Elegance and femininity are fitting descriptions for Arlene Dahl. She became one of the most beautiful actresses to grace the screen during the postwar period. Audiences were captivated by her breathtaking beauty, and the way she used to it to her advantage, progressing from claimer to character roles.
Of Norwegian extract, Miss Dahl was born in Minneapolis. Following high school, she joined a local drama group supporting herself with a variety of jobs. These included modeling for a number of department stores.
In Hollywood by 1946, she signed a brief contract with Warner Brothers, but she is best remembered for her work at MGM. The Bride Goes Wild (1948) was her first work at Metro. It was an odd but rather humorous tale of love, which starred Van Johnson and June Allyson.
Although her beauty captivated audiences, it ultimately limited her to claimer roles, and the mark she made at MGM was small. Some of her best films were: Reign of Terror (1949), Three Little Words (1950), Woman's World (1954/I), Slightly Scarlet (1956), and Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959).
Leaving films behind her in 1959, her typecasting would pay off financially as she became a beauty columnist and writer. She later established herself as a business woman, founding Arlene Dahl Enterprises which marketed lingerie and cosmetics.
She was married six times; her husbands included actors Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas. She is the mother of actor / action star Lorenzo Lamas, and actually made a guest appearance in his film Night of the Warrior (1991).
| Marc Rosen | (30 July 1984 - present) |
| Rounsevelle W. Schaum | (7 December 1969 - 1976) (divorced) 1 child |
| Alexis Lichine | (23 December 1964 - 1969) (divorced) |
| Chris Holmes | (15 October 1960 - 13 October 1964) (divorced) 1 child |
| Fernando Lamas | (25 June 1954 - 1960) (divorced) 1 child |
| Lex Barker | (16 April 1951 - 15 October 1952) (divorced) |
Mother of Lorenzo Lamas, Carole Holmes McCarthy and Rounsevelle Andreas "Sonny" Schaum
Rheingold Beer Girl of 1946.
Mother-in-law of Michelle Smith.
Mother-in-law of Kathleen Kinmont.
Grandmother of A.J. Lamas, Shayne Lamas and Paton Ashbrook.
Measurements: 35-22 1/2-35 (starlet 1950), 38-25-37 (as a self-proclaimed "Size 10" in 1976) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Her granddaughter Shayne Lamas was a contestant on 'The Bachelor: London Calling' and was chosen at the end by bachelor Matt Grant.
"I considered the years in Hollywood nothing but an interim. What I always wanted was to be was a musical comedy star."
With enthusiasm anything is possible.
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