Dey Young

Actress Dey Young was aiming to hit the stage when she suddenly landed the film role of the bespectacled Kate Rambeau in the 1979 punk classic "Rock 'n' Roll High School." Born in Michigan, she studied drama and music in London for a couple of years before returning to the States, eager to act in theatrical productions. Through a chance introduction at a party, she won the spot in "Rock 'n' Roll High School," joining the Ramones in the revolt against a musically repressive principal. Subsequent film roles would most often be supporting parts, occasionally in hit pictures such as Julia Roberts' breakout film, "Pretty Woman" where Young had a memorable turn as a snotty saleswoman, and the Mel Brooks comedy "Spaceballs." On the small screen, Young played a recurring neurosurgeon role on the primetime soap "Melrose Place" and appeared on three of the "Star Trek" series, starting with "The Next Generation." In a nod to her debut performance, she had the same character name in the 1994 TV movie "Shake, Rattle, and Rock." Acting talent runs in Young's immediate and extended family, including her actor-producer husband, David Ladd (son of renowned actor Alan Ladd) and actress sister Leigh Taylor-Young.