Deanna Lund, the actress who starred as Valerie Scott on the sci-fi TV show Land of the Giants, passed away on June 22, 2018, at the age of 81. She died at her home in Century City, Los Angeles, after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. Her daughter, Michele Matheson, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
A Promising Career in Hollywood
Lund was born on May 30, 1937, in Oak Park, Illinois. She was the daughter of Arthur Lund, a lawyer and politician who served in the Illinois legislature. She moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, when she was eight years old and attended Rollins College, where she studied drama. She dropped out of college to marry her high school sweetheart, Wilbur Owen Upson, with whom she had two children. The marriage ended in divorce after four years.
Lund pursued a career in acting and modeling in Hollywood. She appeared in several movies in the 1960s, such as Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), Sting of Death (1965), Out of Sight (1966), Dimension 5 (1966), Johnny Tiger (1966), and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966) with Elvis Presley. She also had guest roles on TV shows like Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and The Wild Wild West.
She gained fame and recognition for her role as Valerie Scott on Land of the Giants, a sci-fi series created by Irwin Allen that aired on ABC from 1968 to 1970. The show followed the adventures of seven people who were stranded on a planet where everything was gigantic. Lund played a spoiled socialite who had to adapt to the harsh conditions and dangers of the alien world.
Lund later said that she was embarrassed by her role as a lesbian stripper in Tony Rome (1967), a crime film starring Frank Sinatra. She had her name removed from the credits, but her performance impressed Allen, who cast her as the lead female character on Land of the Giants. She also revealed that she had to turn down a part in Rosemary’s Baby (1968), a horror classic directed by Roman Polanski, because Allen did not want her to work on another project while filming his show.
A Life After Land of the Giants
After Land of the Giants was canceled, Lund continued to work in film and television. She appeared on shows like Love, American Style, The Waltons, General Hospital, and Hardcastle and McCormick. She also starred in movies like Hustle (1975) with Burt Reynolds, Hardly Working (1980) with Jerry Lewis, and Transylvania Twist (1989), a horror comedy spoof.
Lund married her Land of the Giants co-star Don Matheson in 1970. They had a daughter, Michele Matheson, who also became an actress and a writer. The couple divorced in 1980 but remained good friends until Matheson’s death in 2014. Lund also dated talk show host Larry King in 1995 and got engaged to him after five weeks, but they broke up before getting married.
Lund was an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and served on its board of directors for several years. She also wrote a novella titled Valerie in Giantland, based on her character from Land of the Giants and set ten years after the events of the show. She published it on her website deannalund.com.
Lund was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2017 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She remained optimistic and hopeful until the end, according to her daughter. She died peacefully at her home surrounded by her family and friends.
Lund is survived by her daughter Michele; her son Randy; her daughter Kimberly; and seven grandchildren. She is remembered as a talented and beautiful actress who brought joy and entertainment to millions of fans around the world.
