RHONDA FLEMING BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Rhonda Fleming was born on August 10th, 1923 in Hollywood, California with the birth name Marilyn Louis. She attended school at Beverly Hills Public as well as private schools. Her mother was a famous Swedish blonde model in New York and her father was a non-professional insurance man. Her parents divorced when Rhonda was ten. She was "discovered" by talent agent Henry Willson while a student at Beverly Hills High. was trained in voice by an aunt and entered singing contests.
She graduated from High School in 1941 and then began working as a film actress. She appeared in a couple films with unaccredited roles before she got her big break on the film, "Spellbound" (1945) starring Alongside Gregory Peck, Ingrid Bergman and Leo G. Carroll. This role was followed by a number of supporting roles in films such as, "The Spiral Staircase" (1946) starring Dorothy McGuire, Ethel Barrymore and George Brent, "Abilene Town" (1946) starring with Randolph Scott, Ann Dvorak, Edgar Buchanan and Lloyd Bridges, "Out of the Past" (1947) co-starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas and then her first leading role was in, "Adventure Island" (1947) starring Rory Calhoun.
Fleming's first Technicolor film role was on, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949) starring with Bing Crosby, Cedric Hardwicke and William Bendix, which was a musical based around the story of Mark Twain. Along with being a talented actress, she had a beautiful singing voice and was able to share that with the public viewers on the television show on NBC's, "Colgate Comedy Hour" (1951).
Fleming's career continued with a role on, "Serpent of the Nile" (1953) co-starring William Lundigan and Raymond Burr, portraying Cleopatra. Throughout her career she appeared in over 40 films. She was also very beautiful and viewers adored her.
Among some of her co stars over her years as an actress were, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Rock Hudson. Fleming also worked in Las Vegas at the opening of the Tropicana Hotel showroom.
Her beautiful voice was paired with Jane Russell, Connie Haines and Beryl Davis for a traveling gospel quartet called, "The Four Girls" who together made an album called, "Making a Joyful Noise" which sold over a million copies. She also recorded an album in 1958 for Columbia Records.
Along with a successful film and music career, she also worked in television making numerous guest appearances on such shows as, "Wagon Train" (1957), "The Love Boat" (1977), "The Red Skelton Show" (1961-1963), "The Dick Powell Show" (1961), "Police Woman"(1974), "Ellery Queen" (1975), "Burke's Law" (1963-1964), "Last Hours Before Morning" (1975) and "Waiting for the Wind" (1990) working with Robert Mitchum.
Rhonda Fleming currently resides in Century City, California and is a member and supporter of Childhelp USA, ARCS, which stands for Achievement Rewards for College Scientists. She is also a Lifetime Member of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and a Founding Member of the French Foundation For Alzheimer Research, a Benefactor of the Los Angeles Music Center, and a Member of the Center's Blue Ribbon Board of Directors. She is a Member of the Advisory Board of Olive Crest Treatment Centers for Abused Children and serves as a Board of Directors Trustee of World Opportunities International.
Along with her husband in 1991, they established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic for Women's Comprehensive care at UCLA Medical Center. Fleming was nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because her fair complexion and flaming red hair photographed exceptionally well in Technicolor
Throughout her lifetime Fleming was married a total of six times. First she married Thomas Lane but they divorced in 1948 having only one child together. She then married Dr. Lew Morrell on July 11th, 1952 through 1958. Marriage number three was to actor Lang Jeffries from April 3rd, 1960 to January 11th, 1962. Fleming then decided to marry for a fourth time to Hall Bartlett on March 27th, 1966 through 1972. Her fifth marriage was to Ted Mann from March 11th, 1978 through January 15th, 2001 when he passed away. Fleming's final marriage was to Darol Wayne Carlson from 2003 till present.
Fleming has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry. To this day, she continues to be involved in her charity work especially focusing on the field of cancer care.
Filmography
1990 Waiting for the Wind
1980 The Nude Bomb
1979 Love for Rent
1978 The Love Boat
1976 Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
1975 Ellery Queen
1975 Last Hours Before Morning
1975 Kung Fu
1974 Police Woman
1974 McMillan & Wife
1973 Needles and Pins
1973 Search
1965 Run for Your Wife
1965 The Virginian
1963-1964 Burke's Law
1964 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1964 Pão de Açúcar
1958-1963 Wagon Train
1961-1963 The Red Skelton Hour
1962 Death Valley Days
1962 Follow the Sun
1961 The Dick Powell Theatre
1961 The Investigators
1961 Hong Kong
1960 La rivolta degli schiavi
1960 The Crowded Sky
1959 The Big Circus
1959 Alias Jesse James
1958 Home Before Dark
1958 Bullwhip
1957 Gun Glory
1957 The Buster Keaton Story
1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
1956 Odongo
1956 While the City Sleeps
1956 The Killer Is Loose
1956 Slightly Scarlet
1955 The Ford Television Theatre
1955 Tennessee's Partner
1955 The Best of Broadway
1954 The Queen of Babylon
1954 Yankee Pasha
1954 Jivaro
1953 Those Redheads from Seattle
1953 Inferno
1953 Pony Express
1953 Serpent of the Nile
1953 Tropic Zone
1952 The Golden Hawk
1952 Hong Kong
1951 Crosswinds
1951 Little Egypt
1951 The Last Outpost
1951 The Redhead and the Cowboy
1951 Cry Danger
1950 The Eagle and the Hawk
1949 The Great Lover
1949 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
1947 Out of the Past
1947 Adventure Island
1946 Abilene Town
1945 The Spiral Staircase
1945 Spellbound
1944 When Strangers Marry
1944 Since You Went Away
1943 In Old Oklahoma
