Sandahl Bergman (born November 14, 1951) is an American actress and dancer. Trained as a dancer, she first gained recognition performing on Broadway before transitioning to film roles. She attracted early film attention for her appearance in the dance sequence “Air Erotica” in Bob Fosse’s film All That Jazz (1979). Bergman achieved wider recognition for her role as Valeria, Queen of Thieves, in the fantasy film Conan the Barbarian (1982), for which she received a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress.

Before her film career, Bergman appeared in several stage productions and musicals, including Broadway productions such as Pippin, A Chorus Line, and Dancin'. Known for her athletic dancing and physical screen roles, she transitioned from stage work into film during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Early life and family

Bergman was born November 14, 1951, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was raised in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Her parents were Howard Bergman and Polly Bergman, and she had a younger sister, Nanci Lee.Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919–1961 for Sandahl J. Bergman. The family lived in Prairie Village, Kansas.

Bergman attended Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village. She began studying dance at the age of five, training in classical ballet, jazz, tap, and flamenco, and later studied flamenco with dancer José Greco. She began performing at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City at age twelve and later joined a touring production of West Side Story at age sixteen.

Standing , Bergman has often been described as athletic and statuesque.

Career

Stage career

Bergman began performing as a dancer in Kansas City, appearing in productions at Starlight Theatre as a teenager. At age sixteen she joined a touring production of West Side Story.

Early in her career she also worked as a dancer on television variety programs including The Dean Martin Show, The Brady Bunch Hour, and Donny & Marie.

She later moved to New York City and appeared in several Broadway productions. Choreographer Bob Fosse noticed her and cast her as a replacement dancer in Pippin. She had a secondary lead in the stage version of the film Gigi in 1973, and later appeared in Mack & Mabel, and as Judy in the "new New York cast" of A Chorus Line when many of the original actors left the show in 1977.Profile, ibdb.com; accessed August 15, 2015.

Fosse cast Bergman again in his critically acclaimed dance concert/musical Dancin' (1978), which featured many of the leading dancers on Broadway at the time.

Film and television Early in her career she appeared as a dancer in the film Mame (1974).

Bergman's movie career began in 1978 with a small role in the television film How to Pick Up Girls!. She followed that with the Bob Fosse film All That Jazz (1979), in which she was a featured performer in the "Take Off with Us" sequence. In the film Xanadu (1980), she appears as one of the nine immortal Muses during the opening song "I'm Alive" by ELO, as well as in the film's final title number "Xanadu".

Bergman's participation in Xanadu also led indirectly to her eviction from her apartment in New York and subsequent relocation to California. She had been subletting her apartment in New York in violation of a clause in her rental contract, and during the four months she spent in California filming the movie, her landlord became aware of the arrangement. Bergman later said she did not return to New York and instead had friends pack and ship her belongings to her.

Her best-known role is playing Valeria opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the fantasy film Conan the Barbarian (1982). For her performance she received the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress and the Saturn Award for Best Actress. Because no stunt women could be found to match her size, Bergman performed her own stunt work. Preparation for the role included extensive physical conditioning and sword training. She later recalled the demanding filming conditions, stating that she nearly lost a finger during a sword-fighting scene.

In 1983, Bergman was featured in the music video for "Heavy Metal Love" by the Canadian Hard Rock band, Helix.

In 1984 she played the title role in the post-apocalyptic comedy adventure She. The following year she appeared as Queen Gedren in Red Sonja (1985). Although she had initially been offered the title role, she chose instead to play the villain.

Bergman subsequently appeared in a number of low-budget films, including the comedy Stewardess School (1986), the post-apocalyptic film Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988), and the neo-noir film Raw Nerve (1991). Other appearances include a lunar base officer in Airplane II: The Sequel, the music video "Heavy Metal Love" by the band Helix, and the Fred Olen Ray film Possessed by the Night (1994). She also made guest appearances on television series including Hart to Hart and performed in a dance sequence choreographed by Stanley Donen in an episode of Moonlighting.

Her most recent film work came in 2003 when she appeared as a dancer in the film adaptation of The Singing Detective.

Bergman also worked as an instructor for the FIRM series of exercise videos in the 1980s.

Bergman later retired from acting but has occasionally appeared at science-fiction conventions.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1974 Mame Dancer Uncredited 1979 All That Jazz Principal Dancer 1980 Xanadu Muse 1 1982 Conan the Barbarian Valeria Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – ActressSaturn Award for Best Actress 1982 Airplane II: The Sequel Officer #1 1984 She She 1984 Getting Physical Nadine Cawley Television movie 1985 The Ferret Chandra Television movie 1985 Red Sonja Queen Gedren Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress 1986 Stewardess School Wanda Polanski 1987 Programmed to Kill Samira 1987 Kandyland Harlow Divine 1988 Hell Comes to Frogtown Spangle 1991 Raw Nerve Gloria Freedman 1992 In the Arms of a Killer Nurse Henninger Television movie 1992 Loving Lulu Lulu 1992 Revenge on the Highway Python Television movie 1994 Lipstick Camera Lilly Miller 1994 TekWar: TekJustice Valkyrie Television movie 1994 Possessed by the Night Peggy Hansen Direct-to-video 1994 Inner Sanctum II Sharon Reed 1994 Night of the Archer Marla Miles 1995 Ice Cream Man Marion Cassera Direct-to-video 1996 The Assault Helen 1997 Sorceress II: The Temptress Virginia 2003 The Singing Detective Dancer

Television Year Title Role Notes 1970–1973 The Dean Martin Comedy World Golddigger 50 episodes 1978 How to Pick Up Girls! Blond jogger TV movie 1982 Hart to Hart Miranda Episode: "From the Depths of My Heart" 1986 Moonlighting Female Dancer Episode: "Big Man on Mulberry Street" 1988 Dirty Dancing Delia Episode: "Save the Last Dance for Me" 1989 Cheers Judy Marlowe Episode: "Send in the Crane" 1989 Hard Time on Planet Earth Danielle Spencer Episode: "Battle of the Sexes" 1990 Freddy's Nightmares Ginger 'Tracker' Morgan 2 episodes 1990 Designing Women Davida Daniels Episode: "Nowhere to Run To" 1991 Swamp Thing Sienna Episode: "Tremors of the Heart" 1992 Dark Justice Meredith Episode: "Lead Rain" 1993 Murder, She Wrote Sgt. Daisy Kenny Episode: "The Petrified Florist" 1994 Silk Stalkings Sgt. Steele Episode: "The Scarlet Shadow" 1994 Under Suspicion Petrella Gideon Episode: "Serial Killer - Part 1" 1999 Sliders Lead Female Dancer Episode: "The Java Jive"

References

External links

Sandahl Bergman at AllMovie