Yvonne Del Carlo had one of those faces you will never forget. Born Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922, in West Point Grey, British Columbia, Canada, to parents William Middleton and Marie De Carlo, the actress and multi-entertainer was of English descent from her father’s side and of Italian and Scottish ancestry from her mother’s side.
It’s been more than a decade since the actress passed away, but fans are still ransacking the internet about her career, affairs, cause of her death and all.
Yvonne Del Carlo: Bio and background
Yvonne Del Carlo started taking dancing lessons at the age of three when her father abandoned her mother. Marie Del Carlo (her mother) quickly enrolled her at Lord Roberts Elementary School, before she proceeded to King Edward High School.
Her mother and her Presbyterian maternal grandparents wanted the best for her so she was enrolled in the June Roper School of the Dance in Vancouver before she entered B.C. School of Dancing.
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Yvonne was such a good dancer that she earned performing slots in various night clubs and on stage during her teenage days.
Yvonne Del Carlo: Career and movies
Late Yvonne made her screen debut in 1941 in the comedy film “Harvard, Here I Come”. But this achievement wouldn’t have been possible if credits were not given to her mother who prepared her for the big stage.
Yvonne’s mother (Marie) took Yvonne to Los Angeles so that she could participate in several beauty pageants. And luckily for Yvonne, she was introduced to American showman Nils Granlund who employed her at the Florentine Gardens.
In January 1941, Nils offered Yvonne a sponsorship after she was arrested by the US immigration officials. Yvonne worked in the Florentine Gardens for just a year and returned to performing in night clubs as movie roles weren’t forthcoming anymore.
Yvonne became part of two projects “Hollywood Revels” and “Glamour over Hollywood” in 1941, and the 1942 three-minute Soundies musical “The Lamp of Memory”. She went on to perform for US servicemen during World War II.
In 1942, Paramount Pictures signed her as the backup for Dorothy Lamour and she featured in films such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (1943), “Let’s Face I” (1943), and “So Proudly We Hail!” (1943).
Her acting career began to take shape when she was loaned to Republic Pictures for the 1943 film “The Deerslayer”, in which she played the role of a young Native American woman named Wah-Tah.
She played the chief role in ‘Salome, Where She Danced’, a Technicolor production. The film achieved huge box office success not without critics venting their opinion.
Universal Pictures extended her contract and she landed roles in other films like “Frontier Gal” (1946), “Black Bart” (1948), “Casbah” (1948), “Criss Cross” (1949), “Calamity Jane and Sam Bass” (1949), “The Gal Who Took the West” (1950), and “Hotel Sahara (1951).
Yvonne signed a new contract with Universal Pictures in 1951 and acted films for other production companies. She featured in 1951 film “Silver City”, “Scarlet Angel” (1952) and “Sea Devils” (1953.
As a single, Yvonne flourished when she released her 1957 LP ‘Yvonne De Carlo Sings’. The tracks include “I Love a Man”, “Say Goodbye in 1950”, “Take It Or Leave It”, “Three Little Stars” (1955), “That’s Love”, and “The Secret of Love” in 1958.
Yvonne’s voice and dancing career helped her to thrive in theatre play too. She performed in Off-Broadway productions such as “Pal Joey” and “Catch Me If You Can”.
Her seven decades in Hollywood ended with the following firms “Black Fire” (1975), “The Munsters Revenge” (1981), “American Gothic” (1988), “The Naked Truth” (1992), and “Here Come the Munsters”(1995). Yvonne drew the curtains with Disney’s “The Barefoot Executive” (1995).
Yvonne Del Carlo: Husband
Yvonne was involved in a whirlwind romance during her prime and many men went to bed thinking about her beauty. Late Yvonne was linked to Howard Hughes and actor Robert Stack. Internet sources reveal that she briefly engaged actor Howard Duff before meeting stuntman Robert Drew “Bob” Morgan on the set of ‘Shotgun’ in 1955.
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When Morgan’s wife died, Yvonne started dating Morgan and the duo wedded on November 21, 1955, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada. The marriage was blessed with two sons, Bruce and Michael Morgan. The marriage ended in divorce in 1973 and in 1997, her second son Michael Morgan died.
Cause of Death
Yvonne Carlo suffered a minor stroke in 1998 and later she was moved to Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital located in Woodland Hills Los Angeles where she died on 8 January 2007 due to heart failure.
Image Source: LA Times
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