Lina Romay (born Rosa María Almirall Martínez; 25 June 1954 – 15 February 2012), a.k.a. Candy Coster and Lulu Laverne, was a Spanish actress who often appeared in films directed by her long-time companion (and later husband) Jesús Franco. She appeared in approximately 109 Jesus Franco films made over a 30-year period. Biography Romay was born in Barcelona in 1954. Following graduation from high school, she studied the arts, married actor/photographer Ramon Ardid (aka Raymond Hardy), and began acting in stage productions. She began appearing in Jesús Franco's films from the time that they met in 1972. Her husband Ramon was working for Franco as a still photographer at the time, and she met Franco through him. She acted in more than a hundred feature films, most of them directed by Franco. The majority of their films together were in the erotic film genre (including many X titles), but she was also featured in many of his horror, comedy and action/adventure films as well. Among the better known of her horror films are The Bare Breasted Countess (a.k.a. Female Vampire) (1973), Barbed Wire Dolls (1975) and Jack the Ripper (1976). Ramon co-starred with her in a number of Franco films until he realized she was leaving him for Franco in 1975. Lina and Ramon legally divorced in 1978. She took the name Lina Romay from the actress and jazz artist from the 1940s. Although Romay was listed in the credits of several of Franco's films as a co-director, actor Antonio Mayans stated in a recent interview that Franco used to credit her in that manner for business reasons, although she never actually co-directed any of their films together. She did however contribute occasional story ideas and assist in the editing of some films and trailers. Lina Romay and Jesús Franco lived as a couple for close to four decades, but only officially married on April 25, 2008. She died from cancer at the age of 57 on 15 February 2012, in Málaga, Spain. Franco died soon after in 2013. Selected filmography The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein (1972) Lina's scenes as a gypsy girl only appear in the 1973 Spanish language version The Sinister Eyes of Dr. Orloff (1972) brief role as a neighbor Pleasure for Three (1973) aka How to Seduce a Virgin The Perverse Countess (1973) Maciste vs the Amazon Queen (1973) The Erotic Exploits of Maciste in Atlantis