Jill Banner's early life was marked by a sense of unpredictability and instability, as her family relocated numerous times during her formative years. Her father's untimely passing when she was just two years old led to her mother's decision to move from Washington to South Dakota, and subsequently to Iowa, before finally settling in Glendale, California.
This tumultuous period in her life was later reflected in her acting career, as she often found herself taking on roles that were edgy and unconventional. Her debut film, the 1967 cult classic "Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told," was actually shot in 1964 but not released until 1968, when it received widespread critical acclaim for its dark and twisted portrayal of cannibalism and incest.
Between the shooting and release of "Spider Baby," Banner continued to work in the entertainment industry, appearing in a variety of films and television shows. She was a frequent collaborator with producer/director Jack Webb, starring in episodes of his popular police dramas "Dragnet 1967" and "Adam-12," often playing the role of a disillusioned hippie.
However, as the 1970s progressed, Banner began to grow disillusioned with the Hollywood lifestyle and eventually moved to New Mexico, where she pursued a career in real estate. Several years later, she returned to California, hoping to revive her acting career. Tragically, her life was cut short on August 7, 1982, when her car was struck by a drunk driver on the Ventura Freeway. The impact was severe, and Banner was ejected from the vehicle, suffering a fatal head injury. She was just 38 years old at the time of her death, and was working as an employee of Marlon Brando, with whom she was developing scripts.
