Throughout her life, actress Sherilyn Fenn has been surrounded by unusual but interesting creative types.
From rock stars to cutting-edge directors, the "Twin Peaks" alumna and St. Clair Shores native can usually be found in the company of colorful characters. In return, she's filled a number of intriguing roles, ranging from the saucy Audrey Horne in the TV series "Twin Peaks" to a rogue intelligence agent in her latest work, a zombie-inspired web series called "Project Phoenix."
That's why she's among the cast of iconic TV figures lined up to appear May 18-20 at the 23rd annual Motor City Comic Con at the Suburban Collection in Novi. She'll be signing autographs along with Mount Clemens native Dean Cain ("The Adventures of Lois and Clark"), the Monkees' Peter Tork and film legend Billy Dee Williams.
"My experience with comics books was limited to Archie and Jughead," she said in a telephone interview from her California home. "So I'm not a big comic books person. There's a cult following for 'Twin Peaks' and many of those same people are into comic books. I encounter a lot of really cool, interesting fans at these events, so I like it."
IF YOU GO
Motor City Comic Con is at Suburban Collection Showcase, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi. One-day Comic Con adult tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door, or weekend passes $50 in advance, $55 at the door. Children 6 to 10 years old get in for $10/day, $20/weekend, and admission is free for 5 and younger. Hours are 12:30-7 p.m. Friday, May 18, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 19, and 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 20. For more information, visit www.MotorCityComicCon.com.
She grew up in a family of musicians; her mother is keyboardist Arlene Quatro and her aunt is Suzi Quatro, who went on to gain her own fame as a rock star and as Leather Tuscadero in "Happy Days." Her father, Leo, managed acts including The Pleasure Seekers -- who were honored at the recent Detroit Music Awards -- Alice Cooper and others.
The 47-year-old Fenn spent much of her youth in St. Clair Shores, where her family enjoyed ice skating and hockey. They lived on Sunnyside near the Eight Mile-Marter area on the city's south side, and loved it so much she's written extensively about her memories of her old neighborhood on a Facebook blog.
"I think my days on Sunnyside were the most happiest and idyllic times," she said. "I don't know what it was, the kids, the people in the community, just good ol' little St. Clair Shores."
She went on to attend Grosse Pointe South High School and moved over to the west side where she lived in a few other cities before leaving the state for Hollywood.
Her body of work contains more than 32 films and 50-plus TV roles, but many fans still consider "Twin Peaks" to be her greatest artistic accomplishment.
Fenn recalls being somewhat skeptical of director David Lynch's mysterious vision, but she went on to earn Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for supporting actress in 1990-91.
"Of course, David is brilliant, but even when we were making the pilot, I remember thinking, 'No one is going to watch this.' But I was just a kid then. I didn't get it. But to be part of something that has stood the test of time and continues to reach new audiences is cool," she said.
After "Twin Peaks," she went on to take roles in a variety of films including the controversial "Boxing Helena" and television shows such as "Dawson's Creek" and "CSI: Miami."
In recent years, Fenn has been spending more time at home with her 4-year-old son with Dylan Stewart, Austin, who has been diagnosed with autism. She also has an 18-year-old son from a previous marriage.
"The business is changing so much that all I can do is read a script and if I feel it isn't right, I usually won't do it," she said. "I've been working with my son in his therapy and he's doing amazingly well. The most important thing to me is my family."
In the past year she's been working on Syfy's "Bigfoot" movie, which features familiar TV names Barry Williams of "The Brady Bunch" and Alice Cooper. It's due out later this year. She also has a part in a pilot for an upcoming web series titled "Project Phoenix," where she plays a rogue agent working to track down a germ outbreak that has turned humans into zombies.
"I don't watch zombie movies, so I had to have Dylan explain the genre to me," Fenn said. "But now I see there are people in our times who are spiritually dead but still walking, people totally asleep to what's going on. So it's fun."
Sherilynn Fenn will be at the Motor City Comic Con along with other TV celebs, pro wrestling stars, comic creators and multimedia dealers selling a variety of pop culture merchandise, comics, movie memorabilia, posters and more. There will also be a costume contest on the afternoon of May 19 with cash and gift prizes.
