Monday 27 September 2010

hall of dames #20 - yvette mimieux




of French and Mexican heritage, the stunningly beautiful Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California on January 8, 1942 (same birthday as Elvis - just so you know). she caught my eye many years ago when i first saw the 1960 spring break film Where the Boys Are, the stellar cast of which includes Dolores Hart, singer Connie Francis, the man with the tan - George Hamilton, and Timothy Hutton's dad, Jim Hutton, of whom Timothy is the spitting image. if you haven't seen this film, do yourself a favour and rent it, 'cause it's awesome. i'm sure you'll find, as i did, that miss Mimieux is a bit of a show stealer.





Yvette played the part of 'Weena' in the film version of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine, and had notable performances in The Light in the Piazza (1962) with Olivia de Havilland, Diamond Head (1962) and Toys in the Attic(1963). unfortunately, most of the films Mimieux would appear in after 1963 were both critical and commercial failures. she did, however, enjoy a small comeback in 1976 with Jackson County Jail, a now popular cult film about a woman falsely imprisoned who is brutalised by a sadistic prison guard.






Yvette, who retired from acting in 1992, is also an anthropologist and real estate investor. she lives with her second husband, Howard Ruby, whom she married in 1986. Mimieux's first husband was film director Stanley Donen. the two were married for thirteen years, from 1972-1985.