Facebook/Vanessa Marquez
Vanessa Marquez was shot dead by police outside of her home in South Pasadena, less than a year after the actress said she was blacklisted in Hollywood by George Clooney. On August 30, Marquez was killed by police after they said she pulled a BB gun on them. Marquez is best known for her appearances in ER, an episode of Seinfeld and in the 1988 movie, Stand and Deliver. Marquez was 49 years old.
The South Pasadenan report refers to Marquez as “disabled” in their headline. The shooting occurred on August 30 at around 12:30 p.m. Marquez was shot once in the torso and was rushed to a nearby hospital by paramedics where she was pronounced dead.
ABC Los Angeles reports that police had been called to her home on multiple occasions in the past. A neighbor, Mark Swaine, told the station after the shooting, “It’s shocking, it’s really awful. I’m just really saddened by the whole thing. It sounds like a horrible, horrible misunderstanding.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Authorities Marquez Pointed What Resembled a ‘Semi-Automatic Handgun’ at Officers
Authorities said that officers had been called to the scene by Marquez’s landlord who said that the actress was in “some kind of trouble.” Lt. Joe Mendoza of the L.A. Sheriff’s homicide bureau told the media, via the South Pasadenan, “At the time [of the shooting] there was an LA County mental health clinician here with the officers. They began to communicate with her, she became very uncooperative and during that contact she armed herself with a handgun, she pointed it at officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred.” Lt. Mendoza later said that the “handgun” was a BB-style gun that “resembled a semi-automatic handgun.”
2. George Clooney Said He ‘Couldn’t’ & ‘Wouldn’t’ Have Blacklisted Vanessa Marquez
In October 2017, Marquez took to Twitter where she claimed that she was fired from her role on ER because she made claims of sexual and racial harassment on set. Marquez said that George Clooney spearheaded a campaign to have her blacklisted in the entertainment industry. Clooney flatly denied the Marquez’s claims.
Getty
Marquez wrote on her Twitter page, “Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke abt harassment on ER.’women who dont play the game lost career’I did.” At the time of her death, Marquez’s Twitter account has been suspended. Clooney said in response, “I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor. If she told I was involved in any decision about her career then she was lied to. The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.”
3. Marquez Said She Was Kicked Off of Twitter for Her Clooney Allegations
Facebook/Vanessa Marquez
Marquez last Facebook post on August 8 took aim Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for kicking her off of Twitter. She says she was removed for making claims against Clooney. Marquez accused Dorsey of hypocrisy for allowing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to remain on the site while kicking her off. Since being removed from her original Twitter account, Marquez opened a new account with the handle, @R2DivaLA. Marquez says in the bio section of that page that she was terminally ill and living with celiac disease. During her accusations against Clooney, Marquez made references to her terminal illness. That bio also includes, “#BLACKLISTED.” That Twitter account is dominated by retweets that are critical of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Page Six reported in October 2017 that Marquez referred to ER star Eriq La Salle and another crew member as “p**sy grabbers.” Marquez went on to allege that she was subjected racist abuse from actors Anthony Edwards, Noah Wyle and Julianna Marguiles. Marquez tweeted that the blacklisting began when she made complaints to the show’s executive producers, John Wells. Marquez wrote, “Wells was the boss&I 1st reported it to him.His 1st question:Did George do something to u.”
4. Marquez’s Acting Career Slowed Greatly in the 2000s
On ER, Marquez played the role of Nurse Wendy Goldman between 1994 and 1997. Marquez appeared in 27 episodes. Her final appearance came in the April 1997 episode, “Calling Dr. Hathaway.” According to her IMDb page, Marquez’s acting career slowed greatly in the 2000s. In 2017, Goldman appeared in The Problem with Evolution, a short movie in 2017. An online tribute to Marquez said that she was a member of the TCM Party, a classic movie fan club.
5. Marquez’s Shopping Addiction So Her Featured in a 2005 Episode of Intervention
In 2005, Marquez’s shopping addiction was covered in an episode of Intervention. In May 2010, her Star Wars fandom was featured on a local news program about the day, “May the Fourth Be With You.”
