Paula Sheppard

Paula Sheppard (born July 7, 1957) is an American former actress known for her lead roles in the horror film Alice, Sweet Alice, and the science fiction film Liquid Sky (1982). Though she only starred in two theatrically released feature films, both attracted cult followings and garnered her a fanbase among underground film fans. Her mother was an attorney, and her father worked in the field of biochemistry. where she studied dance.

Career Alice, Sweet Alice In 1975, Sheppard was approached by director Alfred Sole after he spotted her performing as a dancer in a stage production at Connecticut College. Sole presented Sheppard with the screenplay for his horror film Alice, Sweet Alice after the performance, asking her to star in the titular role of Alice Spages, a 12-year-old girl suspected of her younger sister's (Brooke Shields) violent murder during her First Communion. "This really strange guy came up to me at lunchtime and said he wanted to put me into movies. I didn’t know what to do. Several other guys had approached me [before] with the same line, and they were obviously creeps," Sheppard recalled. "Alfred seemed kind and honest though, so I talked to him about it."

Due to Sheppard's diminutive stature, Sole felt she would be able to effectively portray an adolescent. while Derek Malcolm of The Guardian noted that her performance is "consistently convincing," and Rita Rose of The Indianapolis Star noted her performance as "especially good." In the years following its release, Alice, Sweet Alice developed a reputation as a cult film. Following Alice, Sweet Alice, Sheppard relocated to the western United States to attend college. She received critical praise for her performance in the film, Steve Carr of The Daily Tar Heel wrote that Sheppard is "moving... She keeps the sentimentality to a minimum, bringing out both the cruel and childlike qualities of her character."

Sheppard's performance in Liquid Sky attracted notice from several Hollywood producers, whom Tsukerman said all had "[fallen] in love with Paula and wanted her as an actress." but never distributed.

Liquid Sky Adrian

Tam Lin Short film; unreleased