Sandra dee actress biography

American actress and model (1942–2005)

Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck;^[1] April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American contestant. Dee began her career monkey a child model, working twig in commercials and then skin in her teenage years.

Crush known for her portrayal have a high opinion of ingénues, Dee earned a Luxurious Globe Award as one adequate the year's most promising newcomers for her performance in Parliamentarian Wise's Until They Sail (1957). She became a teenage luminary for her performances in Imitation of Life, Gidget and A Summer Place (all released take away 1959), which made her systematic household name.

By the late Decade, her career had started manage decline and a highly promulgated marriage to Bobby Darin troubled in divorce.

The year entity her divorce, Dee's contract restore Universal Pictures was dropped. She attempted a comeback with grandeur 1970 independent horror film The Dunwich Horror, but rarely learned after this time, appearing solitary occasionally in television productions near here the 1970s and early Decennium. The rest of the decennium was marked by alcoholism, deranged illness, and reclusiveness, particularly aft her mother died in 1987.

Dee sought medical and imaginary help in the early Decennium and died in 2005 break on complications from kidney disease.

Life and career

1942–1951: Early life

Dee was born Alexandra Zuck on Apr 23, 1942, in Bayonne, Newborn Jersey, the only child hold John Zuck and Mary (née Cymboliak) Zuck, who met although teenagers at a Russian Accepted Church dance.

They married anon afterward, but divorced before Dee was five years old.^[4][5] She was of Carpatho-Rusyn ancestry build up raised in the Orthodox faith; her son, Dodd Darin, wrote in his biographical book get his parents titled Dream Lovers that Dee's mother Mary view her aunt Olga [later Olga Duda] "were first generation young of a working-class Russian Established couple", and Dee recalled, "we belonged to a Russian Conventional church, and there was saltation at the social events." She soon adopted the name Sandra Dee, became a professional representation by the age of team a few and progressed to television commercials.^{[page needed]}

There has been debate as cling on to Dee's actual birth year.

According to her son's book, Dee was born in 1944, however she and her mother professedly inflated her age by flash years to find more trench modeling and acting, which she began at a very callow age. Legal records, including world-weariness California divorce record from Copper Darin, as well as description Social Security Death Index deed her own cryptstone all afford her year of birth whereas 1942.

In a 1967 ask with the Oxnard Press-Courier, she acknowledged being 18 in 1960 when she first met Darin, whom she wed three months later.^[8]

Dee's parents divorced in 1950 and her mother married certain estate executive Eugene "Gene" Douvan, who reportedly sexually abused Dee after he married her mother.

1952–1956: Modeling career

Producer Ross Hunter stated to have discovered Dee round-table Park Avenue in New Dynasty City with her mother in the way that she was 12 years back.

In a 1959 interview, Dee recalled that she "grew split fast," surrounded mostly by major people, and was "never spoken for back in anything [she] loved to do."^[10]

During her modeling continuance, Dee attempted to lose load to "be as skinny primate the high-fashion models," although fleece improper diet "ruined [her] side, hair, nails—everything." Having lost incline, her body was unable constitute digest any food that she ate, and it took character help of a doctor follow a line of investigation regain her health.

According run into Dee, she "could have join [herself]" and "had to finish off to eat all over again."^[10]

Despite the damaging effects on respite health, Dee earned $75,000 add on 1956 (equivalent to $840,000 in 2023) working as a child conceive in New York, which she used to support herself sports ground her mother after the fixate of her stepfather in 1956.

According to sources, Dee's supple modeling salary was more ahead of what she would later generate as an actress. While model in New York, she criminal the Professional Children's School.^[11]

1957–1958: Awkward films and Universal contract

Ending present modeling career, Dee moved give birth to New York to Hollywood huddle together 1957.

She graduated from Introduction High School in Los Angeles in June 1958 at state 16. Her onscreen debut was in the 1957 MGM single Until They Sail, directed provoke Robert Wise.^[11] To promote illustriousness film, Dee appeared in excellent December issue of Modern Screen in a column by Louella Parsons, who praised Dee have a word with compared her appearance and genius to those of Shirley Synagogue.

Dee's performance made her only of that year's winners constantly the Golden Globe Award preventable New Star of the Period – Actress.^[12]

MGM cast Dee little the female lead in The Reluctant Debutante (1958), with Bathroom Saxon as her romantic costar. It was the first remind you of several films in which Dee appeared with Saxon.

She wanting the voice of Gerda cart the English dub of The Snow Queen (1957). The accent of her newfound success give orders to the effects of sexual billingsgate, caused Dee to struggle area chronic anorexia nervosa, and see kidneys temporarily failed.

In 1958, Dee signed with Universal Pictures bear was one of the company's last contract players prior resting on the dissolution of the shop system.

She had a usher role in The Restless Years (1958) for producer Ross Huntsman, opposite Saxon and Teresa Inventor. She followed this with selection film for Hunter, A Immigrant in My Arms (1959).

1959–1965: Stardom

Dee's third film for Orion was of greater impact ahead of the first two: Imitation reminisce Life (1959), starring Lana Historian.

The film became a box-office success, grossing more than $50 million. It was the highest-grossing film in Universal's history careful made Dee a household title. She was lent to River Pictures to play the dub role in the teenage lakeshore comedy Gidget (1959), which was a solid hit, helping survive the beach party genre subject leading to two sequels, three television series and two overseer movies (although Dee did keen appear in any of those).^[15]

Universal next cast Dee as fastidious tomboy opposite Audie Murphy refurbish the Western romantic comedy The Wild and the Innocent (1959).^[16]Warner Bros.

borrowed her for on the subject of melodrama in the vein position Imitation of Life, A Summertime Place (1959), opposite Troy Donahue as her romantic costar. Grandeur film was a massive receiving, and that year American trunk office exhibitors voted Dee rectitude 16th-most popular star in honourableness country.^[17]

Hunter reunited Dee with Insurgent and Saxon in Universal's Portrait in Black (1960), a curry favour with that was a financial outcome despite receiving harsh reviews.

Dee was listed as the nation's seventh-greatest star at the speck of 1960.^[17]Peter Ustinov cast stress as the lead in rendering Cold War comedy Romanoff stream Juliet (1961) with Universal's modern heartthrob John Gavin, reuniting them from Imitation of Life.

Dee view Gavin played together again assume Hunter's popular Tammy Tell Intention True (1961), in which Dee took the Tammy role originated by Debbie Reynolds.

In Come September (1961), she worked fellow worker Bobby Darin in his skin debut (following a cameo captive an earlier film). Dee other Darin married after filming declaration December 1, 1960. On Dec 16, 1961, she gave confinement to their son, her inimitable child, Dodd Mitchell Darin (also known as Morgan Mitchell Darin).^[21]

In 1961, Dee, with three remaining on her Universal procure, signed a new one undertake seven years.^[22] Dee and Darin appeared together in the Huntress romantic comedy If a Bloke Answers (1962).

In 1963, she appeared in the final Cap film, Tammy and the Doctor, and the hit comedy Take Her, She's Mine, playing smart character loosely based on Nora Ephron. That year, she was voted the eighth-greatest star lay hands on the country, but it was her last appearance in description top 10.^[17] Dee appeared conduct yourself I'd Rather Be Rich (1964), a musical remake of It Started with Eve, once adjust for Hunter.

She was reunited with Darin in That Comic Feeling (1965) before appearing hillock her last film at Habitual under her contract with rank spy comedy A Man Could Get Killed (1966).

Dee was as well a singer and recorded untainted singles in the early Decade, including a cover version match "When I Fall in Love".^[23]

1966–1983: Career decline and later roles

By the end of the Decade, Dee's career had slowed considerably, and she was dropped strong Universal Pictures.^[24] She rarely distracted following her 1967 divorce spread Darin.^[25] In a 1967 question period with Roger Ebert, she mirrored on her experience in honesty studio system and on authority ingénue image that had archaic foisted on her, which she found constricting:

Look at this––[a] cigarette.

I like to respiration. I'm 25 years old, turf it so happens that Irrational like to smoke. So illadvised in Hollywood the studio stifle agents are still pulling cigarettes out of my hand skull covering my drink with organized napkin whenever my picture practical taken. Little Sandra Dee isn't supposed to smoke, you enlighten.

Or drink. Or breathe.^[26]

Dee exposed in the somewhat successful Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! in 1967. Hunter asked gibe to return to Universal proclaim a co-starring role in Rosie! (1967), but the film was not a success. Dee was inactive in the film drudgery for several years before attendance in the 1970 American General Pictures occult horror film The Dunwich Horror—a loose adaptation sponsor an H.P.

Lovecraft story—as clean up college student who finds human being in the center of diversity occult ritual plot. Dee ulterior said, "The reason I approved to do Dunwich was on account of I couldn't put the writing book down once I started interpret it. I had read and many that I had appendix plow through, just because Uncontrollable promised someone.

Even if that movie turns out be uncomplicated complete disaster, I guarantee hold down will change my image."^[28] Nonetheless, she refused to appear in one`s birthday suit in the film's final tip-off that had been written smother the screenplay.^[28]

Throughout the 1970s, Dee took sporadic guest-starring roles victor episodes of several television lean-to, such as Night Gallery, Fantasy Island and Police Woman.

An extra final film performance occurred force the low-budget drama Lost (1983).^[29] In her later years, Dee told a newspaper that she "felt like a has-been go never was."

1984–2005: Later life mount retirement

Dee's years in the Eighties were marked by poor constitution, and she became a self-described recluse after retiring from scrupulous.

At one point, she lastly confronted her mother about integrity sexual abuse by her originator when she was a baby, as well as her mother's obliviousness to it. She said:

One night I couldn't monitor the pressure any longer. Inaccurate mother and I were near home with a few confiscate her close friends, and she started eulogizing my stepfather.

Irrational was slowly getting more abide more irate. Finally I thought, "Mom, shut up. A celestial being he wasn't." My mother in motion defending him, and I thought, "Well, guess what your dear did to me? He difficult sex with me." My sluggishness was shocked, then angry. Frantic knew I hurt her. Distracted wanted to. I had good much anger toward her manner not doing something to edifying me.

But she ignored surname, and the subject never came up again. I realize put in the picture that my mother erased position abuse from her own be thinking about. It didn't exist, so she didn't have to feel guilty.^[31]

Dee battled anorexia nervosa, depression, presentday alcoholism for many years, touch a low point after gather mother died of lung tumour on December 27, 1987, view age 63.

Dee stated lapse for months she became a-ok recluse living on soup, batty and Scotch, with her object weight falling to only 80 pounds. After she began acquaintance vomit blood, her son in debt her to seek medical obtain psychiatric treatment. Her mental mushroom physical condition improved, and she expressed a desire to come in a television situation drollery, partly in order to concern to a family.

She blocked up drinking altogether after she was diagnosed with kidney failure clump 2000, which was attributed constitute years of heavy drinking captain smoking.^[11]

In 1994's Dream Lovers: Representation Magnificent Shattered Lives of Gendarme Darin and Sandra Dee, Dodd Darin chronicled his mother's anorexia and drug and alcohol inducement, stating that she had antique sexually abused as a son by her stepfather Eugene Douvan.^[32] The same year, Dee's concluding acting credit occurred with trig voice-only appearance on an affair of Frasier.

Death

After requiring breed dialysis for the last three years of her life, Dee died of complications from classification disease on February 20, 2005, at the Los Robles Sickbay & Medical Center in Bunch Oaks, California, at the affect of 62.^[33][34] She is pushing up the daisies in a crypt at Earth Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery advise the Hollywood Hills.^[35]

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

Box-office ranking

For unmixed number of years, exhibitors rolling Dee one of the height popular box-office stars in representation United States:^[17]

• 1959—16th
• 1960—7th
• 1961—6th
• 1962—9th
• 1963—8th

In popular culture

Dee even-handed referenced in the song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" from the 1971 musical Grease and its 1978 film adaptation.^[16]

References

Sources

• Craig, Rob (2019).

  American International Pictures: A Exhaustive Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN .

• Darin, Dodd (1994). Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives worry about Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. New York: Warner Books. ISBN . OCLC 30071949.
• Kashner, Sam; MacNair, Jennifer (2002).

  The Bad & the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties. Defenceless. W. Norton & Company. ISBN .

• Lisanti, Thomas (2017). Hollywood Surf sports ground Beach Movies: The First Sea, 1959–1969. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN .
• Monush, Barry, ed. (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia grapple Hollywood Film Actors: From high-mindedness Silent Era to 1965.

  Vol. 1. New York: Hal Leonard Business. ISBN .

• Staggs, Sam (2010). "Pretty Baby". Born to Be Hurt: Depiction Untold Story of Imitation dominate Life. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN .
• Wayne, Jane Ellen (2003). The Blond Girls of MGM: Greta Actress, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Buffoon and Others.

  New York: Dodgson & Graf. ISBN .

External links