Michelle Bauer
Penthouse Pet of the Month, July 1981

Michelle Bauer Bio

October 1, 1958 / Libra / Age 67

Michelle Bauer is an American-born Penthouse model, B-movie actress, porn actres, and scream queen, born Michelle Denise Medvitz on October 1, 1958 in Montebello, California, United States. Throughout her modeling career, she has also appeared under the names Michelle McClendon, Michelle McClellan, Pia Snow, Kim Bittner, Michelle McLellan, Michelle McClellen or Pia Sands, each marking a distinct chapter in her evolving on-camera persona.

Michelle Bauer was crowned Penthouse Pet of the Month in July 1981, stepping into the spotlight at 22 years old. With her statuesque 36-24-36 figure, charming brown eyes, rich brown hair, and natural breasts, Michelle exudes a confident sensuality that feels effortless, natural, and undeniably captivating.

During the early to mid-1980s, Michelle appeared in numerous adult and glamour magazines, sometimes working under different names as she navigated a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape. Her Penthouse centerfold proved to be a turning point, opening doors to on-camera opportunities and eventually leading to acting work for the Playboy Channel and auditions within the independent film scene.

One of the defining moments in her early career came with her appearance in the cult film Cafe Flesh (1982), where she worked under the name Pia Snow. The project became part of the underground cinema mythology of the era and helped shape her reputation as a performer willing to explore unconventional creative spaces. Around that time, she also appeared on covers and in various genre productions, building visibility while carefully controlling how she was presented on screen.

Her transition into mainstream cult cinema came when director Fred Olen Ray noticed her audition and offered her a role — on the condition that she dye her hair black. She accepted, and The Tomb (1986) became her first B-movie, launching a long run as one of the era’s recognizable “scream queens.” Over the following years she appeared in genre favorites such as Demonwarp (1988), Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988), Virgin High (1991), and Red Lips (1995), becoming a familiar face to fans of horror and camp cinema.

Her life and career later became a central subject of the 2011 documentary Screaming in High Heels: The Rise and Fall of the Scream Queen Era, which explored the women who defined that unique chapter of genre filmmaking. The film highlighted how Michelle — along with her peers — helped shape a cultural moment that blended glamour, horror, and independent filmmaking into something distinctly iconic.

Even her professional name carried its own story. “Bauer,” taken from her first marriage, became the identity audiences recognized, surviving legal disputes and attempted rebranding before ultimately becoming the name most closely associated with her career.

Her July 1981 Penthouse pictorial captured the beginning — a young model stepping into the spotlight before the cult-film legend fully formed. There’s a sense of momentum in those images, a hint of the fearless energy that would later define her screen persona.