Candy Clark
Candace June Clark is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Debbie Dunham in the 1973 film American Graffiti, for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her role as Mary Lou in the 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Early life
Born in Norman, Oklahoma, to Ella and Thomas Clark, a chef, she grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. She attended Green B. Trimble Technical High School.Career
Clark's first acting role was the role of Andrea Martin in the television series Room 222 - Season 3 Episode 21, then as the character of Faye in John Huston's film Fat City. She also starred or acted in American Graffiti, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Big Sleep, More American Graffiti, Q, Blue Thunder, Amityville 3-D, Cat's Eye and At Close Range and played the role of Francine Hewitt in The Blob.She appeared in the 2009 film The Informant! as the mother of Mark Whitacre, played by Matt Damon. In 2011, Clark went to Berlin to work on the play Images of Louise Brooks, directed by Sven Mundt.
Along with her film work, she also has made guest appearances on television series, including the Dating Game; Magnum, P.I.; Banacek; Simon & Simon; Matlock; Baywatch Nights; Criminal Minds; and Twin Peaks: The Return.
Clark appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor podcast on January 20, 2017.
Her 2025 memoir, Tight Heads, features her Polaroid photographs capturing her time during the New Hollywood era.