After Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered by unhinged fan Robert John Bardo on July 18, 1989, California passed groundbreaking laws to prevent stalking.

In the summer of 1989, 21-year-old model and actress Rebecca Schaeffer was well on her way to becoming a star. She had already appeared in several movies and TV shows while her future prospects were looking good.

However, the day she was set to audition for a part in The Godfather III, her life was horrifically cut short by an obsessed fan. This is the haunting story or Rebecca Schaeffer.

The Murder Of Rebecca Schaeffer

Rebecca Schaeffer paced her West Hollywood apartment on the morning of July 18, 1989. She awaited the delivery of The Godfather III script that she would be reading before Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola. Schaeffer was auditioning for the part of Mary Corleone, Michael Corleone’s daughter, a role that would surely change her career.

When the doorbell rang, Rebecca Schaeffer rushed downstairs, but she was not greeted by the courier she was expecting. The man on her doorstep was carrying a bag containing a copy of the book The Catcher In The Rye, an autographed photo of Schaeffer, and a card he had received from her in response to a letter he had written. Schaeffer’s card to him read, “Yours was one of the nicest I ever got.”

Schaeffer smiled sweetly and told him she needed to get ready for an appointment. She said to the man, “Please take care,” shook his hand, and closed the door.

The man, Robert John Bardo, had traveled 500 miles from Tucson, Arizona to West Hollywood to see Rebecca Schaeffer. After the short interaction on the doorstep, Bardo walked to a diner and ate breakfast. He realized he had forgotten about the compact disc and letter he had also brought for Schaeffer, so decided he would return to her apartment.

This time, Schaeffer was not as patient; she was visibly annoyed and, according to Bardo, said: “Hurry up, I don’t have much time.”

Bardo responded, “I forgot to give you something.” He proceeded to pull out a .357 Magnum handgun and shot Schaeffer in the chest. She screamed, “Why, why?” Bardo turned and ran, leaving Schaeffer bleeding on her doorstep.

On hearing a gunshot and screaming, a neighbor called an ambulance, but it was too late. Rebecca Schaeffer died shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Who Was Rising Star Rebecca Schaeffer?

Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer was born November 6, 1967, in Eugene, Oregon, to Danna, a writer and teacher, and Benson Schaeffer, a psychologist.

Schaeffer was the couple’s only child. The family was dedicated to their Jewish faith and Schaeffer even considered becoming a Rabbi at one point. The family was also close, and Schaeffer said of them once, “No matter where we are in the world, we are like a three-legged stool.”

When the family moved to Portland, Schaeffer attended the prestigious Lincoln High School. She excelled socially and academically.

At the age of 14, Schaeffer was referred to talent agency Troutman Profiles Inc. by her hairdresser, Rick Putro. It wasn’t long before she was featured in department store catalogs modeling outfits for the back-to-school season. Schaeffer took to modeling and was determined to progress. The ambitions she once had of becoming a Rabbi were now behind her.

In August 1984, at 16, Schaeffer finished an internship in New York City. The city was a good fit for her; she loved the fast pace of life and endless opportunities the city had to offer. Instead of returning to Portland to complete her high school education, Schaeffer decided to return to New York.

She would attend the Professional Children’s School while looking for modeling and acting jobs. Not long after moving, Schaeffer landed the role of Annie Barnes in the soap opera One Life To Live.

Schaeffer had trouble finding modeling jobs due to her height. At five foot, seven inches tall, she was two inches shorter than the average fashion model. So she went instead to Japan, hoping she might have more luck there. Still unsuccessful, Rebecca Schaeffer returned to New York and turned her attentions to acting.

Schaeffer Moves To Los Angeles And Her Career Takes Off

Acting jobs were steady for Rebecca Schaeffer and it wasn’t long before the 18-year-old landed her biggest part yet, a leading role in the CBS sitcom My Sister Sam. In the show, charming 16-year-old Patti Russell (Schaeffer) goes to live with her sophisticated older sister, 29-year-old Sam Russell (Pam Dawber), a successful photographer in San Francisco.

Schaeffer wasn’t thrilled about moving to LA given how much she enjoyed living in New York. However, she fit right in on the set of My Sister Sam where her fellow cast members became her extended family.

In 1987, Schaeffer began dating 23-year-old Brad Silberling, a graduate student studying filmmaking at UCLA.

Rebecca Schaeffer was beginning to get more of a feel for the celebrity lifestyle. The first season of My Sister Sam, which originally aired in October 1986, was a hit from the start. Schaeffer was idolized by readers of Seventeen magazine and was featured on the cover of the March 1987 issue.

She also began to receive fan mail.

Schaeffer told Judy Crown, a hairstylist on the set of My Sister Sam, how excited she was about this, but it set off alarm bells in Crown’s mind. She recalled telling Schaeffer not to respond to mail or gifts she received from fans as people could be crazy.

Crown told the Television Academy Foundation in an interview that Schaeffer was “very beautiful, very sweet, a little bit naive.”

My Sister Sam was canceled after two seasons. The final episode aired April 12, 1988. Later that year, however, Schaeffer was cast in Scenes From The Class Struggle In Beverly Hills directed by Paul Bartel. A sexy and sophisticated black comedy, the movie was different from anything Rebecca Schaeffer had done previously and brought her to a new level of stardom.