Candy Clark Captured Some of the Most Famous Faces. Then She Put Them in a Drawer.

Candid Confessions of a Hollywood Darling: Candy Clark’s Remarkable Journey

Candy Clark, a name synonymous with the vibrant era of New Hollywood, possesses a life story brimming with captivating episodes. From receiving driving lessons in a Volkswagen bus from Jeff Bridges to an amusingly unfruitful attempt to flirt with Steven Spielberg, her experiences are the stuff of Hollywood legend. She famously intervened to prevent actor Rip Torn from physically confronting director Nicolas Roeg on set, narrowly avoided injury from a stray bullet while relaxing on a Mexican beach with painter Ed Ruscha, and once audaciously pinched David Bowie‘s nipples. These intriguing tales, reflective of the spirited 1970s Hollywood landscape, are now being shared alongside her intimate Polaroid photographs in her newly released book, “Tight Heads,” a visual memoir providing a unique window into a captivating time.

In Los Angeles, a metropolis built upon larger-than-life narratives and bold reputations, where does one categorize such extraordinary anecdotes? They are revealing yet not overtly gossipy, honest without being scandalous, occasionally surreal but consistently charming.

“It’s a period of confession, isn’t it?” remarked Candy Clark, a former actress sporting a stylish blonde bob and Warby Parker eyeglasses, during a conversation at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California. On a recent Sunday afternoon, Ms. Clark—the very individual behind the wheel of Mr. Bridges’s vehicle, the starlet who playfully attempted to charm Mr. Spielberg, the peacemaker, the survivor of a bullet wound, and the playful culprit of the nipple pinch—was enjoying pita bread and hummus.

Evading a destiny of conventional mid-20th-century expectations, she embarked on a modeling career in New York and subsequently became a celebrated figure in the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1970s. Across her five decades in film and television, she has amassed over 80 credits, establishing herself as a recognizable presence often portraying free-spirited characters and unconventional personalities, notably Debbie Dunham in “American Graffiti,” a role that garnered Ms. Clark an Oscar nomination. Remarkably, it was only her second acting role.

“It was my breakthrough,” she stated, reminiscing about the nomination. “You feel like you’re at the center of everything, and it’s truly wonderful.”

Should she ever question the veracity of these events in her life, she can simply peruse her collection of photographs taken with a small SX-70 Polaroid camera, which she used to document life on set with luminaries like John Huston and George Lucas.

Ms. Clark’s glossy Polaroids, accompanied by her concise accounts of encounters with iconic figures, have been compiled for the first time in her book, “Tight Heads,” launched last month. It serves as both a visual memoir of the actress’s captivating life and a record of a golden age in culture, where directors enjoyed creative freedom, an independent ethos flourished, and a young woman from a small town with no prior acting experience could be discovered at an audition.

The book is “not exactly a tell-all,” she conceded. “It’s more of a tell-some.”

A Journey East: From Oklahoma to Hollywood Hills

Born in Oklahoma and raised in modest circumstances in Fort Worth, Texas, with four younger brothers, Ms. Clark often mentions that her childhood aspirations were quite modest. She initially dreamed of becoming a secretary receptionist. However, following a chance meeting with a New York visitor in 1968, Ms. Clark spontaneously purchased a $45 one-way plane ticket to the bustling metropolis. She was just 19 years old.

“I clearly remember looking out of the airplane window at Manhattan and thinking, ‘I’m never going back,’” recounted Ms. Clark, now 77.

She began her professional journey as a model in department stores, subsisting on a mere 50 cents per day. Gradually, she transitioned into modeling for prominent magazines such as Seventeen and Ingenue. Occasionally, she took on roles as an extra in films, primarily for the complimentary meals.

Satisfied with her burgeoning career, Ms. Clark was initially reluctant when casting director Fred Roos, whom she met during the casting process for “The Godfather,” insisted she travel to Los Angeles to audition for Mr. Huston’s cinematic adaptation of the novel “Fat City.”

“I had absolutely no desire to be an actor,” Ms. Clark confessed. “So, I negotiated firmly. I declared, ‘I will only fly out if I can attend the Academy Awards and visit Disneyland.’”

Shortly thereafter, she found herself observing the Oscars ceremony from the upper balconies of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, using rented binoculars. Days later, wearing a wide-brimmed hat emblazoned with “Disneyland” across the front, she auditioned for Mr. Huston, Mr. Roos, and producer Ray Stark. The scene required her to cry. Ms. Clark recalls attempting to produce sobbing sounds while concealing her face beneath the brim of her hat. She then hastily departed, assuming the audition had been a complete failure.

However, Mr. Roos pursued her, asking her to participate in a screen test. As she recounts in her book, the positive news prompted genuine tears to well up. “I just want to be an extra!” she exclaimed.

Ms. Clark spent the summer of 1971 filming “Fat City” in Stockton, California. During downtime, she and a group of fellow young actors shared tequila with Mr. Huston and sampled the local Mexican cuisine. During the production, Ms. Clark, who portrayed Faye, the pregnant girlfriend of an aspiring young boxer, entered into a romantic relationship with Jeff Bridges, who at 22 was rapidly gaining widespread recognition.

“She was a naturally gifted actress,” Mr. Bridges remarked in an interview. “But she was wise not to depend solely on an acting career for her happiness, although she has certainly had a remarkable one.”

The couple moved into a stucco beachside cottage in Malibu and spent the subsequent four years cooking for loved ones, playing guitar, and caring for dogs and turtles. Ms. Clark suggests aspects of their relationship inspired Mr. Bridges’s iconic portrayal of “the Dude” in “The Big Lebowski,” particularly their mutual fondness for Kahlua and cannabis. Mr. Bridges expressed less certainty regarding this connection.

“I don’t specifically recall the Kahlua,” he noted. “But the pot, definitely.”

“Tight Heads”: A Glimpse into Intimate Hollywood Moments

Mr. Bridges’s face is the first featured in “Tight Heads.” In the photograph, he displays a youthful grin.

Beyond the prominent actors and celebrated directors, the 87 Polaroids within the book stand as a testament to Ms. Clark’s extensive social engagements. She cultivated a circle, predominantly male, that included acclaimed authors, dancers, agents, artists, screenwriters, rock musicians, and influential producers. However, to Ms. Clark, they were a close-knit community of aspiring actors and artists on the cusp of widespread fame.

“The Polaroid camera was a catalyst that brought people together, it was truly magical,” she reflected. “Everyone would gather around, watching the image develop. It wasn’t an inexpensive medium, so you couldn’t simply take photos indiscriminately as you can with a cellphone today.”

For the past half-century, these photographs have remained largely undisturbed, tucked away within a drawer of an antique credenza in Ms. Clark’s Van Nuys ranch home.

“To me, they were simply mementos,” Ms. Clark explained.

However, they sparked the curiosity of Sam Sweet, a Los Angeles archivist who, in the autumn of 2022, requested an interview with Ms. Clark. During their discussion, Ms. Clark casually mentioned the collection of photos and offered to show him a few.

Mr. Sweet was immediately impressed by the stature of her subjects: a reserved Harrison Ford staring intently at the camera, Robin Williams cradling his newborn son in Griffith Park, a young Anjelica Huston embracing a lover.

Ms. Clark seemed genuinely amused by each image: “As if she was delighted that the life depicted was actually her life,” Mr. Sweet, 42, observed. “Almost as if saying, ‘Can you believe this?’”

Mr. Sweet, who has operated All Night Menu, a publishing imprint focusing on Los Angeles history since 2014, suggested she publish them through his press. He considers “Tight Heads” a whimsical counterpoint to books like “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,” Peter Biskind’s critical exposé of 1970s Hollywood.

“Rather than conveying an illusion of unattainability, Candy’s photographs situate mythical personalities within a relatable landscape,” Mr. Sweet writes in the book’s introduction. “Her captured moments suggest that the true magic of Hollywood is not confined behind studio gates.”

Hollywood Social Circles: Art, Celebrity, and Connection

Similar to the finest chroniclers of Hollywood, Ms. Clark possessed a remarkable ability to dissolve the psychological barriers of celebrity, even while being drawn to its allure.

“Candy always had a magnetic attraction to art and artists,” artist Ed Ruscha conveyed via email. “She is remarkably worldly while remaining true to her roots.”

Ms. Clark experienced her share of high-profile romances, including with ballet icon Mikhail Baryshnikov and actor William Hurt. Mr. Ruscha, whom Ms. Clark describes as possessing “Modigliani eyes,” was among her long-term romantic partners. Her social calendar included lunches with acclaimed novelist Ray Bradbury and screenwriter Ivan Moffat, and Dodgers games with prominent agent Irving Lazar.

Three years after her arrival in Hollywood, she attended the Academy Awards once again—this time not as an observer, but as a nominee for her supporting role in “American Graffiti,” accompanied by Mr. Bridges. Ms. Clark had initiated a solo public relations campaign for her nomination, investing $1,700 of her personal funds in quarter-page advertisements in industry publications. Ultimately, she lost to Tatum O’Neal, who at the young age of 10, became the youngest actor ever to receive an Oscar.

Shortly after, Ms. Clark contracted infectious hepatitis, requiring a month-long hospital stay and nearly a year of recovery. Following this period away from the limelight, her career faced challenges in regaining momentum.

“You essentially revert to square one,” Ms. Clark explained.

British director Nicholas Roeg offered Ms. Clark another opportunity after meeting her at a beach gathering. Without requiring an audition, Mr. Roeg—who would later become another of Ms. Clark’s romantic interests—cast her in his unconventional sci-fi social commentary “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” alongside David Bowie.

The film resulted in one of Ms. Clark’s most memorable roles as Mary-Lou, the isolated Oklahoma woman who introduces Mr. Bowie’s character, an extraterrestrial being, to alcohol, sexuality, and other earthly indulgences.

However, as the “New Hollywood” era began to wane, independent-minded producers and directors no longer had complete autonomy to realize their creative visions, limiting opportunities for character actors like Ms. Clark. She secured consistent work on television series such as “Magnum P.I.,” “Matlock,” and “Baywatch.” (“Always portraying the floozy,” Ms. Clark wryly commented.) She also pursued various entrepreneurial ventures in the 1980s and 1990s, briefly managing a limousine service and developing a line of custom pillows for ABC Home and Carpet.

Periodically, she returned to the sets of influential directors from her generation, including roles in David Fincher’s “Zodiac,” Steven Soderbergh’s “The Informant,” and David Lynch’s revival of “Twin Peaks.” Residual checks from “American Graffiti” continue to arrive. (When he produced the film, Mr. Lucas agreed to distribute one percentage point of its profits among 10 of his actors, including Ms. Clark.)

She expresses a preference not to dwell on past fame. Ms. Clark chooses to live fully in her present, indulging in estate sales, amassing art, doting on her pet rat, Herman, and spending weekends with her partner of 25 years.

However, occasional reflection on the past is not necessarily detrimental.

“I discovered a deeper understanding of myself while assembling this book,” she concluded, “It’s a life abundant with affirmations.”