She was trapped on the second floor of the home by heat and smoke and found next to the burning sofa. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. Darnell's hard-edged performance in the latter won her unanimous acclaim and the best reviews of her career. He was also expertly manipulative, casting her in good roles whenever she proved pleasant and agreeable. Darnells studio enlisted the help of the FBI to find the culprit, only to reveal a high schooler with too much time on their hands. [1]:65 Meanwhile, she was considered for the female lead in Swamp Water (1941), but Anne Baxter was later assigned the role. Darnell was watching Star Dust (1940) on television, on the night of the fire. 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. Although the film received only slightly favorable reviews, Darnell's performance was received positively, with one critic saying: "Despite her apparent youth, [Darnell] turns in an outstanding performance when playing with popular players. Darnell didnt particularly want to be a big star but she followed her mothers urging and made it happen. Linda C Darnell Linda . Darnell grew up very fast. Suddenly you were fired and no one would hire you at any figure remotely comparable to your previous salary. "[1]:55 By June 1940, shortly after completing Brigham Young, Darnell earned "a weekly salary larger than most bank officials."[14]. She went to Europe and starred in a few films that didnt do much for her career. Were they indeed terrifying? Absolutely. She tells reporters, My first seven years in Hollywood are a series of discouraging struggles for me. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Having recently cheated on him, this was a recipe for disaster. Jeanne prepared to jump down next. She enters Hollywood at the age of only 14. She took this to the extreme, ignoring her other children in favor of developing Lindas career in acting. January 9, 2023, 4:24 pm, by The coroners inquest that followed ruled that Lindas death was accidental and that the fire had started on or near the living room sofa due to careless smoking. Firefighters found her on the living room floor with burns covering 80 percent of her body. "[1]:41, Although only 15 at the time, Darnell posed as a 17-year-old and was listed as 19 years old by the studio. She fell into a spiraling depression and had to go to therapy in 1949. She never attended her high school graduationor university. Repulsive as this was, Zanucks move paid off, and the film became an instant success, catapulting Darnell to brand new heights. While her life tragically ended too early, the death of Linda Darnell is memorialized for her contributions to the film industry with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1631 Vine Street. She was trapped on the second floor of the home by heat and smoke, as the fire had started in the living room. Darnells mother, especially, wasnt any help when it came to alleviating the toxic state of their home. Your email address will not be published. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. In this video, well look at Linda Darnells rise to fame, some of her best films, and her tragic death. "[1]:20. Too frightened to make the two-story-high jump, Darnell decided to ascend the stairs and make a dash towards the door. She later consented to take on the glamor role, but she refused to bleach her hair for it. Riddled with uncertainty and insecurity, Darnell ended up making yet another rash decision. Lindas body was cremated according to her wishes. Although Darnell fought her way out of the dark, she didnt escape unscathed. In an interview, Darnell says, They say that such a violent change of type might ruin my career, but I insist on taking the chance., She went on to say, This is one picture on which I am setting many stores for the future. She went to California and when the studio found out how young she really was, she. [1]:82 Afterwards, the studio allowed her to be loaned out for the lead in Summer Storm. One of her maternal great-grandparents was Cherokee. She was 44 years old. After coming to grips with her mothers death, Lola came to realize Linda wouldnt have wanted to live with the disfigurement she would have had if she had recovered from the fire. The landowner of the New Mexico ranch refused to have Darnells ashes scattered on his land. Glenview, Illinois, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. But in his book Hollywood Beauty, biographer Ronald L. Davis wrote that there was no evidence that supported any of those stories. Her parents were not happily married, and she grew up as a shy and reserved girl in a house of domestic turmoil. When Darnell continued to reject his advances, he responded by standing in the way of her career. Yes, this was all incredibly grossbut somehow, it wasnt the worst part. Spokesmen said she suffered third degree burns over 85 to 90 per cent of her body. Im counting on my Russian girl to give me a new start.. In 1956, she made her TV debut in an episode of 'Celebrity Playhouse'. In 1940, Darnell starred alongside Tyrone Power again in Brigham Young, a film that owed its success largely to the two being a very popular on-screen pair. August 20, 2021, 4:36 pm, by Suddenly you dismiss and no one will hire you at any figure comparable to your previous salary. Ruba holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and minors in History and Global Narratives. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. But her new lease on life was tragically cut short. 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. Flames had seared her lungs, and her body had suffered first and second degree burns. Working in Hollywood was an education all on its own. She was all of 16 at the time and became the youngest leading lady in Hollywood history. [1]:72 At one point, she was set to elope with talent agent Vic Orsatti, only to report later that she was "concentrating on [her] career. The studio asked the FBI to protect the actress, and eventually a 17-year-old high school student was arrested for the crime. She thought Linda was the only one of her four children with any real potential as an actress. As expected, Hughes ended up breaking Darnells heart. She was 41 years old. [1]:55 Darnell and Power were cast together for the second time owing to the box office success of Day-Time Wife, and they became a highly publicized onscreen couple, which prompted Darryl F. Zanuck to add 18 more romantic scenes to Brigham Young. [1]:146, Darnell was married to pilot Merle Roy Robertson from 1957 to 1963. But Darnells desirable youth wasnt going to last forever. When 20th Century-Fox offered her a part, Darnell wanted to accept, but RKO was unwilling to release her. [23] Darnell was disappointed in the film's reception; it did not gain her the recognition she desired. She takes to the burn unit at Chicagos Cook County Hospital, suffering from burns to 80 percent of her body. In fact, publications dubbed her "the girl with the perfect face" for her Latin features as well as her dark hair and eyes. Her first film outside 20th Century-Fox was The Lady Pays Off for Universal-International (1951) after Douglas Sirk requested her for the lead role. 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. born monetta eloyse darnell in dallas, texas, on october 16, 1921; died from injuries sustained in a house fire in glenview, illinois, on april 10, 1965; third of five children of a postal clerk; attended public schools in dallas; attended central high school in los angeles and had studio tutoring; married peverell marley (a cinematographer), on Zanuck. Her parent's marriage was not happy and she grew up shy and reserved amongst a lot of domestic turmoil. We will learn how her final wishes cant meet in spite of her familys best efforts. She was reported "still in critical. [3] Loretta Young was originally assigned to play the role, but she demanded a salary which the studio would not give her. Linda Darnell, the woman called "almost too beautiful," left behind an estate of only $10,000, which went to her sixteen-year-old girl. She was the middle child of four siblings. She works long hours during the filming of the movie and heavy dieting that leads to exhaustion and serious illness. Theater". Doctors did everything they could to save Darnell but unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries 33 hours after the fire. In 1940, Darnell rose to fame by appearing in her first big-budget film Brigham Young (1940). Her next film was a Western, Two Flags West (1950). "Actress Linda Darnell Granted Divorce From 'Rude' Husband", "Perfect Beauty Made This Girl, 16, A Star in Her Second Movie", "The Big Idea Behind MY DARLING CLEMENTINE", "KRAMER IS SEEKING BRANDO FOR MOVIE; Producer Would Have Actor Star in 'Frenzy' -- Brooklyn Girl Signs for U.-I. While it's true that Curtis and her daughter managed to get out of the fire, some of have stated that Darnell had evaded the house fire, only to go back inside to rescue her friend's daughter, who she thought was still in the house. Mankiewicz was also married at that time to Austrian actress Rose Stradner, but that didnt seem to pose an issue for him, or for Darnell. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Death of Keenan Anderson Anderson Location Venice, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Coordinates Date January 3, 2023 c. 3:35 p.m. (arrest) c. 8:00 p.m. (death) (PT) Deaths 1 Coroners Los Angeles County Coroner Keenan Anderson was an African American man who suffered cardiac arrest and died on January 3, 2023, around 4.5 hours after he was restrained by and tasered five times by Los Angeles Police . Finally, in 1975, her daughter Lola asked that they be interred at the Union Hill Cemetary in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. [1]:121 She was even less enthusiastic about her next film, The 13th Letter (1951), which reunited her with Preminger, and she only took the role because it was an unglamorous one. [4] She did not have a lot in common with her peers and usually spent her time at home as a teen, working under the guidance of her mother. Distinguished by her brunette hair and dark brown eyes, she is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women ever to appear on the silver screen. [1]:107 In mid 1948, she became romantically involved with Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the director of A Letter to Three Wives, and in July 1948 she filed for divorce. 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