Koo Stark

Koo Stark — Life, Career, and Notable Insights

Discover the life of Koo Stark — American actress, photographer, and public figure. Trace her early years, acting and photographic work, high-profile relationships, personal trials, and public persona.

Introduction

Kathleen Norris “Koo” Stark (born April 26, 1956) is an American actress, model, and photographer. Though her acting career was relatively modest in scale, she became widely known for her role in Emily (1976), her artistic sensibilities as a photographer, and for her association with public and royal circles. Over time, she has navigated media attention, personal adversity, and reinvention, making her story one of resilience and creative persistence.

Early Life and Family

Koo Stark was born in New York City on April 26, 1956, to Wilbur Stark (a writer and producer) and Kathi Norris (a television presenter and writer).

Following her parents’ divorce in the 1960s, Koo’s mother remarried.

Acting Career

Though Koo Stark’s acting output was not extensive, she made memorable appearances across film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s.

Film Highlights

• Her first film role was in All I Want Is You... and You... and You... (1974), a production by her father.

• In 1975, she appeared in The Adolescents (also titled Las Adolescentes) in the role of Ana. The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

• Emily (1976) is arguably her most noted film: she played the title role, with the film containing some erotic elements that stirred public attention.

• In 1977, she starred in Cruel Passion (based on Justine) as Justine Jerome.

• Later, she had smaller roles such as “Girl in Soap Opera” in Electric Dreams (1984) and a role in Eat the Rich (1987).

Television & Stage

• On TV, in 1975 she appeared in Shades of Greene in an episode titled “The Blue Film.”

• In 1977, she was in The Sunday Drama (episode “The Cuckoo Calls”).

• In 1986, she appeared on The Two Ronnies in an episode.

• In 1989, she guest starred on Red Dwarf as Lady Sabrina Mulholland-Jjones (episode “Timeslides”).

• In 1991 she played Miss Scarlett in the TV series Cluedo for six episodes.

• On stage, in September 1987 she performed as Vera Claythorne in And Then There Were None at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.

Some interesting footnotes:

• She was cast in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) in the role Camie Marstrap, but her scenes were cut from the theatrical release.

• She was reportedly considered for a role in Doctor Who (“Rost” in Attack of the Cybermen), but was replaced after a disagreement over her fee.

Photography and Artistic Work

In parallel with (and following) her acting endeavors, Koo Stark cultivated a career as a photographer and visual artist.

• From the 1980s onward, she worked in photography, sometimes turning the lens on paparazzi photographing her — in effect inverting the observer/observed dynamic.

• Her first major photographic publication was Contrasts (1985), comprising about 100 photographs.

• Her photographic exhibitions include:

  • Contrasts at Hamiltons Gallery, London, in 1985

  • The Stark Image at the Gallery Bar, Grosvenor House Hotel, London, 1994

  • Stark Images at Dimbola Lodge and Fruitmarket Gallery (2001)

  • Portraits by Koo Stark at Winter Gardens, Ventnor (2010)

  • A 2017 exhibition Kintsugi Portraits at Leica galleries in Mayfair and Manchester, inspired by the Japanese philosophy of “kintsugi” (the art of repairing broken objects with gold, emphasizing flaws as part of story).

• Her works have appeared in magazines like Country Life.

• Some of her portraits are held in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Koo has spoken of her camera as more than a tool — a companion or extension of the self — and chosen exhibition themes that reflect introspection, beauty in imperfection, and visual honesty.

Public Life, Relationships & Personal Challenges

Relationship with Prince Andrew

One of the features that heightened the public’s attention on Koo Stark was her relationship with Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in the early 1980s.

Marriage, Family, and Later Relationships

• She married Tim Jefferies, a gallery manager, in August 1984 at St Saviour’s, Chalk Farm, London. Their marriage lasted about a year before ending in divorce.

• Later, she became engaged to Warren Walker, an American banker, but their wedding was reportedly cancelled. Their daughter, Tatiana, was born in May 1997.

• Prince Andrew became Tatiana’s godfather in 1997.

Health and Personal Trials

• In the early 1990s, Stark was hit by a taxi in Old Compton Street, London, injuring her face and losing two teeth. While the damage was significant, she recovered, leaving only a small scar beneath her hairline.

• In 2002, Koo Stark was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.

• In legal matters, Stark successfully brought libel actions:

  • In 1988, she sued The Mail on Sunday for a false story claiming she had “dated Andy after she wed” and won.

  • In 2007, she obtained an apology and damages from Zoo Weekly for labeling her as a “porn star” in false claims.

• In 2012, she faced an accusation of theft involving a painting from her ex-partner Warren Walker. The painting was later returned and the case was dropped.

• More recently (2022), she was awarded damages and an apology in a case against Daily Mail over an article that wrongly referred to her as a “soft porn actress.”

Personal Beliefs & Social Roles

• Stark practices Buddhism, having adopted the faith later in life.

• She lives in London and has been a member of the Chelsea Arts Club.

• She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which maintains the museum at Dimbola Lodge (on the Isle of Wight) dedicated to the Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron.

Legacy, Public Persona & Themes

Koo Stark’s public persona resides at the intersection of art, celebrity, and resilience. Some key elements of how she is perceived and how she has shaped her own narrative:

• Artistic courage over commercial fame: While her acting was never at blockbuster scale, she embraced roles and artistic expressions (notably Emily) that courted controversy, perhaps intentionally pushing limits of taste and perception.

• Reflexivity in visibility: Her photographic work often plays with the gaze — photographing those who photograph her — thereby inverting roles and exploring identity, subjectivity, and boundary.

• Beauty in imperfection: Her choice of Kintsugi as a curatorial theme signals her embrace of fragility, cracks, and narrative — consistent with her public openness about medical struggles and personal adversity.

• Defining her own dignity under scrutiny: Amid media pressure and sensationalist coverage (especially tied to her past romantic ties), Stark has fought legal battles to assert truth, restore her reputation, and carve space for her identity beyond tabloid labels.

• Persistence through reinvention: Despite health crises, legal storms, and public scrutiny, she continues to exhibit photographic work, contribute to arts communities, and uphold what seems a personal integrity in the face of pressure.