Joanne Lara(1952-2020)

Joanne Lara was born on June 3, 1952 in Monticello, Georgia. She grew up in Tampa, Florida where she graduated from the University of South Florida with a BFA in Dance. Upon graduating, she danced with the Fairmount Dance Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio where she was a member of the company as well as Head of the Dance Department at Cayahoga Community College. In New York, Joanne danced with the Louis Falco Dance Company and began her acting training with Sandeed Shurin from the Actors Studio and Mervyn Nelson. She moved to Los Angeles in 1985 to pursue her acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory, and has appeared in numerous film, television and stage productions. Joanne has worked in film production as an associate producer and Assistant to the Director in such films as "To Kill For", "Motorama" and "Wigstock: The Movie". She continued to act, produce and write (she has written six feature scripts + a novel) in Los Angeles where she resided with her cocker spaniel, Joey, her cat Tabasco, and her three birds. Joanne Lara died from ovarian cancer on June 9, 2020 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 68.