Jeanne Carmen
Carmen inPortland Exposé (1957)
Born	Agnes Laverne Carmen (1930-08-04)August 4, 1930 Paragould,Arkansas, U.S.
Died	December 20, 2007(2007-12-20) (aged 77) Irvine,California, U.S.
Resting place	Pacific View Memorial Park
Other names	Queen of the B-Movies Jeannie Carman Saba Dareaux Jeannie
Occupations	Actress Model Pin-up girl Trick-shot golfer
Years active	1946–2007
Spouse(s)	Sandy Scott ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1949)​ Ben Campo (1963–?)[1]
Children	Brandon James Melinda Belli Kellee Jade Campo
Website	The Official Jeanne Carmen web site

Agnes Laverne Carmen, also known asJeanne Carmen (August 4, 1930 – December 20, 2007) was an American model, actress, trick-shot golfer and B-movie actress known for her appearances in low-budget films during the 1950s and 1960s. She also gained fame as a touring trick-shot golfer.^[2] She was known for her platinum-blonde hair and hourglass figure, she was often dubbed the "Queen of the B-Movies". She was known for her friendships withFrank Sinatra,Elvis Presley, andMarilyn Monroe.^[1]

Carmen was born Agnes Laverne Carmon inParagould,Arkansas, on August 4, 1930 to Georgia Ellen Wright.^[2] Her family picked cotton for a living, and as a child, she also worked in the cotton fields. Unhappy with her home life, particularly disliking her stepfather, she ran away at age 13. At 16, she moved to New York City and, despite having no show business experience, secured a job as a dancer in the Broadway showBurlesque, which starred comedianBert Lahr. She later found work as a successful pin-up and "cheesecake" model for men's magazines, appearing alongside other models likeBettie Page in publications such asWink,Beauty Parade andTitter.^[1]

She was a trick-shot golfer, appearing with and managed by Jack Redmond. She also performed for PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower during this period. She toured country clubs and county fairs with Redmond and her then husband Sandy Scott. In her 20s, while on tour and traveling toFlorida, she metJohnny Rosselli, theChicago Outfit's liaison in Los Angeles, who drove her, without her husband, to Las Vegas. The pair, now intimate, stayed at theDesert Inn, where they scammed rich victims who bet unsuccessfully against her winning games on the casino's golf course. Rosselli introduced her toFrank Sinatra, who took her from Las Vegas to Hollywood.^[1][3][4][5]

Frank Sinatra encouraged her move toHollywood, where she shifted her focus to acting. Her striking looks quickly landed her roles in numerous low-budget "B" movies, earning her the nickname "Queen of the B-Movies". Her roles often cast her as a femme fatale and spirited character.^[2]

In Hollywood, she appeared inB-movies such asGuns Don't Argue andThe Monster of Piedras Blancas. She played both brassy platinum-blondes and (with her natural dark hair) sultry Spanish women.^[6] Carmen's good looks, hourglass figure, and green eyes quickly landed her on the big screen in 1956 playing a feisty Spanish senorita named Serelda in the filmThe Three Outlaws, a Western based on the same events as the laterButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and co-starringNeville Brand andAlan Hale, Jr as Butch and Sundance. She was cast by producer/directorHoward W. Koch as an Indian girl inWar Drums withLex Barker ofTarzan fame. Koch took a liking to Carmen and cast her inUntamed Youth (1957), his next film for Warner Bros, co-starringRockabilly legendEddie Cochran, which inspired Cochran to cover the song "Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie" for her.^[7][8]

Carmen also appeared as a femme fatale inPortland Exposé withFrank Gorshin.^[7] She also appeared in theThree Stooges shortA Merry Mix Up, playingJoe Besser's girlfriend Mary. The short is notable for the Stooges playing three sets of identical triplets.^[9]

In 1998, Carmen was the subject of a TV episode titled "Jeanne Carmen: Queen of the B-Movies" on the seriesE! True Hollywood Story. The show stated that Carmen maintained a "dangerously close friendship withMarilyn Monroe andThe Kennedys" and that after the death of Monroe, Carmen was told to leave town byJohn Roselli who was working for Chicago Mob BossSam Giancana. Believing her life was in danger, she fled toScottsdale, Arizona, where she lived incognito for more than a decade. Carmen abandoned her platinum-blonde locks, had three children, and lived a quiet life, never mentioning her prior life in Hollywood.^[10]

Carmen re-emerged in the late 1980s and became a frequent interviewee for television documentaries and nostalgia conventions, often sharing anecdotes about the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her life was profiled in a 1998 episode of the E! True Hollywood Story. She made a final film appearance as Mrs. Lipschitz in the 2005 comedic horror filmThe Naked Monster, an homage to drive-in movies.^[1]

Carmen's last published interview was on November 21, 2007 bySX News, an Australian weekly gay and lesbian newspaper.^[11]

Carmen's personal life was the subject of many news and media particularly her affairs with high-profile celebrities includingFrank Sinatra,Elvis Presley,Clark Gable, andErrol Flynn. Jeanne's friendship withMarilyn Monroe.^[1]

In the 1950s, Jeanne datedConrad Hilton Jr. socialite, hotel heir, and businessman. He was the eldest son ofHilton Hotels founderConrad Hilton but they broke up due to his drinking, heroin addiction, and abusive behavior.^[12]

She was married twice. Her first marriage was to aspiring operatic singer Sandy Scott in 1948; they divorced a year later.^[2] In 1968, she married stockbroker Ben Campo, and the couple had three children: a son, Brandon James, and two daughters, Melinda Belli and Kellee Jade Campo. Carmen moved to Orange County, California, in 1978, where she resided for the rest of her life.^[2]

Carmen re-emerged into public life in the late 1980s. In 1998, her life story was featured on an episode of the E! True Hollywood Story. Her autobiography,Jeanne Carmen: My Wild, Wild Life as a New York Pin Up Queen,Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress, was published in 2006.^[2]

On December 20, 2007, aged 77, Jeanne Carmen died from lymphoma at her home inIrvine,California, where she had resided since 1978. She was survived by three children, Melinda, Kellee Jade, and Brandon, and three grandchildren.^[2]

At the time of Carmen's death, a biographical film of her life was in early stages of development, withChristina Aguilera,Scarlett Johansson, andKate Bosworth under consideration to play Carmen.^[13]

• Jeannecarmen.com Official Website
• Jeanne Carmen atIMDb
• Jeanne Carmen atFind a Grave

• Actresses from Arkansas
• Female models from Arkansas
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park
• Deaths from lymphoma in California
• People from Paragould, Arkansas
• Actresses from Irvine, California
• 1930 births
• 2007 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• Glamour models
• 21st-century American women
• American female models

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