Annabel Schofield, ‘Dallas’ Actress and ’80s Fashion Icon, Dies at 62
In the memory of a desert commercial — a black Ferrari cutting across sun-baked asphalt as a model asks, “Excuse me, are those Bugle Boy jeans you’re wearing?” — annabel schofield’s face remained indelible. She died in Los Angeles on Feb. 28 at age 62 after a battle with cancer, leaving a career that ran from the glossy covers of 1980s fashion magazines to recurring television drama and later, film production.
Who was Annabel Schofield?
Born in Llanelli, Wales, Annabel Schofield came to prominence as a defining face of London’s fashion scene in the 1980s. She appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and fronted campaigns for major brands, and she gained widespread recognition for a memorable Bugle Boy Jeans television commercial. At the height of her modeling career she relocated to Los Angeles, where she was cast in 12 episodes of the primetime soap Dallas as Laurel Ellis, performing opposite Larry Hagman’s J. R. Ewing.
Her film work included a role as Alex Noffee in Solar Crisis, opposite Charlton Heston, and parts in Dragonard and Eye of the Widow. Later she moved behind the camera with production roles on The Brothers Grimm, Doom and City of Ember. In 2010 she founded Burbank-based Bella Bene Productions and worked as an executive producer on commercials, music and fashion projects.
What did colleagues and collaborators say about her work and impact?
Melissa Richardson, former owner of London’s Take Two Agency, described Schofield as both a creative and a person who never changed from the young woman she first met. Richardson said Schofield was “one of David Bailey’s favorites” and appeared in countless shoots for Italian Vogue. “She was funny and real and beautiful and down to earth, ” Richardson said. “She was directly loyal, caring, and above all, a raging beauty. She knew her craft. She was the best. ”
Schofield spoke herself about the era and its energy: “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 — and all the resulting street styles, ” she said in reflection on the period that shaped her early career.
Her network of collaborators moved with her into production. She struck a creative partnership with director and graphic artist Nick Egan and worked alongside photographers including Andrew McPherson, Ellen von Unwerth and Michael Muller. As a producer with photographer Will Camden she helped develop a 3D Guerlain campaign that featured Angelina Jolie. She also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel titled The Cherry Alignmen.
How is the industry responding, and what does her legacy look like?
Tributes centered on Schofield’s versatility: a model who translated street-influenced, cutting-edge London style into international fashion work, and an actress who brought that presence to American television. Colleagues highlighted the arc from in-front-of-camera roles to creative production, pointing to Bella Bene Productions as an extension of her interests in fashion, music and visual storytelling.
Her father, British movie production executive John D. Schofield, was noted for his screen credits in major box-office productions; the family connection to film sets framed much of her later work behind the camera.
Back in the bright image of that desert road, the line from a commercial endures as a small, human moment of recognition — a fragment of a career that moved from youthful modeling to the pragmatic challenges of producing films and campaigns. As colleagues reflect on her craft and character, annabel schofield remains remembered for the particular blend of glamour, loyalty and creative curiosity she brought to every stage of her life.
