Ann Magnuson

Ann Magnuson in the 80's

Ann Magnuson is a writer/actress/singer/musician/performer whose eclectic resume traverses the entertainment landscape like few others.

After receiving a BFA in Theater & Cinema from Denison University and studied theater in London at the British and European Studies Group, Ann came to New York City in 1978 as an intern at The Ensemble Studio Theater. She soon became an integral part of the seminal art, music and performance scene that exploded in downtown New York City in the late 1970s and throughout the1980s. There she ran the now-infamous neo-Dada cabaret space Club 57, was president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Lower East Side and started the all-girl percussive ‘orchestra’ Pulsallama. She performed regularly in downtown theaters, galleries and clubs including the The Mudd Club, Danceteria, The Pyramid Club and CBGB. In addition to her many bands and solo work, Ann collaborated with performers Eric Bogosian, Kestutis Nakas, John Sex and Joey Arias in numerous shows. She also directed the New Wave Vaudeville show that launched the career of New Wave operatic icon Klaus Nomi.

As a singer and songwriter, she has been in several bands including the sardonic folk trio Bleaker Street Incident, her heavy metal band Vulcan Death Grip and the psycho-psychedelic band Bongwater, with whom she released five albums and gained an international cult following that remains rabid today. She has also released two solo albums, “The Luv Show” and “Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories”.

As a film actress, Magnuson has been ravished by David Bowie in the classic vampire film “The Hunger”, had her neck broken by a suave Cuban drug dealer in the Harrison Ford thriller “Clear and Present Danger”, romanced robot John Malkovich in “Making Mr. Right”, played Jodie Foster’s uppity real estate agent in “Panic Room”, told off Meryl Streep in “Before and After”, seduced River Phoenix in “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” and gave Samuel L. Jackson his first love scene EVER in “The Caveman’s Valentine”.

Ann Magnuson currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, architect John Bertram.