The Actress Whose Murder Prompted America’s First Anti-Stalking Laws
Starlet Rebecca Schaeffer was stalked and killed by an obsessive fan.
With the glitz and glamour that comes with stardom, there is always another facet to fame — the privacy invasion and the constant limelight of paparazzi. However, it is often the same fans that shower their love and affections on the stars, that becomes the biggest danger to their lives, when that love turns into a dangerous obsession.
This is exactly what happened with budding star — American model and actress Rebecca Schaeffer, who was murdered by an obsessed 19-year old fan, at the young age of 21 even before her career could completely take flight.
However, her murder paved the way for legislative changes that possibly have safeguarded many lives since.
Rebecca’s Teenage Success & Early Stardom
Rebecca was born to a Jewish family in Oregon on November 6, 1967, and was the only child of Danna and Dr. Benson Schaeffer. With her Jewish upbringing, she initially had aspirations to become a rabbi but ended up entering the world of modeling in her junior year of high school. The start, as with most aspiring models and actors, was modest as she appeared in department store catalogs, some…
