January 23rd thru 25th, 2009!

 For those of you that haven't seen Erin Gray before... and live within driving of the Phoenix ComiCon, this may be your opportunity!

I would say that most of the readers of this blog would best know of Erin as a star from a popular TV Show from the late 1970's...

Erin's role as the sleek sophisticated "Colonel Wilma" in the "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" made her name a household word at that time, which continues to this day!

As a brief bio:  

Erin Gray was born January 7th, 1950 in Honolulu. She later moved with her family from Hawaii to California when she was eight years old and stayed in the area graduating from Pacific Palisades High School.

When she was fifteen she had a chance meeting with Nina Blanchard, who was then head of one of Hollywood's top model agencies.  

Seeking to make it in modeling, she moved to New York, where she became one of the town's most sought-after models.  She was in a tier of models who were on TV like Farrah Fawcett, Veronica Hamel and Susan Blakely. I definitely remember her from the 'English Leather cologne ads' where she would declare: "My men wear English Leather--or they wear nothing at all!" .

With that commercial and others for Breck, Clairol, and RC Cola, it was only a matter of time before movie-TV offers came in. She had studied acting with well-known coach Warren Robertson while doing TV commericals.

Universal signed her to a seven-year contract based on her initial performances on TV. She was then cast as a tough-minded newspaper reporter in Irwin Shaw's 'Evening in Byzantium' in 1978. Her performance in that role scored with both critics and audiences, and that led directly to her role in "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" starting in 1979.

Buck Rogers has been on screen and in print during the many decades since his creation. Buck Rogers has also been the subject of a few comic book stories.

I blogged about the TV Show,  "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", being printed in comic book format a while back. Click here to view that archived blog post!

Erin Gray has gone on to do other projects since the TV Show ened, but it is because of her role as "Colonel Wilma Deering" that she is at this convention!

For those that may be able to make this con, here are the details for the Phoenix Comic Con:

Where:  Phoenix Comicon 2009 is being held at the Mesa Convention Center. The Mesa Convention Center is a full-service event facility located in the heart of downtown Mesa, Arizona. The Center is conveniently located just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, and is easily accessed via the Loop 202, Loop 101, and US 60.

When: January 23rd thru 25th

Cost:

Full 3 Day Membership Purchased At The Door $35

Friday Single Day Membership $20
Saturday Single Day Membership $25
Sunday Single Day Membership $15

For additional details:  phoenixcomicon.com

There are also others who will be present at the Phoenix Comic Con, including Jeff Mariotte (click here for our blog about Jeff), and Noel Neill, (click here for our blog about Noel)!