who would care about the videos. Linda Purl has a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lindapurl) account that’s current, but I’m apparently too stupid to start a separate question rather than tack it on to something she posted. Anyone willing to give it a try? > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Given what has (or hasn’t) been uncovered about the actress, my hypothesis is that she (unlike Denisof) never wound up with a significant acting role, and dropped out of acting. > > If that’s the case, then, unless she cared to look up things online about the video, out of curiosity, or one of her kids happened across the video and said, “hey, that’s my mom!”, we may never know who she was. That’s kind of what I expect to happen, but I thought I’d give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/29 "2022-11-05T16:44:49Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Linda Purl has a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lindapurl) account that’s current, but I’m apparently too stupid to start a separate question rather than tack it on to something she posted. Anyone willing to give it a try? I’ll note that Linda Purl has been acting since the 1960s, and was a pretty well-known actress in the late '70s and '80s; in 1986-87, she was one of the leads on _Matlock_, playing the main character’s daughter and law partner. Also, she was born in 1955, so she would have been 32 years old when the Harrison video was filmed; the actress in the video looks more like she’s in her early 20s to me. Here’s what she looked like on _Matlock_, at about the same time that the video was made: [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjkyNDIyZWItNTBkYS00MTdkLWE2YjAtMDNiODQ3YzMxYWQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgxNDMwNjY@._V1_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjkyNDIyZWItNTBkYS00MTdkLWE2YjAtMDNiODQ3YzMxYWQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgxNDMwNjY@._V1_.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/30 "2022-11-05T17:10:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Also, she was born in 1955, so she would have been 32 years old when the Harrison video was filmed; the actress in the video looks more like she’s in her early 20s to me. I agree, but the actress looks so much like her to me I just got stuck on her. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/31 "2022-11-05T18:12:45Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > Recalling the years of work that went into the _Steppin’ Out_ video thread, Are we sure it’s not the same woman in both videos? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/32 "2022-11-05T19:26:12Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Are we sure it’s not the same woman in both videos? I should be so lucky. That one only took seven years to solve. Another actress I think looks similar is Faye Grant, mostly known for playing the female lead in _V_, the tv show about aliens. Again, she’s too old and too well known to have actually been in the video. [![](https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/3055224/526full-faye-grant.jpg) ](https://iv1.lisimg.com/image/3055224/526full-faye-grant.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/33 "2022-11-05T19:33:26Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I agree, but the actress looks so much like her to me I just got stuck on her. You mean you got your mind set on her? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/34 "2022-11-05T19:48:00Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > You mean you got your mind set on her? Exactly! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/35 "2022-11-06T07:08:08Z")
Here’s a screencap, if it helps. I think she’s just an anonymous model, of which Hollywood is over-saturated with choice. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/1l9tGt8.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/1l9tGt8) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2022, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/36 "2022-11-06T08:49:07Z")
Tangent: I once asked Julie Brown (via Twitter) if [Bebe Neuwirth](https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALiCzsaAff0ZVe1asKEZMVJTXvLvqQgdvw:1667724348430&q=bebe+neuwirth&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5-vuqlZn7AhXml2oFHYPuDLQQ0pQJegQIBhAB&biw=320&bih=454&dpr=2) was in her video to [“Girl Fight Tonight”](https://youtu.be/gVie2K-mMtc), because the backup singer on Julie’s left could be a younger Neuwirth, at least to me. Ms. Brown was quick to respond in the negative, but seemed like she have loved it to be true. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/37 "2022-11-07T14:46:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > In this case, it may also be a question of whether the video was filmed in the U.S. or in England If it helps, the coin Denisof uses at 0:33 looks like a British 10p piece. Whatever it is, it has Queen Elizabeth on it. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/38 "2022-11-07T14:53:28Z")
Further, at !:33, Denisof forks over a pound coin for ten more 10p coins. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/39 "2022-11-07T19:34:18Z")
Apparently neither Gary Weis nor Alexis Denisof is willing to answer the question. No luck with Willy Smax/William McLellan either. I’ll show them by not watching any more of the stuff they direct/act in. Bet they’re sorry now! > [@GuanoLad](#): > > I think she’s just an anonymous model, of which Hollywood is over-saturated with choice. Anonymous apparently, but maybe not Hollywood if it was all filmed in England. > [@Superdude](#): > > I once asked Julie Brown (via Twitter) if Bebe Neuwirth was in her video to “Girl Fight Tonight” Coincidentally, the woman they chase in that video looks a bit like the woman from the _Steppin’ Out_ video. Maybe we’ve stumbled on a massive conspiracy that Big Music is trying to hide from us. Who knows how far it goes, this could be bigger than Elvis being alive! > [@BlankSlate](#): > > Further, at !:33, Denisof forks over a pound coin for ten more 10p coins. I actually wondered about that. That was a pretty good sized stack of coins for it to be US money. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369/40 "2022-11-07T20:38:52Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I actually wondered about that. That was a pretty good sized stack of coins for it to be US money. Yeah, it’s definitely got the queen on it, but to further muddy the waters, perhaps it’s a Canadian loonie coin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-whos-the-woman-from-the-music-video-question-george-harrison/974369.md?page=3)