3. February 28, 2022, 7:19 pm, by Aside from her co-starring role opposite Richard Widmark, Stephen McNally and Sidney Poitier in the noir No Way Out (1950), directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, which she later called "the only good picture I ever made," her later films were rarely noteworthy, and her appearances were increasingly sporadic. The press reported that "Linda Darnell and Twentieth Century-Fox aren't on the best of terms at the moment. She explained, In pictures youre built up by everyoneeveryone says youre wonderful. Before traveling to Italy for a two-picture deal with Giuseppe Amato, Darnell was rushed into the production of Blackbeard the Pirate (1952), whichmuch to Darnell's distressgot far behind schedule. Shortly after its release, she was put on suspension for refusing a role in the film The Guy Who Came Back (1951) opposite Paul Douglas and Joan Bennett because it felt "too similar." She thought Linda was the only one of her four children with any real potential as an actress. No one expects to last forever in this business. The magic had faded, and just being young and pretty wasnt going to cut it anymore. When Darnell tried to leave her familys toxic drama behind, her mother decided to seek a brutal revenge. But who wants to be retired at twenty-nine? Her beauty and talent made her one of the top female stars at Twentieth Century-Fox. Most stunning and beautiful. You know that sooner or later the studios going to let you go. In 1975, Lola finally put her mother to rest, reliving her grief all over again. She took this to the extreme, ignoring her other children in favor of developing Lindas career in acting. Although she had to give up that role and work with Otto Preminger, she was delighted to play the title role and thought she was "the luckiest girl in Hollywood. Darnell expects to be in an Academy Award for her role in A Letter to Three Wives but it did not happen. She had moved to Pennsylvania and given birth to her own children and had Lindas ashes interred in the Adams family plot. Next, to Phillip Liebmann, a New York brewer, from 1954 to 1955. Today Darnell is not remembered as well as many of her less-talented contemporaries, but an examination of her career reveals a gifted beauty whose steamy noir persona made her a tragic, unforgettable entry in . In exchange for remaining his wife, Liebmann agreed to support the actress, who had passed her financial prime. Her mother had big plans for Linda Darnell, however. And on the other, she was becoming old news to the silver screen audience. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. [1]:117 She continued to meet with him occasionally until production of The Barefoot Contessa (1954) started. [1]:114. Because Darnell and Marley were unable to have children, they adopted a daughter in 1948, Charlotte Mildred "Lola" Marley (born January 5, 1948), the actress's only child. ", This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 02:19. Darnell was born in Dallas, Texas, as one of four children (excluding her mother's two children from an earlier marriage) to postal clerk Calvin Roy Darnell and the former Margaret "Pearl" Brown. This news initially excited Darnell because it permitted her to focus on her film career in Europe. In late 1940, Fox chose her for the main role in Song of the Islands (1942), a Hawaiian musical film which eventually starred Betty Grable. Not, only that, but her coveted figure started gaining weight. This disappointment caused Linda to take to the bottle in order to drink away her sorrows. The catch? Unfortunately, as recounted in TCM, Darnell fell victim to Hollywood's habit of neglecting its actresses who it believes no longer have the sex appeal they once had, no matter how talented they are, and in the 1950s offers started to dry up, a situation that wasn't helped by her growing alcohol abuse. [32][33][34], After her death, a man who said that he was Darnell's fianc identified her body. But despite the physical and mental toll her marriage took, Darnells career was about to take a sharp turn for the better. Monetta Eloyse Darnell, better known by her professional name Linda Darnel was a fashion model and actress. Linda D Darnell was born on March 1, 1949. [1]:69 Instead, she was cast in roles that she loathed, including the musical Orchestra Wives (1942). Before the death of Linda Darnell, she wanted her ashes to be scattered over a New Mexico ranch owned by the Hurd family but a dispute with the landowners caused problems. [1]:99, Darnell worked long hours at the studio during filming, and according to her older sister she started loathing Preminger, which did not ease production. Her interests include learning different languages, trying adventurous food recipes, watching anime and dramas, and belting songs in foreign languages that she (oftentimes) doesnt understand. 1970s San Francisco: Fascinating Vintage Photos Show Street Scenes And Everyday Life, Beautiful Denmark in 1966 Thorough Nostalgic Vintage Photos, Fabulous Photos Show Life in Manhattan From the late-1970s, Hilarious Cover Photos of Judge Magazine from the 1910s, Fascinating Vintage Photos Show Life In Odessa, Ukraine From The 1980s, Greater Manchester in the 1970s: Fascinating Vintage Photos Capturing Street Scenes and Famous Landmarks. Darnell's life came to a tragic end on April 10, 1965, as the result of burns from a fire. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. [1]:62 Starting at age 17, Darnell dated her publicity agent, Alan Gordon, whom she allegedly married in a double wedding with Lana Turner and Joseph Stephen Crane on July 17, 1942. View Source Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region Darnell might have been a studio actress at 15, but many producers still considered her too young for the sultry parts she auditioned for. [3] There was no certainty, though, and she soon returned to Dallas. Although little Darnell was a shy child in a big family, her mother Pearl became obsessed with turning her daughter into a movie star, and she was willing to do anything to make that happen. She also planned to adopt a boy within a few years, but nothing ever came of it. At 15 years old, the naive and vulnerable Darnell moved into a Hollywood apartment all by her lonesome to try to become a silver screen siren, just like so many other girls of her time. I thought in a little while Id get offers from other studios, but not many came along. She arrived in Italy in August 1952 and started filming Angels of Darkness (1954) in February of the next year. Linda C Darnell's bio. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big-budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel: Directed by Hillary Atkin. Memorialize Linda's life with photos and stories about her and the Darnell family history and genealogy. She never had to plod her way through the so-called "awkward phase" of her teen years because, well, she was never awkward. ", Although originally wanting to become an actress on the stage, Darnell was featured in a Gateway to Hollywood talent search and initially landed a contract at RKO Pictures. Repulsive as this was, Zanucks move paid off, and the film became an instant success, catapulting Darnell to brand new heights. She fell into a spiraling depression and had to go to therapy in 1949. Linda Darnell On April 10, 1965, Hollywood actress Linda Darnell died in a house fire. Remaining calm, Darnell told Jeanne to get Patty out first through a window on the second floor. Not long after adopting her daughter with Marley, Darnell fell for Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the director of her most critically acclaimed film, A Letter To Three Wives. Today, she is immortalized by an impressive range of films, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 1631 Vine Street. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). He was the second officer to die in the line of duty in 16 days, a tragedy that rocked a department that had gone nearly two . It was a transformative role for Darnell as, up until that point, she was mostly playing sweet and innocent characters, but "Summer Storm" saw her portray the sexy femme fatale that would typify most of the rest of her career in the 1940s. His theory was that she was so severely burned because rather than try to jump from the second-story window like her friends daughter had done, she tried to get out the front door. She went to California and when the studio found out how young she really was, she. [1]:19 In 1936, she entered the Dallas Little Theater and was cast in the southwestern premiere of Murder in the Cathedral. [1]:60 In 1940, Pearl accused her husband of having an incestuous relationship with Evelyn, one of her children, though he was not Evelyn's biological father. I'd had the fame and money every girl dreams aboutand the romance. She was 41 years old. The search for the actress to portray Amber, a beauty who uses men to make her fortune in 17th century England, was modeled on the extensive process that led to the casting of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. Ironically, she was watching Star Dust on TV at the time, a movie she had made in 1940 that had helped set her career in motion. If you want to get an update whenever we post new videos on the FactsVerse channel, like and subscribe below. [22] Regardless, she was surprised to find out that she had been cast, because she had been intensively rehearsing for Captain from Castile at the time. This is the story of her rather sad life and tragically early death. After The Lady Pays Off, Darnell headed the cast of Saturday Island (1952), which was filmed on location in Jamaica in late 1951. Linda Darnell was born on October 16, 1923 and died on April 10, 1965. The studio asked the FBI to protect the actress, and eventually a 17-year-old high school student was arrested for the crime. Let us know your favorite Linda Darnell film in the comments below! Mankiewicz, however, was unwilling to leave his wife for Darnell, and though the affair continued for six years, she returned to her husband. Were they indeed terrifying? Absolutely. She died on April 24, 2008 at age 59. In many of those films, she starred alongside Hollywood heartthrobs like Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda. Patty broke her leg from the fall, but she made it to safety. Facts Verse However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. Darnell gained some bad publicity thanks to her mother, but that wasnt the end of her troubles. However, they never expected this so-called punishment to backfire. Hassan [1]:6768 Instead, she contributed to the war effort, working for the Red Cross and selling war bonds. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. She had lost track of Darnell and insisted that the firefighters rescue Darnell before she was taken from the window ledge. The classic sitcom aired on ABC beginning in 1977 and wrapped up after an 8-season run in 1983. Brigham Young was reportedly 20th Century Foxs most expensive film when it was released. According to co-star Rosemary DeCamp, Darnell nevertheless was "very polite", and she was satisfied to work at a studio which did not treat her as a child. She is often described as the girl with the perfect face.. It was the only time that she had to live up to this part of her contract, although she was released from it in September 1952.[25]. [1]:73 In April 1943, she was put on suspension, which meant being replaced in the Technicolor musical film The Gang's All Here (1943). Due to her allergy to horses, she loathed making Westerns, and in addition to her complaints about her "colorless" role, she disliked her co-stars Joseph Cotten and Cornel Wilde. On April 10, 1965, Hollywood actress Linda Darnell died in a house fire. Liebmann attempted to save the marriage by adopting a baby named Alfreda, but the marriage ended nevertheless on grounds of incompatibility, and Liebmann kept the girl. Theater". "[1]:20. In the summer of 1940, Darnell began working on The Mark of Zorro (1940), in which she again co-starred as Power's sweetheart in a role for which Anne Baxter was previously considered. Although a well-loved figure on the 20th Century-Fox lot among the cast, crew, and lot workers, it was reported that Darnell made only one good friend in Hollywood, actress-singer Ann Miller, whom she met at a Catalina Island benefit. She was reported "still in critical. Facts Verse Linda Darnell was born Monetta Eloyse Darnell on October 16, 1923, in Dallas, Texas. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. Linda was 41 years old at the time of death. But if Zanuck was a toxic figure in Darnells life, her mother Pearl still had him beat. Darnell grew up very fast. I'd crammed thirty years into ten, and while it was exciting and I would do it over again, I still know I missed out on my girlhood, the fun, little things that now seem important. Life magazine even claimed she looked 22, not 16, and called her the most physically perfect girl in Hollywood.. [11] The film was hailed as one of the "most original entertainment idea[s] in years" and boosted Darnell's popularity, who was nicknamed "Hollywood's loveliest and most exciting star". Your email address will not be published. What made Rawhide [] More, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo may have been the main characters of the hit 1950s series I Love Lucy, but the show wouldnt have been nearly as successful without their landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The studio was unable to find Darnell suitable roles. The couple soon learned they were fundamentally incompatible. Just as the public lost interest in Darnell, Zanuck did too, and he stopped considering her for roles altogether. In a 1939 interview, she expressed her interest in starring opposite Power in Johnny Apollo (1940). [1]:84 The film became a great success, and with Darnell's triumph assured, she was allowed to abandon her upcoming film, Don Juan Quilligan (1945), which would have been another low point in her career. With Peter Graves, Dorris Bowdon, Undeen Darnell Hunter, Linda Darnell. Afterwards, she flew back to Rome to complete Angels of Darkness, in which she spoke Italian. Linda just doesn't have enough to dobut looks beautiful doing it. Touring with summer theater troupes, and taking supporting roles on TV shows. Died in a fire of unknown origin while visiting friends. Ruba holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and minors in History and Global Narratives. At the encouragement of her mother, she made her first film in 1939, and appeared in supporting roles in big budget films for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s. She started drinking heavily in 1957 and went to rehab. In April 1943, Darnell eloped with Peverell Marley, one of her cameramen, and nobodyleast of all her creepy Fox boss Zanuckwas happy about the marriage. Its success made Darnell into a high-profile actress, which meant she was making the big bucks. As per TCM, Darnell, born was pushed into show business at a young age by her ambitious mother, leading to her becoming a contract player at 20th Century Studios by the time she was only 15 years old. She died on August 30, 1970 at age 22. The next seven years arent going to be the same.. She was 44 years old. But just as things seemed to be looking up, Darnell deceived her husband once again. Darnell progressed from modeling as a child to acting in theater and film as an adolescent. Darnell had been asking for more challenging roles for a long time and with 1947s Forever Amber, the studio gave her just what she wanted. [7] She was later replaced because the studio felt her role was not important enough. "Linda Darnell Scores New Hit In 'Star Dust'". Had big plans for Linda Darnell: Hollywood & # x27 ; s Fallen Angel Directed... Role was not important enough for Linda Darnell: Hollywood & # x27 s... A boy within a few years, but nothing ever came of it stars! And subscribe below wife, Liebmann agreed to support the actress, who had passed her financial prime to., however her familys toxic drama behind, her mother Pearl still had him beat 3 There. A 1939 interview, she what did linda darnell die of to the silver screen audience as the public lost interest starring... 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