Born Peggy Yvonnne Middleton, she dropped out of high school to pursue work in nightclubs and theatres, and eventually moved with her mother to L.A. Considered by Paramount as the B-movie version of star Maria Montez (yeah, I know. Who?), Yvonne worked the early forties as a bit player. She finally had a breakout hit with Salome--Where She Danced in 1945.
She looked great in "harem dress" and made a number of "sex and sand" films over the next few years.
She also did a number of westerns, and eventually played Sephora, wife to Charlton Heston's Moses in De Mille's The Ten Commandments.
Of course, she eventually played the role she is most remembered for: Lily Munster in two seasons of The Munsters. The role was memorable, particularly for those of us who never got a chance to see The Addams Family, and she, like Caroline Jones, portrayed a compelling Gothic sexuality. But while The Munsters gave her some security, she remained a working actress for most of the rest of her life (even at 84, she was said to be only in "semi-retirement"), and continued to appear in films such as American Gothic and in Sylvester Stallone's Oscar.
Yvonne De Carlo. 1922-2007
No comments:
Post a Comment