Annabel Schofield, who went from being a defining face of 1980s London fashion to playing Laurel Ellis opposite Larry Hagman on the popular Dallas primetime soap, has died. She was 62.
Schofield passed away on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The Welsh-born model became a fixture on the hip and glamorous 1980s fashion scene in London, and spent less time in Paris and Milan where runways were dominated by more established haute couture designers.
“I honestly think London as far as cutting edge style, due to the New Romantics, the tail end of Punk, Vivienne Westood, Katherine Hamnett, Body Map, Buffalo style which was created by Ray Petrie and all the resulting street styles,” Schofield told a 2012 interview for the Mirror80 website.
At the time, she was represented by London’s Take Two Agency and appeared on hundreds of fashion magazine covers and starred in major designer and brand campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Rimmel, Revlon and Boots No. 7. She gained international recognition for a memorable appearance in a Bugle Boy Jeans TV commercial where Schofield delivered the line, “Excuse me, are those Bugle Boy jeans you’re wearing?” as she drove through the desert in a black Ferrari sports car.
Melissa Richardson, former owner of London’s Take Two Agency, in a statement said of Schofield: “She was one of David Bailey’s favorites and appeared in countless shoots for Italian Vogue. She was the forerunner of Take Two — without her, we could never have made it as we did. We loved her because she was funny and real and beautiful and down to earth. She never changed from the sweet little 17-year-old Welsh girl I first met. She was directly loyal, caring, and above all, a raging beauty. She knew her craft. She was the best.”
Born on Sept. 4, 1963 in Llanelli, Wales, Schofield grew up around film sets as her father was British movie production executive John D. Schofield, whose screen credits included 1990s box office hits like Romancing the Stone, Jerry Maguire and As Good as It Gets. At the height of her modeling career, Schofield relocated to Los Angeles to be cast in 12 episodes of Dallas as Laurel Ellis, where she performed opposite Hagman’s iconic J.R. Ewing character.
Her film credits included the role of Alex Noffee in Solar Crisis, opposite Charlton Heston; Dragonard; and Eye of the Widow. She later moved behind the camera on production roles for The Brothers Grimm, Doom and City of Ember.
In 2010, Schofield founded Burbank-based Bella Bene Productions, and as an executive producer developed commercials, music and fashion projects. She struck a creative partnership with director and graphic artist Nick Egan, known for his work with rockers like The Ramones, The Clash, Duran Duran and Oasis.
She also collaborated with photographers like Andrew McPherson, Ellen von Unwerth and Michael Muller, and was a producer with photographer Will Camden on the 3D Guerlain campaign that featured Angelina Jolie. Schofield wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Cherry Alignment inspired by her life as a 1980s actress and model and included a dedication to her late friend and The Brothers Grimm colleague Heath Ledger.
Schofield was predeceased by her father and her sister, Amanda Schofield, and is survived by her mother.