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Linda Christian | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Christian,c. 1948 | |
| Born | Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer (1923-11-13)November 13, 1923 Tampico,Tamaulipas, Mexico |
| Died | July 22, 2011(2011-07-22) (aged 87) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Linda Christian Power, Linda Welter |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1943–1988 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Romina Power Taryn Power |
| Family | Ariadne Welter (sister) |
Linda Christian (bornBlanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer; November 13, 1923[1][2][3] – July 22, 2011[4]) was a Mexican film actress who appeared in Mexican and Hollywood films. Her career reached its peak in the 1940s and 1950s. She played Mara in the lastJohnny Weissmuller Tarzan filmTarzan and the Mermaids (1948).[5] She is also noted for being the firstBond girl, appearing in a 1954 television adaptation of theJames Bond novelCasino Royale.[6] In 1963, she starred as Eva Ashley in an episode ofThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour titled "An Out for Oscar".
Christian was born inTampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico, a daughter of Dutch engineer andRoyal Dutch Shell executive Gerardus Jacob Welter,[7][8] and his Mexican-born wife, the former Blanca Rosa Vorhauer, who was of Spanish, German and French descent.[9][10] The Welter family moved a great deal during Christian's youth, living everywhere from South America and Europe to the Middle East and Africa.[5] As a result of this nomadic lifestyle, Christian became an accomplished polyglot with the ability to speak fluent French, German, Dutch, Spanish, English, Italian and even a bit of haphazard Arabic and Russian.[5]
Christian had three younger siblings: a sister, actressAriadna Gloria Welter, and two brothers, Gerardus Jacob Welter and Edward Albert Welter.[11][12]
In her youth, Christian's only aspiration was to become a physician.[13] After she graduated from secondary school she had a fortuitous meeting with her screen idolErrol Flynn, who became her lover; he persuaded her to give up her hopes of joining the medical profession, move to Hollywood, and pursue an acting career.[13] Not long after arriving in Hollywood she was spotted byLouis B. Mayer's secretary at a fashion show in Beverly Hills. He offered, and she accepted, a seven-year contract with MGM.[14]
Her stage name was invented by Flynn, who gave her the surname of Fletcher Christian ofMutiny on the Bounty fame. Flynn had played Fletcher Christian in a 1933 Australian film.[15]
In his autobiographyMy Wicked, Wicked Ways,[16] Flynn states that immediately after Linda Christian's screen test, he offered to pay for her to have a couple of crooked teeth fixed. When he got a whopping bill, he discovered that she had taken the opportunity to undergo major cosmetic dentistry. Years later, when he met her again, he said, "Smile, baby – I want to see those choppers: they took their first bite out of me."
She made her film debut in the 1944 musical comedyUp in Arms, co-starringDanny Kaye andDinah Shore. This movie also happened to be Danny Kaye's own first film.[14] This film was followed byHoliday in Mexico (1946),Green Dolphin Street (1947), and what was perhaps her best-known film,Tarzan and the Mermaids[14] (1948). She was the subject of a well-known photograph published in the January 1, 1949 issue ofVogue.
Christian was the first Bond girl to appear on screen, playing Valerie Mathis (opposite Barry Nelson as James Bond) in the 1954 TV adaptation ofCasino Royale, beatingUrsula Andress to the screen by eight years.
In 2001, a Golden Palm Star on thePalm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[17]
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Christian's fame, however, was largely derived from being married to the popular screen idolTyrone Power[5] between 1949 and 1956, and then from being divorced from him. The couple married inRome, Italy, with Monsignor William A. Hemmick performing the ceremony atSanta Francesca Romana. Christian wore a formfitting gold-damask gown, and the church was decorated with two thousand "Esther" carnations.[18] She and Power were the parents of singerRomina Power and actressTaryn Power.[19] Romina was one half of the Italian singing duoAl Bano and Romina Power.
A month after she divorced Tyrone Power, Christian was seen with Spanish racing driverAlfonso de Portago, who was married to American Carroll de Portago (later Carroll Petrie). Carroll had recently given birth to "Fon's" second child Anthony. De Portago was dating modelDorian Leigh, mother of his recently born illegitimate son Kim. Linda was photographed with de Portago at the1957 Mille Miglia car race. The photo shows Christian leaning in to kiss Fon before he started the race, in which he would crash his Ferrari, killing himself, his navigator Ed Nelson, and nine spectators. The press labeled the photo "The Kiss of Death". De Portago was 28 years old. Her ex-husband, Tyrone Power, died the following year of a heart attack at the age of 44. Christian was later married to the Rome-based British actorEdmund Purdom.[4]
On several occasions, Christian and Power were offered the opportunity to work together, but for various reasons each offer was refused or rescinded.[19] The most notable opportunity to co-star together came in 1953, when they were offered leading roles inFrom Here to Eternity. Power did not want to do the film[19] and rejected the offer. The roles went toDonna Reed andMontgomery Clift.
Christian had a relationship withGlenn Ford in the early 1960s.[20]
Christian died on July 22, 2011, at the age of 87.[21]
Two items appear in this article's introductory paragraph which are not in the following list.
| New title | Bond girl actress 1954 | Succeeded by |
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