Diane Varsi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Varsi in 1958 | |
| Born | Diane Marie Antonia Varsi (1938-02-23)February 23, 1938 San Mateo, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 1992(1992-11-19) (aged 54) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Tamalpais Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Bennington College |
| Years active | 1957–1977 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
"The very thing that led me to want to act was very mysterious, even to me. I thought there was a whole communal feeling in film. That the idea of film was to be a service of humanity, a means of communication. But the spirit was power."
Diane Marie Antonia Varsi (February 23, 1938 – November 19, 1992) was an American film actress[2] best known for her performances inPeyton Place – her film debut, for which she was nominated for anAcademy Award – and thecult filmWild in the Streets. She left Hollywood to pursue personal and artistic aims, notably at Bennington College in Vermont, where she studied poetry with poet and translatorBen Belitt.
Varsi was born in San Mateo, California, a suburb of San Francisco, the daughter of Beatrice (née DeMerchant) and Russell Varsi.[3] Varsi unsuccessfully tried to become a model and a restaurant hostess in her teen years. While in high school, she was called an "oddball" by her classmates. She often was truant from school to visit San Francisco, so was labeled a "rebel".[4] She dropped out of school in her junior year at age 15, failing in all studies, and saying: "I was bored. I didn't like the social sides – the cliques."[5][6] Around the same time, she married an 18-year-old. Their marriage was annulled before her son Shawn was born.[6]
She joined the San Francisco ballet in the 1950s and initially planned to become afolk singer. She later hitchhiked to Los Angeles with a friend.[4]
Despite having only experience as an actress in a stage production ofGigi, she made her screen debut at age 18 asAllison MacKenzie inPeyton Place (1957), receiving anAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actress for her performance.[7] The following year, Varsi shared theGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress withSandra Dee andCarolyn Jones.[8] Several famous actresses were tested for the main role in the big-budget film, until the then-unknown Varsi was cast in May 1957. She was discovered by producerBuddy Adler, who immediately put her under contract at20th Century Fox.[9]
By the time she was cast, Varsi already had an agent and had been searching for film roles for a long while, without any luck.[9] She made rounds at several studios, but according to the actress, they all thought she was suitable for character parts only.[4] She was even dropped by her agent in 1956, because he saw no future in her career.[9]
BeforePeyton Place was released, Adler cast Varsi oppositeDon Murray inFrom Hell to Texas (1958). She appeared in the filmsTen North Frederick (1958) andCompulsion (1959). While filmingTen North Frederick, Varsi suffered a nervous breakdown, collapsed, and was hospitalized.[5] She later said: "I'm still trying to find myself. It's still hard for me to separate illusion from reality...I don't know whether acting is the form of creativity best for me."[1]
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Varsi rejected the role of Meg in the comedy filmHoliday for Lovers in January 1959.[10] On March 18, 1959, she suddenly left Hollywood, abandoning her contract. "I'm running away from destruction," she explained,[1] saying it concerned other people, as well.[11] A week later she elaborated, "Hollywood is too impressed with superficial cheapness."[12] Nevertheless, her contract with Fox did not expire until 1965.[1] Her sudden walkout was for a long time rumored to be a publicity stunt to promote the sequel toPeyton Place,Return to Peyton Place (1961), to which Varsi was attached.[13]
By walking out of her contract, Varsi's inclusion in plans for several films was cancelled, including a starring role inThe Best of Everything (1959).[14] After leaving Hollywood, Varsi participated in local San Francisco theater productions.[11] At some point thereafter, she made her way to New York long enough to successfully audition for theActors Studio, which she would attend at least briefly in 1965.[15] Varsi returned to film acting in the late 1960s, but by this time she was no longer offered major roles and subsequently referred to the movies she made in this period as "cheap films of little merit". Although producers were curious about her, she said, they would not hire her.[1] Her later films include the influential cult filmWild in the Streets (1968);[16]Johnny Got His Gun (1971),[17] which Varsi described as her favorite; and anABC Movie of the Week, titledThe People (1972).[18] In 1970, she was a supporting actress to Shelley Winters inBloody Mama; Robert DeNiro also appeared in the film as one of Ma Barker's sons. OfJohnny Got His Gun, the actress said: "This is the kind of thing I always wanted to do. It comes very late to me. It's been a long time to wait." She was apprehensive about playing the role, saying: "I felt too inadequate to do [Johnny Got His Gun]. It's so intense, the responsibility."[1]
While in Hollywood, Varsi was known for being unglamorous, wearing no makeup or expensive clothes. She avoided Hollywood parties and was quoted as saying: "I'd rather meetAldous Huxley thanClark Gable."[5] Her fellow Fox actors remembered her as "a frightened, birdlike girl who was bewildered by her sudden success" and as "disillusioned by the way certain studio officials treated her".[11] She datedRuss Tamblyn, her co-star inPeyton Place, following the film's release.[19]
From November 26, 1956, to August 29, 1958, Varsi was married to James Dickson, whom she made her manager while working as an actress.[6] She then married Michael Hausman on May 21, 1961; they had a daughter, Willo.[citation needed]
On November 19, 1992 in Los Angeles, Varsi died of respiratory failure at the age of 54.[20][21] She also suffered fromLyme disease.[20] She is buried atMount Tamalpais Cemetery inSan Rafael, California.[22][23]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957 | Peyton Place | Allison MacKenzie | |
| 1958 | Ten North Frederick | Ann Chapin | |
| From Hell to Texas | Juanita Bradley | alternative title:Man Hunt | |
| 1959 | Compulsion | Ruth Evans | |
| 1967 | Sweet Love Bitter | Della | alternative titles:Black Love, White Love It Won't Rub Off, Baby! |
| Roseanna | Mary Jane | ||
| 1968 | Wild in the Streets | Sally LeRoy | |
| Killers Three | Carol Warder | ||
| 1970 | Bloody Mama | Mona Gibson | |
| 1971 | Johnny Got His Gun | Fourth Nurse | |
| 1977 | I Never Promised You a Rose Garden | Sylvia | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Lurene Dawson | 1 episode |
| 1966 | Dr. Kildare | 2 episodes | |
| 1969 | My Friend Tony | 1 episode | |
| 1971 | Cannon | Mrs. Hill | 1 episode |
| 1972 | The People | Valancy Carmody | TV movie |
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Academy Award | Nominated | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Peyton Place |
| Golden Globe Award | Most Promising Newcomer - Female | - | ||
| Laurel Awards | Nominated | Top New Female Personality | - | |
| Top Female Supporting Performance | Peyton Place |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
