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Marilyn Monroe

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"I don't mind making jokes, but I don't want to look like one." ~ Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Baker on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, California. She never knew her father and her mother was mentally ill. Marilyn spent most of her childhood in foster homes where some sources claim she was sexually abused. At age sixteen she married her neighbor, James Dougherty. After their divorce in 1946 she dyed her hair blond and began modeling. Marilyn appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and often posed nude to earn extra money. She started dating Hollywood agent Johnny Hyde who helped her get small roles in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. He also convinced her to have cosmetic surgery on her nose and chin. When Johnny died in 1950 Marilyn was so distraught she attempted suicide. She was offered a contract with 20th Century Fox and landed the lead roles in Niagara and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Critics dismissed her as a dumb blonde but audiences made her the most popular actress in Hollywood. Marilyn made headlines when she married baseball player Joe DiMaggio in 1954. The marriage lasted just nine months but they remained close friends. She also enjoyed brief romances with Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.



Marilyn wanted to become a serious actress so she moved to New York and began studying with Lee Strasberg. She formed her own production company and worked with Laurence Olivier in The Prince And The Showgirl. Marilyn married playwright Arthur Miller in 1956. She desperately wanted to be a mother but suffered several miscarriages. In 1959 she starred in the comedy Some Like It Hot which became the biggest hit of her career . While making Let's Make Love in 1960 she had an affair with her costar Yves Montand. Marilyn divorced Arthur in 1961 and was hospitalized after suffering nervous breakdown. By this time Marilyn had a serious drinking problem and she was addicted to prescription drugs.  In the spring of 1962 she began filming Something's Got To Give. After missing numerous days of work she was fired. There were also rumors that she was having an affair with President John Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy. On August 5, 1962, Marilyn died from an overdose of prescription drugs. She was just thirty-six years old. Her death was ruled a suicide but many believe it was either an accident or murder. Marilyn is buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013








Marion Aye

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Marion Aye was born Maryon Eloise Aye on April 5, 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a lawyer who moved the family to California. When she was fifteen Marion lied about her age to elope with her older boyfriend Sherman Plaskett. Sadly he passed away just a year later. While walking on the beach in a bathing suit Marion was discovered by producer Mack Sennett. She became one of his bathing beauties and in 1919 she made her film debut in the comedy short Hearts And Flowers. Marion appeared in more than a dozen films including Montana Bill and The Weak-End Party. In 1922 she was chosen to be one of the Wampas baby stars along with Colleen Moore and Lois Wilson. The following year she signed a five year contract with a Hollywood production company. Marion was the first actress to sign a contract with a morality clause in it. She joked that she didn't mind because her only bad habit was dipping her "bread in the chicken gravy".

Marion and the other "baby stars"


Her second marriage, to press agent Harry Wilson, ended in 1924 and she fought with him in court over spousal support. Marion seemed destined for stardom but her career never took off. Her last movie was the 1926 comedy Irene. She married comedian Robert Forester in 1936. Unfortunately she suffered from psychiatric problems and made several suicide attempts. In 1951 tried to make a comeback and auditioned for a role on television. When she didn't get the part she became despondent. Her depression got worse when her mother passed Eloise away. On July 10, 1951 Marion checked into a Culver City motel and swallowed a large amount of poison. She was found semi-conscious but tragically she died eleven days later at the age of forty-eight. Her husband later told reporters that he never took her threats of suicide seriously. Marion was buried next to her mother at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014


Marion (center) with other bathing beauties


Her grave

Sally Eilers

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"I like the limelight. I'm the girl who yearned to be an actress and got her wish." ~ Sally

Sally Eilers was born Dorothea Sally Eilers on December 11, 1908 in New York City. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was a child and she began to attend acting classes. One day Sally was having lunch with her friend Carole Lombard when producer Mack Sennett saw her and asked her to become one of his bathing beauties. Soon Sally was landing small parts in movies like The Good-Bye Kiss and Broadway Babies with Alice White. In 1928 she was chosen as one of the Wampas Baby stars. She became a popular leading lady starring in the pre-code films Bad Girl and Sailor's Luck. Sally was called "the most beautiful girl in movies". She married western actor Hoot Gibson, her costar in Clearing The Range, in 1930.



They divorced three years later and she married producer Harry Brown. The couple had one son together. After divorcing Harry in 1943 she married World War 2 Lieutenant Howard Barney. By the end of the 1940s her third marriage was over and her career was in trouble.  She was no longer being offered good roles so she decided to quit acting. Her final film was the 1950 western Stage To Tuscon. Sally's fourth marriage, to director Hollingsworth Morse, lasted nine years. As she grew older she suffered from health problems and stayed out of the spotlight. Sally died on January 5, 1978 from a heart attack at the age of sixty-nine. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014


With Harry Brown and their son
 
 




Debra Paget

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"I prefer stories with sensitivity and family values; films that strive to lift you up
to a higher place in life." ~ Debra

Debra Paget was born Debralee Griffin on August 19, 1933 in Denver Colorado. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was a child. Debra's mother was a former actress who encouraged all her children to go into show business. At the age of fifteen Debra made her film debut in Cry Of The City. Her big break came when she was cast opposite James Stewart in the 1950 western Broken Arrow. She was offered a contract with Fox and quickly became one of their most popular stars. Debra starred in Princess of The Nile and had a supporting role in the Oscar winning The Ten Commandments. In 1956 she worked with Elvis Presley in the musical Love Me Tender.



Elvis called Debra "the most beautiful girl in the world" but her mother would not allow them to date. Debra's first marriage, to singer David Street, was annulled after four months. She married director Budd Boetticher in 1960 but they divorced a year later. By this time her career had stalled and she decided to leave Hollywood. Her last role was in the 1963 horror film The Haunted Palace. Debra married Chinese oil executive Louis C. Kung in 1964 and had a son named Gregory. The couple divorced in 1980. Debra became a born again Christian and came out of retirement to host a religious show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Today she lives a quiet life in Texas.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014





The pants Debra wore in the 1957 film Omar Khayyyam (from my collection)

Were They Lesbians?

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These classic beauties were rumored to be gay or bi-sexual


Marie Dressler had a romantic relationship with actress Claire DuBrey

Patsy Kelly was openly a lesbian and she dated Tallulah Bankhead

Marilyn Monroe had an affair with her her drama teacher Natasha Lytess

Marjorie Main was in a long term relationship with Spring Byington

Joan Crawford was bi-sexual and had numerous love affairs with women

Janet Gaynor was romantically involved with Mary Martin until her death

Carole Landis had a brief fling with writer and actress Jacqueline Susann

Barbara Stanwyck enjoyed romances with men and women

Toby Wing

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"Because I'm a vivid blonde and people think of me as a chorus girl they won't believe I'm any more than just that." ~ Toby

Toby Wing was born Martha Virginia Wing on July 14, 1915, in Amelia Courthouse, Virginia. Her father worked as an assistant director and helped Toby get her first acting job at the age of nine. When she was a teenager she was hired as one of the Goldywn Girls along with Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard. Toby started to get supporting roles in films like School For Girls and Murder At The Vanities. In 1934 she announced her engagement to actor Jackie Coogan but they broke up soon after. With her platinum blonde hair and voluptuous figure Toby became a popular sex symbol. Her high-profile romances with Maurice Chevalier, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr, and singer Pinky Tomlin kept her in name in the gossip columns.



Although she played leading roles in The Marines Came Through and With Love And Kisses Toby never became a big star. In 1938 she married aviator Dick Merrill. Toby toured with several stage productions but eventually she quit acting. Her first son Henry died from crib death in 1940. That same year her second son Ricky was born. Toby and Dick eventually settled in Virginia and she began a new career as a real estate agent. Tragically in 1982 their son Ricky was murdered in their home. Just one month later Dick died from a heart attack. Toby remained in Virginia with her two granddaughters. She passed away on March 22, 2001 at the age of eighty-five. Toby is buried with her husband and sons in Christ Church Kingston Parish Cemetery in Mathews, Virginia.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014




Peggy Shannon

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"I am as much like Clara Bow as onion soup is like a fine day." ~ Peggy

Peggy Shannon was born Winona Sammon on January 10, 1907, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She attended Catholic school where she became friends with child actress Madge Evans. While visiting her aunt in New York sixteen year old Peggy was discovered by producer Florenz Ziegfeld. He hired her as a chorus girl in The Ziegfeld Follies. Peggy married actor Alan Davis in 1926. The following year she was starring on Broadway in Earl Carrol's production of What Anne Brought Home. In 1931 she was offered a contract at Paramount studios. With her beautiful face and red hair Peggy was promoted as "the new Clara Bow". When Clara suffered a nervous breakdown Peggy was given her role in The Secret Call. Although she starred in the films This Reckless Age and Hotel Continental her career never really took off. She also developed a reputation for being difficult to work with.



When her movie contract was not renewed she tried returning to Broadway. Unfortunately by this time she had serious drinking problem and was fired from the play The Light Behind The Shadow. Peggy continued to get small parts in B-movies like Youth On Parole and Cafe Hostess. She divorced Alan in 1940 and married camera man Albert G. Roberts. On May 11, 1941 her husband returned home from a trip and found Peggy slumped over the kitchen table. She had died from a heart attack at the young age of thirty-four. Her autopsy revealed that she had a serious liver ailment cause by her alcoholism. Three weeks after her death Albert committed suicide. Peggy is buried at Hollywood Forever cemetery in Hollywood, California. The epitaph on her tombstone says "That Red Headed Girl, Peggy Shannon".

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014




 

Peggy's Christmas card (from my collection)

Forest Lawn's Beauties

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These classic beauties are spending eternity at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California


In 1937 Jean Harlow died of uremic poisoning at the age of 26

Jean is buried with her mother in the Great Mausoleum


In 1948 Carole Landis committed suicide at age 29

Carole is buried in the Everlasting Love section


In 1965 Clara Bow died of a heart attack at the age of 60


Clara is buried with her husband Rex Bell in the Freedom Mausoleum


In 1942 Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash at age 33

 Carole is buried next to her husband Clark Gable in The Great Mausoleum


In 1979 Mary Pickford died from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 87

 Mary is buried with her mother and brother Jack Pickford in the Garden of Memory


In 1965 Jeanette MacDonald died of a heart attack at age 61

 Jeanette is buried with her husband Gene Raymond in the Freedom Mausoleum


In 1947 silent star Olive Borden died from a stomach ailment at the age of 41

Olive is buried next to her mother in the Liberty section


In 1942 actress Jeanette Loff took her own life at the age of 36

Jeanette is buried with her sister in the Great Mausoleum

Yola d'Avril

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"Everyone said to me 'you should go to Hollywood and try the movies' so I came and
started as an extra." ~ Yola

Yola d'Avril was born on April 8, 1907 in Lille, France. She grew up in with her parents and brother in Paris. After her father's death in 1923 she moved to Canada and became a dancer. Yola went to Hollywood and started getting small roles in films like Vamping Venus and She Goes To War. She became close friends with Gloria Swanson who guided her career. Yola signed a contract with First National but they dropped her due to her French accent.



In 1931 she costarred with Joan Blondell in God's Gift To Women. The following year she worked with Spencer Tracy in Sky Devils. Yola was briefly married to music producer Eddie Ward. Although she appeared in more than seventy films she never became a major star. Her final role was in the 1953 drama Little Boy Lost. Yola retired and lived quietly in  Port Hueneme, California with her second husband. She died on March 2, 1984 at the age of seventy-six.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014


Alice White, Loretta Young, and Yola


Diana Lewis

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"My marriage means more than all the world to me - much more than a career." ~ Diana

Diana Lewis was born on September 18, 1919 in Ashbury Park, New Jersey. Her parents were vaudeville performers. The family moved to Hollywood and Diana, her sister Maxine, and her brother J.C. all went into show business. Diana made her film debut in the 1934 comedy It's A Gift. At the age of sixteen she married actor Jay Faye. She landed a contract with MGM and appeared in movies like Andy Hardy Meets Debutante and Bitter Sweet. While making Gold Diggers In Paris she became close friends with actress Carole Landis. Diana's marriage to Jay ended in 1939. That same year she met actor William Powell who was more than twenty years older than her. After a whirlwind courtship the couple eloped on January 6, 1940.




Diana had supporting roles in the films Johnny Eager and Cry Havoc. She decided to quit acting in 1943 and devoted herself to being a full-time wife. By all accounts Diana and William enjoyed one of Hollywood's happiest marriages. He gave her the nickname "Mousie" because she was so petite. They had no children but Diana was very close to her stepson William David Powell. She spent much of her time doing charity work and playing golf. In 1984 William passed away at the age of ninety-one. Diana continued to live a quiet life in Palm Springs. She died from pancreatic cancer on January 18, 1997. Diana is buried with William at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014


 With William Powell




Happy Valentine's Day ~ Part 2

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Celebrate Valentine's Day with more of our classic beauties


Jeanette MacDonald

Barbara Nichols

June Marlowe


Deanna Durbin

Sue Carol

Joan Blondell

Raquel Torres

Mary Pickford

Maria Corda

Toby Wing

Leila Hyams

Gloria Dickson

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"Clothes are my worst extravagance and costume jewelry’s my secret sorrow and little cross." ~ Gloria

Gloria Dickson was born Thais Alalia Dickerson on August 13, 1917, in Pocotello, Idaho. After her father died her mother took Gloria and her sister to California. During high school she started acting in local theater productions. When she was nineteen a Warner Brothers talent scout saw one of her performances and offered her a contract. For her first film she was given a leading role in the 1937 drama They Won't Forget. Her performance got rave reviews and she was called the "luckiest girl in Hollywood". Gloria continued to get good roles in Gold Diggers In Paris, They Made Me A Criminal, and I Want A Divorce. In 1938 she married make-up artist Perc Westmore. He wanted her to be more glamorous and convinced her to have a
nose job. After leaving MGM Gloria's career stalled.



She could only only get small roles in B-movies like Lady Of Burlesque and The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine. Gloria divorced Perc and married director Ralph Murphy in 1941. Unfortunately Ralph had a wandering eye and their marriage only lasted two years. By 1944 Gloria was unemployed and overweight. She was also struggling with a serious alcohol problem. Gloria married former boxer William Fitzgerald and rented a house in West Hollywood. On April 10, 1945 Gloria was taking a nap when the house caught on fire. She tried to escape but ended up trapped in a bathroom. Gloria suffered second degree burns and died from asphyxiation. She was only twenty-seven years old. Gloria is buried at Hollywood Forever cemetery with a tombstone reading "Thais A. Dickerson, My Baby".

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014






Gloria's Christmas card (from my collection)

Mitzi Mayfair

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"The Broadway business is sort of wacky It wouldn't mix with a nice happy marriage." ~ Mitzi

Mitzi Mayfair was born Juanita Emylyn Pique on June 6, 1914, in Fulton, Kentucky. Her grandfather was a minister and she attended church every Sunday. Mitzi started dancing when she was a child. Although she never took a lesson a local theatrical producer cast her in a kiddie review. Vaudevillian Gus Edwards saw Mitzi in the show and asked her to go on tour. At the age of fifteen she danced in the short film Manhattan Serenade. Mitzi made a few more Vitaphone shorts but she preferred to be on the stage. By 1936 she was one of the highest paid vaudeville performers in the country. Her specialty was kicking her leg up to touch the back of her head. Mitzi also appeared in several Broadway shows including The Ziegfeld Follies and Take A Chance with Ethel Merman. On March 12, 1938 she married Albert Hoffmann, vice-president of the 
Hoffman beverage company.

With Carole Landis in 1943


The couple had a tumultuous marriage and they separated a few years later. During World War 2 she joined Carole Landis, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye on a four month USO tour to entertain the troops. When their experiences were made into the movie Four Jills In A Jeep Mitzi played herself. Although she wasn't a trained actress her performance received good reviews. Dancer Irene Castle wanted Mitzi to play her in a film but the studio gave the part to Ginger Rogers instead. In 1943 Mitzi filed for bankruptcy claiming that she only had $200 in assets. The following year she married Charles Henderson, a music executive from 20th Century Fox. Soon after she retired from Hollywood to become a full-time housewife. She spent her time cooking and playing chess. Eventually she and Charles moved to Tucson, Arizona. Mitzi passed away in May 1976 at the age of sixty-one. She is buried at East Lawn Palms Cemetery in Tucson.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014





With Dick Haymes in Four Jills In A Jeep

Happy Valentine's Day

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Celebrate Valentine's Day with our classic beauties


Betty Hutton

Betty Grable

Rita Hayworth

 Marie McDonald 

  Yvonne De Carlo

 Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy

Marilyn Monroe

 Lana Turner

 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Debbie Reynolds

Ann Miller

Clara Bow

 Cyd Charisse

Betty Compson

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"They say I love money. I do, though it was pretty cold comfort, a pretty poor substitute, for all I'd lost." ~ Betty

Betty Compson was born Eleanor Luicime Compson on March 19, 1897, in Beaver, Utah. After her father's death she dropped out of school to help her family. She began her show business career as a violinist and toured with her mother in vaudeville. Betty was offered a contract with Al Christie in 1915. Over the next five years she appeared in more than forty short films. Her career really took off when she costarred with Lon Chaney in the 1919 drama The Miracle Man. She was called "The Prettiest Girl in Pictures"and became one of highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Betty was also one of the first women to run her own production company. In 1921 she starred in and produced the movie Prisoners Of Love. She married actor James Cruz in 1925 but they had a rocky relationship and separated several times. Unlike some other silent stars Betty was able to make the transition to talkies. 



She was nominated for an Academy award in 1928 for her performance in The Barker. Betty finally ended her marriage to James in 1930 and was left nearly bankrupt by their divorce. She was forced to sell her home and many of her possessions. Betty continued to make several movies a year and even started her own cosmetics line. She auditioned for the role of Belle in Gone With The Wind but did not get the part. Her second marriage, to producer Irving Weinberg, lasted just four years. At their divorce trial she testified that he left her home alone while he went out with other women. In 1944 she married professional boxer Silvius John Gall and decided to retire from Hollywood. Her final film was the comedy Here Comes Trouble. Betty and her husband went into business together and were happily married until his death in 1962. Betty died from a heart attack on April 18, 1974. She is buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014





Let Them Eat Cake

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Enjoy a piece of cake with our classic beauties


Linda Darnell

 Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Lionel Barrymore, and Jean Harlow

Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy

 Jane Withers

Joan Crawford


Marilyn Monroe

Marion Davies

Jayne Mansfield

Paulette Goddard

Shirley Temple

Betty Grable and Harry James

Myrna Loy

Joan Crawford

Jeanette MacDonald

Marilyn Monroe

Betty Burgess

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Betty Burgess was born Elizabeth Burgess on February 15, 1917, in Los Angeles, California. She began taking singing and dancing lessons when she was a child. Betty appeared in local plays and worked on the radio. She enrolled in a dramatic school where she was discovered by a talent agent. In 1935 she beat out forty other actresses to land the lead role in the musical Coronado. The movie, costarring Alice White and Jack Haley, garnered her positive reviews. Two years later she had a supporting role in the crime drama Tough To Handle.

Jack Haley, Alice White, and Betty in Coronado


Unfortunately Betty's acting career never took off and she would only make two more films. She had a serious romance with actor Matty Kemp and there were rumors that they had secretly wed. Betty spent several years performing in vaudeville before retiring from show business. In 1960 she married professional wrestler George Zaharris but they divorced a short time later. She spent her final years living in Riverside, California, Betty died on November 15, 2002 at the age of eighty-five.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014


With Johnny Downs


Virginia Weidler

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Virginia Anna Adelaide Weidler was born on March 21, 1927 in Eagle Rock, California. She had five brothers and sisters. At the age of four she made her film debut in the drama Surrender. Her big break came in 1938 when she signed a contract with MGM. The studio was impressed that the eleven year old could speak three languages. She played Norma Shearer's daughter in The Women and was Katharine Hepburn's sister in The Philadelphia Story. Virginia became one of Hollywood's most popular child stars but her career stalled when she became a teenager. She had to compete with Shirley Temple for roles and was often given second billing.



When Virginia was sixteen she decided to leave MGM. Her final film was the 1943 musical Best Foot Forward. She spent the next several years performing in vaudeville. Virginia married naval officer Lionel Krissel in 1947 and had two sons. She retired from show business and never gave another interview. Her friends said she never watched her old films or talked about her Hollywood career. In 1968 Virginia died from a heart ailment. She was only forty-one years old. Virginia had suffered symptoms of cardiac disease but did not seek treatment because she was a Christian scientist. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014



With Norma Shearer in The Women


Natalie Wood

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"The only time a woman is any good at changing a man is when he is a baby." ~ Natalie

Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, California. Her mother moved them to Hollywood determined to make Natalie famous. At age nine she was cast as a cynical little girl in Miracle On 34th Street. It was a hit and she became one of the most popular child stars. In 1955 she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Rebel Without A Cause. She also began an affair with the film's forty-four year old director, Nicholas Ray. Later Natalie would claim that
when she was a teenager an older movie star raped her. She married actor Robert Wagner in December 1957. Her success continued with starring roles in West Side Story, Splendor In The Grass, and Gypsy. She divorced Robert in 1962 and had a short-lived romance with actor Warren Beatty. Depressed over her failed relationships Natalie tried to commit suicide.



In 1969 she married producer Richard Gregson and had a daughter, Natasha. After divorcing Richard she rekindled her romance with ex-husband Robert Wagner. They remarried and in 1974 their daughter, Courtney, was born. Natalie began to work less so she could spend more time with her family. Although she suffered from a lifelong fear of dark water she and Robert owned a yacht called "The Splendor". On November 29, 1981 Natalie fell overboard and drowned. According to sources she had been drinking that night and had a fight with Robert. Natalie was just forty-three years old. She is buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California. Her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, also became a successful actress. In 2012 the investigation into Natalie's drowning was reopened and her official cause of death was changed from accident to "drowning and other undetermined factors".

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2013







A signed letter (from my collection)

Nearly Nude ~ Part 2

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More classic beauties who weren't afraid to show some skin for the camera


Toby Wing

Yola d'Avril

Sally Eilers

Madeline Hurlock

Natalie Wood

Thelma Hill

Dolores del Rio

Claudette Colbert

Alice White

Tina Louise

Betty Grable

Hedy Lamarr

Barbara Nichols

Louise Brooks
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