The 1987 Whitesnake anthem “Here I Go Again” was one of the rock songs that defined the era, and its success can be attributed in large part to its legendary music video, which featured actress Tawny Kitaen pulling off some seriously impressive moves atop the hood of a Jaguar. The video was an MTV staple and gave the British band their first and only number-one hit.

Kitaen became the dream girl for many an ’80s boy, and when she sadly passed away at 59 in 2021, the video was mentioned at the top of every obituary. It may surprise you to learn that Kitaen had a long and varied career before and after the video, and her personal life was at times scandalous. Read on for a deep dive into the life of the ultimate video vixens.

Tawny Kitaen was born Julie Kitaen (Tawny was a childhood nickname that stuck) and began her career modeling and appearing in commercials for Jack LaLanne’s European Health Spas in the early ’80s. She was then featured on two album covers for the metal band Ratt, as she was dating the band’s guitarist at the time.

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Kitaen soon made the transition from modeling to acting, and had her film debut as the title character in the campy 1984 adventure movie The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak. That same year, she also played Tom Hanks’ fiancée in the raunchy comedy Bachelor Party. In 1986, she played a rock star in Crystal Heart, a prostitute in Instant Justice, a gun-toting sidekick in Happy Hour and a woman who gets caught up in supernatural scares via Ouija board in Witchboard.