Walthall’s son, actor and director Morgan Krantz, confirmed her departure to Variety.
Born on Sept. 16, 1963 at Pasadena, Texas, Walthall got her start in the entertainment industry by winning the Mother/Daughter USA pageant in 1980. At age 17, Walthall has been signed to Ford Models and began modeling in Europe. She eventually moved back to Los Angeles and dipped her toes into the acting world, occasionally going by her stage name, Romy Windsor.
She landed her first important role in Jerry Bruckheimer’s 1984 thriller”Thief of Hearts,” and played with Bobbi at 1985?s”A Bunny’s Tale,” which was based on Gloria Steinem’s investigation of Playboy Bunnies’ working conditions. Walthall also starred in the cult horror movies”Howling IV: The Original Nightmare” in 1988 and”The House of Usher” in 1989 alongside Oliver Reed. In 1997?s”Face/Off,” Walthall played Kimberly, the neurotic secretary of John Travolta’s Sean Archer.
Walthall also enjoyed a career in television, starring in the 1991 sitcom”Man of the People” with James Garner, the 1994 show”Hotel Malibu” alongside Jennifer Lopez, in addition to legal dramas”Civil Wars” and”Murder One.” Other television appearances include “The X-Files,” “Camp Nowhere,” “Charles in Charge,” “Quantum Leap,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “L.A. Law,” “Love Boat: The Next Wave” and “The Nightmare Room.” She appeared as a guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1991.
Walthall’s final credit was at the 2011 movie”0s & 1s,” in which she appeared alongside her son, Morgan. After retiring, Walthall became an acting instructor in the San Fernando Valley.
Walthall’s kids paid tribute to her in Instagram posts, together with daughter Isabella Israel writing:”I have resigned myself to the fact that there’ll never be any proper combination of words to accurately describe my mother. You simply had to be there to get it. She was everything simultaneously. She had been my first love. She had been the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and she was wicked and fun and light and dark and she owned the kind of magic that you don’t see. I’ll always always always love you “
Walthall’s son, Theodore Dudley, said:”The love and wisdom you gave me will not perish. You will always be an inspiration for me personally. You taught me never to give up. You taught me to not take no for an answer. You taught me to be true to myself. You always rooted for me, since you knew I could do anything. You instilled in me my warrior soul. Thank you for bringing me onto earth. Love you. Rest in peace. I will see you at the stars”
Walthall is survived by her mother, sister and three children: Morgan, Isabella and Theodore. A memorial was held in her honor in Malibu last week.