Donna Wilkes: The original scream queen
Hello, Islanders!
Two very big JAWS-centric birthdays coming up this month. On November 10, we will be celebrating Roy Scheider on his 91st birthday. A day later, on November 11, JAWS 2 actress Donna Wilkes will be celebrating a birthday of her own.
Born in the Spanish Harlem section of Manhattan in New York, Donna made her professional debut in a television commercial for Keds Sneakers. As a kid, I wore Keds and now I wonder if her commercial influenced me or, more importantly, my parents. Donna’s mother was originally from El Salvador (Donna speaks both English and Spanish fluently) and she soon enrolled in the Dominica American Theatre of Performing Arts, where she trained to be an actor. At age 12 she was sent to live with relatives in the Dominican Republic where, as an advanced student, she attended the Collegio Santo Domingo, from which she graduated at age 14.
A year later she moved to Los Angeles but, due to her age, had to lie to prospective employers, telling them she was 18 in order to work. Much easier to do in the early 1970s says the guy who got his first job at 14 after telling the employer he was 16. In 1977, she decided to return to acting and her first job was as Jackie Peters, the visiting cousin who goes along for the ride in JAWS 2. That year she also married actor Billy Gray, best known for his role on television’s “Father Knows Best,” who was 21 years her senior. They divorced in 1981.
She continued to do the occasional film role while spending most of her time on television. She appeared in such shows as “The Incredible Hulk” and “Diff’rent Strokes,” in which the episode she appeared in served as a backdoor pilot to the series, “Hello, Larry.” Wilkes was a member of the cast for the series’ fourteen episode run. In 1983, Wilkes got the role she is best known for (by non-JAWS fans anyway), Molly “Angel” Stewart in the film Angel. Marketed with the tagline “High School Student by Day, Hollywood Hooker by Night,” the film was an unexpected success. Featured in both her school uniform and hot pants, Wilkes appeared much younger than her 25-years. Despite the success of the film, Wilkes did not appear in the 1985 sequel, Avenging Angel. Per the Internet Movie Database:
Producer Keith Rubinstein and director Robert Vincent O'Neil felt that Donna Wilkes wasn't credible as a college graduate. The sequel's investors, however, insisted that Wilkes reprise her familiar role. Wilkes priced herself out of the market, and Betsy Russell was cast instead.
I find it funny that the producer and director didn’t think someone that graduated high school at the age of 14 wouldn’t be credible as a college student. It’s obvious that fans of the first film missed Wilkes as Avenging Angel only did 1/3 of the business the original film did.
She continued to work steadily in film and television through 1991, when she put acting on hold to care for her newborn daughter. She resumed her acting career in 2013.
Take a poll of JAWS 2 fans and they will tell you that Jackie is their least favorite character, for multiple reasons. She was for me because not only was she awfully bossy, especially for someone that’s there as a guest, but she screams. And screams. And SCREAMS!! It wasn’t until I interviewed Donna for the book “Jaws 2: the Making of the Hollywood Sequel,” that I changed my tune. I still thought she was bossy, but I learned that the reason for the constant screaming was two-fold. First, she is reacting to something the audience doesn’t see, the horrific death of Bob (Billy Van Zandt), a scene that was not included when the film was released. Second, Wilke’s revealed the following, “All I remember about that scene was that is being directed to be hysterical to the point of being comatose at the end.” Now that you know the background, I think you’ll agree with me and say, “Great job!”
Jamie Lee Curtis is often referred to as the first modern-day scream queen. However, as JAWS 2 was released four months before Halloween, I’m giving that distinction to Donna Wilkes.
Words by Michael A Smith. Michael is co-author of Jaws 2: The Making Of The Hollywood Sequel. You can order the book by contacting Michael at OsFanMike@aol.com.
If you would like to write for The Daily Jaws, please visit our ‘work with us’ page
For all the latest Jaws, shark and shark movie news, follow The Daily Jaws on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.