Judith Ridley

Judith Ridley was an American actress born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1948. She began as a receptionist for Hardman Associates, Inc., working for president Karl Hardman and his partner Marilyn Eastman. When Hardman and Eastman joined with industrial film director George A. Romero to form Image Ten Productions, Ridley found herself playing a role in the group's first film Night of the Flesh Eaters. She played the role of a young woman named Judy - love interest to a gas station attendant named Tom. Ridley was a late addition to the cast, as the original script treatments for the film did not include her character. The producers were so struck by her beauty and photogenic looks that they included her in the film, adding scenes for her character as they went along. Night of the Flesh Eaters eventually changed it's title to Night of the Living Dead and became one of the most infamous horror films of all time.

Following Night of the Living Dead, Ridley went to work for Romero's production company Latent Image. She married Image Ten co-founder Russell Streiner (who also played the role of Johnny in Night of the Living Dead), but they eventually divorced. While married to Streiner, Judith starred in the 1971 Romero film There's Always Vanilla playing a character named Lynn Harris.

Notes & Trivia

 * Judith Ridley later began working in food commercials as a food dresser.