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Lisa Ann Spoonauer
Spoonauer in Clerks (1994)
Born(1972-12-16)December 16, 1972
Rahway, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 2017(2017-05-20) (aged 44)
Jackson Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • restaurant manager
  • event planner
Years active1994–2001
Known forClerks
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 1999)​
  • Tom Caron (?–2017; her death)
Children1

Lisa Ann Spoonauer (December 16, 1972 – May 20, 2017)[1] was an American character actress best known for the role of Caitlin Bree in Clerks, which she reprised for an episode in Clerks: The Animated Series.

Biography

Spoonauer was born in Rahway, New Jersey, and raised in Freehold Township.[2] She attended Brookdale Community College, where she was spotted (in an acting class) by Clerks director Kevin Smith, who was having difficulty casting the part of Caitlin. He offered her the role and a script, and she later accepted.[3] Spoonauer's only other film credit is for the Gabe Torres' film Bartender.

Personal life

Spoonauer began dating her Clerks co-star Jeff Anderson in 1993, and they were married for one year from 1998 to 1999.[4] According to the documentary Snowball Effect: The Story of Clerks, included on the 10th anniversary DVD release, Anderson proposed to her on the set of the film.

Spoonauer later married her second husband Tom Caron and relocated to Jackson Township, where she became a restaurant manager and event planner.[2][3] Spoonauer has a daughter with Caron and a stepson from Caron's previous marriage.

Death

Spoonauer died at age 44 on May 20, 2017, of an accidental overdose of hydromorphone. It was also revealed that she was fighting cancer, anemia, lung disease and immune deficiency, which were all factors in her death.[5] She was survived by her husband, daughter Mia, and stepson Tyler.[5]

Her brother Mike, on a fundraising page for Patient Advocate Foundation Inc., related that she had been long suffering from a chronic illness. Spoonauer had travelled to the Mayo Clinic in 2014 for treatment; a Facebook post from that time revealed that she had already been seeing "countless other specialists over the last 7 years".[6][7]

Clerks co-stars Brian O'Halloran and Marilyn Ghigliotti both shared the news and posted tributes to their personal Facebook accounts on May 23, 2017.[7]

Kevin Smith posted a tribute to Spoonauer via his personal Instagram account and during an episode of his podcast Hollywood Babble-On.[8][9] Clerks III, released in 2022, is dedicated to Spoonauer.[10]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Wickline, Dan (May 23, 2017). "Clerks Actress Lisa Spoonauer Passes Away At Age 44". Bleeding Cool. Rantoul, Illinois: Avatar Press. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Obituary, hasslerfuneralhome.com; accessed May 23, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Maureen (May 23, 2017). "Clerks actress Lisa Spoonauer dies at 44". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  4. ^ "SMODCAST #134". Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-18.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ a b Kuperinsky, Amy (May 25, 2017). "'Clerks' actress Lisa Spoonauer died after suffering from chronic illnesses, report says". nj.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Miller, Mike (May 24, 2017). "Clerks Actress Lisa Spoonauer Died a 'Natural Death' at 44 After Battling Degenerative Disease". People. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Miller, Mike (May 23, 2017). "Clerks Actress Lisa Spoonauer Dies At Age 44". People. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "Kevin Smith Pays Tribute to Clerks Actress Lisa Spoonauer". Youtube.com. June 2, 2017. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  9. ^ Smith, Kevin (May 23, 2017). "Untitled Instagram Post". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Kuperinsky, Amy. "'Clerks III' is here: Kevin Smith on his N.J. homecoming and why it's his best movie yet". NJ.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.

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