Shawna Loyer Bio – Facts About The 13 Ghosts Actress

Shawna Loyer is a former American actress, social activist, and philanthropist who became famous for her one and only role as Dana Newman. Dana, better identified by the alias, The Angry Princess, was one of the most prominent ghosts in the 2001 horror flick, Th13teen Ghosts, and its 2002 sequel, Th13teen Ghosts Revealed. Shawna Loyer also made one last appearance in the documentary, Data files: A Haunted Houseful of Poltergeist Profiles. As talented as Shawna Loyer appeared to be, that was the first and only movie character she performed, moving away from the background almost immediately she established herself as a star-in-the-making.

Recently, the 45-year-old actress has decided to channel her energy into campaigning against global warming, and the likes, and is a staunch believer in the possibility of utopian earth. Although many might consider it a waste to throw away a thriving acting career in order to look after plants and animals, Shawna remains committed to her choice to heal the earth through philanthropy and humanitarianism.

The Miami-born actress, Shawna Loyer is [42 dob=”19791018″] years old

Shawna Loyer was born to unnamed American parents on October 18, 1979, in Miami, Florida, United States of America. Her birthday places her under the Libra zodiac sun sign, while her place of birth makes her an American national. The identities of her parents have been carefully hidden from the public, still, Shawna is easily categorized as being of Caucasian ethnicity, as evidenced by her online pictures.

The actress’s wish for utmost privacy is primarily made obvious by the fact that no information about her childhood can be found on the internet. This makes us unable to decipher her childhood experiences, the schools she attended, and the identities of her siblings (if she has any). However, we’ll go with the obvious and conclude that Shawna must have attended preschool and high school somewhere in Miami.

For college education, it is believed that she never attended college, choosing instead to focus on her acting career, rather than waste precious time. This points to the suggestion that Shawna did not only have dreams of being an actress, but she also had some level of experience and expertise in the craft. So, her decision to skip college altogether made plenty of sense because why waste funds on paying tuition when you can just go out into the world and do the real thing?

Shawna Loyer’s career endeavors

Shawna Loyer’s acting career took off quite early as the actress was only 22 years old when she got her golden opportunity. She was cast as Dana Newman aka The Angry Princess in the Steve Beck-directed horror flick titled, Thir13en Ghosts in 2001. The movie was identically based on the classic 1960 movie, 13 Ghosts, and the screenplay was written by one of the greatest American screenwriters of the nineties, Robb White.

Shawna Loyer famously portrayed the role of a ghost named The Angry Princess, a  former beauty queen who was grossly dissatisfied with her appearance and eventually took her own life by slitting her wrists with a knife in the bathtub.

Her performance and costume were greatly lauded by critics. The movie was not exactly a blockbuster, but it made over $68.5 million at the box office, as opposed to its $42 million budget. She also appeared in the 2002 sequel, Th13teen Ghosts Revealed, and Ghost Files: A Haunted House Whole of Poltergeist Profiles (2002).

Sadly, “The Angry Princess” was the first and only role Shawna played in her entire career. She did not feature in any other movie or television series after Thi13teen Ghosts, and her movie career came to an inevitable halt. The actress is said to be worth about a hundred thousand dollars, and although she is a profitable actress, her net worth obviously hasn’t reflected this, mainly due to her decision to remove herself from the spotlight. This has hurt many fans of her ghost character, and we can’t help but wonder just how influential she would have been if she had continued acting.

Thirteen Ghosts is her only claim to fame

By now we know that Shawna Loyer’s sole claim to fame is the ghostly character she played in the ‘Th13teen Ghosts’ movie. She was cast as ghost number six, Dana Newman, known in her ghost state as “The Angry Princess”. Shawna’s character mostly appeared nude and moved about with a knife dripping blood. When Dana Newman was alive, she was a stunningly attractive woman.

Unfortunately, she had body dysmorphia and never actually saw herself as beautiful. Dana eventually slit her own wrists when she realized that no amount of surgery could make her feel good about her appearance. Her anger and disappointment followed her into the otherworld, making her a sad, angry ghost, hence the name – The Angry Princess. Shawna later reprised the role in the 2002 sequel, ‘Th13teen Ghosts Uncovered’ where Dana Newman’s entire backstory was revealed.

What Do the 13 Ghosts Represent?

Cyrus Kriticos (played by F. Murray Abraham), faked his death with help from his girlfriend Kalina Oretzia (Embeth Davidtz) and lawyer Ben Moss (J.R. Bourne). He then “willed” his high-tech glasshouse to Arthur Kriticos, his nephew. Arthur – a recent widower – had just fallen upon hard times, and so he wasted no time relocating himself, his two children Kathy and Beth, and their nanny, Maggie, to the new house. Unfortunately for Arthur, the inheritance turned out to be a ruse as Cyrus was still alive, and worse, the house was haunted by twelve malicious ghosts.

According to the plot, the ghosts each represented one of the thirteen Black Zodiac spirits. Cyrus needed one more ghost in order to complete the Zodiac, which would give him access to the Ocularis Infernum, which would grant Cyrus the ability to control time. All twelve ghosts had died in specific manners which made each one a perfect candidate for the Black Zodiac, still, Cyrus needed one more: The Bleeding Heart – meant to die as a sacrifice for love. Cyrus intended for Arthur, his nephew, to become that final ghost.

Some of the other cast members in the movie include Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, and Rah Digga.

What are the stories of the 13 Ghosts?

If you are curious about the identities of these ghosts, don’t worry, you are in the right place. Below is a brief history of each of the thirteen ghosts (actually twelve) and what led to their deaths.

The First Born Son

The first revealed ghost in ‘Th13teen Ghosts’ is “The First Born Son”. Played by Mikhael Speidel, this ghost was called Billy Michaels when he was still alive. Young Billy was obsessed with the cowboy and Indian culture. This led him to challenge another obsessed youth to a duel armed only with a toy gun. Unfortunately, Billy did not survive his folly and died from an arrow shot to his head. As a ghost, the weapon used to murder him was still lodged in his cranium. Billy wasn’t particularly violent, but he wasn’t harmless either.

The Torso

The second ghost called “The Torso” was played by Daniel Wesley. When he was alive, his real name was Jimmy “The Gambler” Gambino. The Torso, much like his name, is disembodied and wrapped in transparent tape. While alive, Jimmy Gambino was addicted to gambling, and he soon took a bet that cost him his life. Apparently, he unwittingly crosses a certain mob kingpin and is killed by his goons. The mode of death was dismemberment and the pieces of his body were wrapped up and thrown into the ocean. As a ghost, his torso is still wrapped in the cellophane, and he carries his dismembered head in one hand. A pretty harmless ghost.

The Bound Woman

Laura Mennell played the character of Susan LeGrow, aka, “The Bound Woman”. Susan was once the IT girl of high school: a young, pretty, popular cheerleader who was dating the football captain. It was a pretty perfect life, at least it should have been. It turned out that she dared attend prom night with someone else, causing her footballer lover to fly into a rage. The result was a rival battered to death, and a cheerleader strangled with a tie. The Bound Woman appears in a white lace prom dress with a tie around her neck – which appears abnormally and is bent sideways. She is a scary sight but is quite harmless.

The Withered Lover

This ghost was played by Kathryn Anderson. In real life, she was called Jean Kriticos, and she was the wife of the protagonist Arthur Kriticos. She was also the mother of Kathy and Bobby. The Withered Lover died rather tragically in a fire. This fire engulfed their old house, and Arthur was just able to rescue only the kids. She was rushed to the hospital but gave up the ghost there. She appears wearing a hospital robe, and an IV stand attached to her hand. Her face is also horribly scarred from the burns she received before her death. She posed no danger to anyone in the house.

The Torn Prince

Craig Olejnik played Royce Clayton, aka “The Torn Prince”. This particular ghost lived in the late fifties and was a baseball star in high school. He died in an automobile crash during a drag race after he lost control of his car. The story is that his opponent tampered with his brakes. As a ghost, he wields a baseball bat and although he isn’t particularly evil, he did bash a couple of heads in the house.

The Angry Princess

Shawna Loyer, our article’s focus, famously portrayed Dana Newman, otherwise known as “The Angry Princess”. As previously stated, Dana was highly unimpressed with her looks, even though she was described by many as beautiful, she never agreed. This led to her undergoing multiple surgical procedures all in a bid to modify features she believed were unflattering. Sadly, she got entangled in a number of horrible relationships which further served to make her feel worse about herself. Dana decided to end her misery by slitting her wrists in a bathtub. The Angry Princess mostly appears inside the bathtubs in the house. She is naked, has deep cut marks all over her body, and wields a bloody knife. She doesn’t take it kindly when her appearance is mocked.

The Pilgrimess

Xantha Radley played the character of Isabella Smith, known as “The Pilgrimess”. Isabella Smith was a victim of the Salem witch hunt that happened all over England in the 17th century. Poor Isabella was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to die at the stake. When she survived the fire, this strengthened the witchcraft claims, and she was bound to the stocks and left to starve. As a ghost, her arms remain bound to the stocks which makes her a terribly scary ghost. Otherwise, she is harmless.

The Great Child and The Dire Mother

These two ghosts were mother and child when they were alive. “The Great Child” was played by Ernest Harth while “The Dire Mother” was portrayed by Laurie Soper. When alive they were called Harold and Margaret Shelbourne. Margaret worked in a circus and when her son was sexually assaulted by a member of a carnival troupe, it set off a chain of fatal reactions. Margaret was murdered for daring to confront him, causing Harold to kill many members of the troupe in a murderous frenzy. He was later restrained and killed. As his name suggests, he appears as an obese man-child, wearing a soiled bib.

The Hammer

Herbert Duncanson played the role of the only person of color in the movie as George Markley, aka “The Hammer”. While alive, George Markley was a small-town blacksmith. He was accused of theft by a white slaver and his entire family was murdered as punishment. George avenged his family by bludgeoning all their killers to death using an old sledgehammer. He was later killed by his townspeople. He is definitely a violent ghost and wields his hammer indiscriminately.

The Jackal

Shayne Wyler played Ryan Kuhn, aka “The Jackal”. He was born in the late eighties to an unnamed prostitute. Ryan grew up to be a predator, mostly preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting females like prostitutes and the likes. He was medically diagnosed as a psychopath and checked himself into a psychiatric hospital (Borehamwood Asylum) where he was imprisoned for years. When a fire outbreak had everyone in the asylum scampering for safety, he chose to stay back and be engulfed by the flames as a way of ridding the world of his evil.

The Juggernaut

John DeSantis played Horace “Breaker” Mahoney, otherwise called “The Juggernaut”, who is arguably the most violent ghost of the thirteen. A mountainous monster of a man, Horace was just as terrible while alive as he was when dead. He was a serial killer who picked up innocent people and murdered them by tearing them apart with his bare hands. He would then feed his dogs the remains. Horace was later arrested by the police and shot to death.

Who becomes the 13th Ghost?

According to Cyrus’ machinations, Arthur Kriticos was meant to be The thirteenth and last ghost to complete the Black Zodiac as “The Bleeding Heart”. However, at the last possible moment, psychic Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) sacrificed himself so that Arthur and his kids could be safe. So in the end, Dennis became the thirteenth ghost.

Read Also: What Happened to Gary Coleman’s Wife, Shannon Price

Shawna Loyer is a married woman

The gorgeous actress is already taken as she got married many years ago. Shawna Loyer’s decision to discontinue her acting career is closely linked to her marriage to husband Don Soo even though there really isn’t any evidence to support this belief. Once again, we are faced with her overwhelming need for privacy. Again, the exact date and venue of her wedding aren’t yet public knowledge, and we doubt it will ever be.

The couple has two lovely kids together and again, their names, dates of birth, and other important information have been kept secret. Shawna is not shy to show off her kids, however, and there are a few pictures of them on her Instagram, particularly her display photo. It seems like she enjoys traveling with her family as well and she never hesitates to take pictures of her kids when they appear to be at an exotic location.

Physical attributes of Shawna Loyer

Shawna Loyer’s physical features make her a classic American beauty. She is tall at 5 feet 9 inches, making her one of the tallest Hollywood actresses as the average height of actresses in the American movie industry is pegged at 5 feet 5 inches. She is a natural brunette and her eyes are a dark brown shade. There is no exact measurement of her height and body proportions but we can see from old pictures of her that she has an hourglass figure, and is of average weight.