Dolores Michaels

Dolores Michaels
Born	Dolores Rae Michaels January 30, 1933(1933-01-30) Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Died	September 25, 2001(2001-09-25) (aged 68) West Hollywood, California, USA
Other names	Sparky
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1953–1963
Spouse	Maurice Martiné (1953-1959; divorced) Bernard Wolfe (1961-1969; divorced) 2 children

Dolores Rae Michaels (30 January 1933 - 25 September 2001) was an American actress.

Biography

She was born in Kansas City, Missouri,^[1] to Esther Marie "Essie" (née Holcomb; 9 August 1899-30 September 1984-^[2]) and Raymond Roscoe "Ray" Michaels (7 October 1898-15 April 1959-^[3]).

Her father was at one-time a professional baseball player who spent time as a catcher in the Chicago Cubs organization.^[4] He then went into the food brokerage business.^[5]

Michaels had the same birthday as Franklin D. Roosevelt, and before her third birthday her father sent the president a birthday card informing him of the connection. President Roosevelt replied with a message back to Dolores sending her "best wishes" on her birthday.^[6]

Studied ballet from the age of five, and as a teenager went to New York City to study dance and drama.^[1][7]

Attended Bishop Hogan High School in Kansas City, Missouri. Her older sister, Gloria J. Michaels had gone to New York City to dance on Broadway. Gloria joined the traveling cast of Brigadoon, and when the show came to do the performance in Kansas City they ask a 16-year old Dolores to join them.^[8]

She moved to Laguna Beach, California after marrying interior decorator Maurice Martiné in Laguna Beach on the rocks over looking the Pacific Ocean in 1953.^[9] Michaels moved out of their home and they separated in January 1958, moving into to a house with her older sister, Gloria, in Los Angeles.^[10] In January 1959, she filed for divorce, citing cruelty.^[11] At the divorce hearing she testified that Martiné had moved them into an expensive unfinished house, without heat or water, and that he expected her to bath in the ocean, something she didn't want to do because she was constantly catching a cold. The divorce was final on September 29, 1959.^[12] During her separation and after the divorce, she dated actor John Duke.^[13]

Michales was discovered when she was doing a scene in an acting class at 20th Century-Fox's talent school. A group of producers and directors were in the audience, and after the scenes were finished, the audience voted on who gave the best performance. She won and got a contract with 20th Century-Fox.^[14]

Joanne Woodward was supposed to have the part of "Mildred Pritchard" in The Wayward Bus (1957), but Woodward dropped out to star in The Three Faces of Eve, and the part went to Michaels at the last minute, her first acting role.^[14] United Press International said in a review of the film that Michaels' "torrid" scene, a seduction scene in a hayloft where she makes a pass at the bus driver (Rick Jason), "manages to steal the sexist scene in the picture," over better known sirens as Jayne Mansfield and Joan Collins. And also said that Hollywood had not had a scene like this since Jane Russell in The Outlaw. Director Victor Vicas shot the scene twice, an "A" scene and a "B" scene because of the censors.^[15]

Her publicist released a biography that stated she had attended the University of Kansas for one year and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. But, people, trying to remember if they knew her, at both the university and the sorority could find no record of her at either entity. The fact was that she had enrolled at the university in the fall of 1951 and was "rushed" by the sorority, but she only stayed at the school a few weeks and then dropped out, and she did not join the sorority. He publicist had fabricated her biography to enhance it.^[16]

Early in her Hollywood career she struggled with her weight, as she was a compulsive eater. After trying all kinds of diets, she realized that the problem was "mental." While a ballet dancer in New York City, her weight reached 152 pounds, this on a five-foot-five-inch frame. By the time she signed her contract with 20th Century-Fox, though, she weighed 135 pounds. She developed work-related anxiety; she would lose weight when she was not working, but once she got a role, she would start eating again, at times eating a two-pound box of chocolates in a single sitting. Michaels would eat fruit and cottage cheese all day and then raid the refrigerator at midnight, sometimes not even remembering that she had until she opened the refrigerator the next morning. The turning point came after the death of her father (he died April 15, 1959-^[17]); he was the one who had pushed her in her career, and without him, she felt lost. She went into psychological analysis and learned that she needed to "respect" her job. Michaels went down to 115 pounds and her career took off. She told Associated Press Hollywood reporter Bob Thomas: "I'm convinced that most weight problems stem from mental causes. But most people who lose weight on diets gain it back because they don't know the reasons why they crave food. Generally it is because of some frustration in their lives."^[18][19] Her psychologist told her to act and not dance ballet.^[4]

Michaels wanted to be taken seriously as an actor and not be treated as a sex symbol. When one reporter asked her for her measurements, she responded, "You can go to the wardrobe department and find out." She also said that she had never been asked to go to the studio photo gallery, stating, "That's part of the old Hollywood glamor nonsense. Also, it's in bad taste. I'm not a sexpot, I'm an actress".^[20] Later she told Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson: "I favor the truly sensual photograph over the coyly teasing garter shots. I'd even rather be posed artistically nude than photographed giggling from behind a Venetian blind. I have never objected to posing. It's just that I wanted to build a career as an actress first".^[21]

After John Duke, she started dating Argentine actor Alejandro Rey, whom she met on the set of Battle at Bloody Beach.^[22] She then started dating Novelist-screenwriter Bernard Wolfe (1915-1985), who proposed to her in 1962, but she sent the engagement ring back to him with a note that read, "I don't wanna".^[23] Michaels and Wolfe married in Los Angeles on June 1, 1964.^[24] The marriage was her second and his first. He was 48 and she was 31. The couple divorced in October 1969.^[25]

She and Wolfe had twin daughters, Jordan M. and Miranda I., born in Los Angeles on July 23, 1970.

Dolores Michaels Wolfe died at the age of 68 in West Hollywood, California, of natural causes on September 25, 2001.^[1]

Filmography

• The French Line (1953) (uncredited) as Model
• Son of Sinbad (1955) (uncredited) as Harem Girl
• Science Fiction Theatre as Desk Clerk (1 episode, 1956)
• The Wayward Bus (1957) as Mildred Pritchard
• Time Limit (1957) as Cpl. Jean Evans
• April Love (1957) as Fran Templeton
• Fräulein (1958) as Lori the piano player
• The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) as May Matthewson
• Warlock (1959) as Jessie Marlow
• Five Gates to Hell (1959) as Athena
• One Foot in Hell (1960) as Julie Reynolds
• Battle at Bloody Beach (1961) as Ruth Benson
• Bus Stop as Louise Willis (1 episode, 1961)
• Laramie as Nona (1 episode, 1962)
• Perry Mason as Jo Sands (1 episode, 1962)
• Route 66 as Medith (1 episode, 1962)
• The Lloyd Bridges Show as Carol Wade (1 episode, 1963)

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Lentz, Harris M. (2002), Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2001, McFarland, p. 207, ISBN 978-0786412785 
2. ^ Michaels, Esther Marie. - California Death Records. - SSN: 496-32-4512. - California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research. - Vital Statistics Section.
3. ^ Michaels, Raymond Roscoe. - California Death Records. - SSN: 495-09-4409. - California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research. - Vital Statistics Section.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Meet Miss Michaels", Toledo Blade: 20, May 19, 1959 
5. ^ Hopper, Hedda (June 12, 1960), "She Dieted Her Own Way To Hollywood Stardom‎", Hartford Courant: 12H 
6. ^ "Girl's Birthday, Too", The Circleville Herald (United Press International): 1, January 30, 1936 
7. ^ Motion Picture, 47, Macfadden-Bartell, 1957, p. 98 
8. ^ Hopper, Hedda (July 14, 1957‎), "She Sold Hollywood", Chicago Tribune: F16 
9. ^ "On The Rocks", The Florence Times: Section 3-Page 5, June 28, 1959‎ 
10. ^ Parsons, Louella (February 9, 1958), "Sal to Play Krupa", Milwaukee Sentinel (International News Service): 6 
11. ^ "Actress Seeks Divorce", The Paris News (Associated Press): 5, January 18, 1959 
12. ^ "Dolores Objects To Ocean Bathing", Meriden Record, September 30, 1959 
13. ^ Carroll, Harrison (October 25, 1958), "Behind The Scenes In Hollywood", ‎Warsaw Times-Union: 6 
14. ^ ^{a b} Elliott, Harry (April 15, 1959), "Sparky Of Hollywood Breaks Ice At Visit", Lawrence Journal-World: 1,2 
15. ^ "Young Actress Scores In Torrid Film Scene", Sarasota Herald-Tribune (United Press International): 24, March 22, 1957 
16. ^ "Great Film Mystery Finally Solved Here", Lawrence Journal-World: 1, April 14, 1959 
17. ^ "Miss Michaels' Father Dies", Lawrence Journal-World: 1, April 16, 1959 
18. ^ Thomas, Bob (April 7, 1960), "Blonde Newcomer Had Weight Problems", Toledo Blade (Associated Press): 1 
19. ^ Lane, Lydia (December 3, 1957), "Compulsive Eating Discussed by Star", The Paris News: 2 
20. ^ Hyams, Joe (October 6, 1957), "Hollywood Stars A New Style Of Beauty", This Week: 31 
21. ^ Johnson, Erskine (March 31, 1960), "Actress Ready For Cheesecake", The Gastonia Gazette (Newspaper Enterprise Association): 15 
22. ^ Winchell, Walter (July 14, 1961), "Broadway Beat", Sarasota Journal: 16 
23. ^ "Lawford Seeking Role in Bob Kennedy Film", The Capital Times: 4, January 2, 1962 
24. ^ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985. - California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research. - Vital Statistics Section.
25. ^ California Divorce Index, 1966-1984. - California Department of Health Services Office of Health Information and Research. - Vital Statistics Section.

External links

• Dolores Michaels at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Michaels, Dolores
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 30, 1933
Place of birth	Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Date of death	September 25, 2001
Place of death	West Hollywood, California, USA