Dolores Faith
| Dolores Faith | |
|---|---|
 Faith in The Phantom Planet, 1961 | |
| Born |
Dolores Faith Hedges July 15, 1941 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died |
February 15, 1990 (aged 48) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1961–1972 |
| Known for | The Phantom Planet |
| Spouse(s) | James Robert Neal (m. 1972; div. 1977) |
Dolores Faith (July 15, 1941 – February 15, 1990) was an American actress, best known as the mute girl Zetha in the 1961 science fiction film The Phantom Planet. Her brief career came to an end when she married millionaire James Robert Neal.[1]
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Faith was of Hungarian-Italian descent.[1] She lost her hearing at age 4 from an accident but it later returned by age 8. A natural blonde, she died her hair black to better match her olive skin.[1]
She graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California in 1958. She was a member of the "Sock 'n' Buskin" Drama club. She began as a model and as a dance instructor, before acting.[1]
In 1959 she was given a screen test by Warner Bros. They chose not to hire her because of her resemblance to both Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. She became a Hollywood Deb Star in 1962, and was featured in Life magazine in 1963.[2][3]
Career
Faith is probably best remembered for three low-budget science fiction films: The Phantom Planet, The Human Duplicators, (in both of which she was carried off by Richard Kiel) and Mutiny in Outer Space.
She also appeared in dramas. In V.D., she was a young vixen who gets the Clap from the "hero", (who got it from a prostitute). In Wild Harvest, she plays the mistress of a ruthless, womanizing vineyard manager, played by Phantom Planet co-star Dean Fredericks, whom she sides against after getting fed up. She was also in a war drama, Shell Shock.
On television, she appeared in episodes of Ripcord, Have Gun - Will Travel, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a two-part episode released theatrically as One of Our Spies Is Missing.
Later life
Faith met Texas millionaire, and Maxwell House heir, James Robert Neal (1921-2006). The couple become a regular sight at various public events.[2]
In November, 1972, Faith married Neal in Las Vegas after a long courtship, and retired from acting.[4] They divorced in April, 1977.[2] Most sources state Dolores Faith died February 15, 1990, in Miami, Florida. However, author Tom Lisanti, in his book "Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles," reports that she was living in Florida as of 2006.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Summer of '63 (Short) | Kathy | (uncredited) |
| 1966 | That Tennessee Beat | Belle Scofield | |
| 1966 | One of Our Spies Is Missing | Lorelei Lancer | (archive footage) |
| 1966 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series) | Lorelei Lancer | The Bridge of Lions Affair, Part 1 |
| 1965 | House of the Black Death | Valerie Desard | |
| 1965 | Mutiny in Outer Space | Faith Montaine | |
| 1965 | The Human Duplicators | Lisa Dornheimer | |
| 1964 | Shell Shock | American girl | |
| 1963 | Have Gun - Will Travel (TV Series) | The Rani | The Caravan |
| 1963 | Ripcord (TV Series) | Tanya Rovag | The Last Chapter |
| 1962 | Wild Harvest | Rose | |
| 1961 | V.D. | Kathy Durham | alternate title: Damaged Goods |
| 1961 | The Phantom Planet | Zetha | |
| 1961 | Love in a Goldfish Bowl | Pie throwing girl | (uncredited) |
| 1961 | All in a Night's Work | Girl Holding Hands | (uncredited) |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lisanti, Tom (2007). Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles. McFarland & Company. pp. 77–79. ISBN 978-0786431724.
- 1 2 3 "Dolores Faith". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ↑ Ornitz, Don (26 April 1963). "Ah, What Sights—Water Sprites!". Life. ISSN 0024-3019.
- ↑ Manners, Dorothy (25 November 1972). "In Hollywood". Mansfield News Journal. p. 21.