Rebecca Schaeffer: The Hollywood Murder That Changed Stalking Laws

In July 1989, 21-year-old actress Rebecca Schaeffer was on the brink of a major Hollywood career. Best known for the hit sitcom My Sister Sam, she was preparing to audition for a role in The Godfather Part III when there was a knock at the door of her Los Angeles home.

On the other side was Robert John Bardo — an obsessed fan who had been stalking Rebecca for years.

What happened next would send shockwaves through Hollywood, expose frightening gaps in America's privacy laws and ultimately change the way stalking was understood and prosecuted.

For the Season 15 finale of Seeing Red, we're doing something a little different. This is a Seeing Red x Dead Famous crossover: true crime meets celebrity as we explore not only Rebecca's murder and the disturbing obsession that led to it, but the young woman behind the famous face, her rapidly rising career, the final hours of her life, the investigation that followed and the extraordinary legacy of a case that helped change American law.

🎙️ Dead Famous, Mark's critically acclaimed podcast exploring the extraordinary lives, deaths and legacies of some of the world's most famous people, releases new episodes every Monday. Search Dead Famous wherever you get your podcasts.

Join our Patreon

Find us on YouTube

Buy Me a Coffee

Visit our website

Theme music by Dead Dog in Black Bag

Got 5 mins? Fill in the Always True Crime survey for a chance to win a £100 restaurant voucher https://podcastsurvey.typeform.com/to/MMk0718T Closes 31st Oct 2026⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.