Yvette Mimieux

Yvette Mimieux Introduction

Yvette Carmen Mimieux (born January 8, 1942 (some sources state 1939) is a now-retired American movie and television actress. She was born in Los Angeles, California to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor.

Early life and career

Yvette was born in Los Angeles, California, Before her film career began, Mimieux was one of four finalists from a beauty contest picked by Elvis Presley (while he was filming "Jailhouse Rock") and invited to come to the set and compete for a bit role in the movie ("girl in bathing suit"). She and the other girls modeled their suits (and figures), but Mimieux wasn't picked. In 1960, she appeared in the teen movie Where the Boys Are as well as George Pal's 1960 film version of H.G. Wells's classic 1895 novel The Time Machine co-starring Rod Taylor, wherein she played the character "Weena." This was followed by The Light in the Piazza (1962) with Olivia de Havilland. In 1963, Mimieux appeared in Diamond Head and Toys in the Attic.

Many of the films in which Yvette appeared after 1963 were both critical and commercial failures. She appeared in a 1964 episode of Dr. Kildare entitled Tyger Tyger. She later appeared in numerous television series and made-for-television movies, one of which is The Legend of Valentino (1975), wherein she played Rudolph Valentino's second wife, Natacha Rambova. Of note, Yvette was originally cast to play the role of Carole in Disney's The Love Bug and is shown on the initial prototype poster art along with a white-striped red Herbie. Mimieux staged a brief comeback in the 1976 film Jackson County Jail, as a falsely imprisoned woman victimized by a sadistic guard. The film features a graphic rape scene. The movie eventually became a minor cult hit that spawned many imitators in the "women in prison" genre.

Later in 1979, Mimieux co-starred in the first PG-rated Walt Disney Productions feature, The Black Hole. In 1984, she starred in Obsessive Love, a television movie about a female stalker that she co-wrote and co-produced. Her last film was Lady Boss (1992). In one of her few forays into television, Yvette played Department store executive Shane Bradley on the short-lived drama Berrenger's. Her character was romantically linked with the heir to the Berrenger store empire, Paul Berrenger (Ben Murphy). She hasn't acted or appeared in films since the 1990s.

Personal life

Aside from her acting career, Yvette is also an anthropologist and a real estate investor. She was married to film director Stanley Donen from 1972 until their divorce in 1985. In 1986 Mimieux married Howard F. Ruby, chairman and founder of Oakwood Worldwide. She has no children.