Rhonda Fleming(1923-2020)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
A native-born Californian, Rhonda Fleming attended Beverly Hills public
and private schools. Her father was Harold Cheverton Louis (1896-1951). Her mother, Effie Olivia Graham (1891-1985), was a famous model and actress in New York. She has a son
(Kent Lane), two granddaughters (Kimberly and
Kelly) and four great-grandchildren (Wagner, Page, Lane and Cole). She
has appeared in over 40 films, including
David O. Selznick's
Spellbound (1945), directed by
Alfred Hitchcock;
Jacques Tourneur's
Out of the Past (1947); and
Robert Siodmak's
The Spiral Staircase (1946).
She later got starring roles in such classics as
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949),
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957),
Home Before Dark (1958),
Pony Express (1953),
Slightly Scarlet (1956),
While the City Sleeps (1956)
and The Big Circus (1959). While
she was always a competent actress, she was more renowned for her
exquisite beauty, and the camera absolutely adored her. One time a
cameraman on one of her films remarked on how he was so struck by her
beauty that, as a gag, he intentionally tried to photograph her badly;
he was astonished to discover that no matter how deliberately he
botched it, she still came out looking ravishing.
Among her co-stars over the years were
Gregory Peck,
Robert Mitchum,
Kirk Douglas,
Charlton Heston,
Glenn Ford,
Burt Lancaster,
Bob Hope,
Bing Crosby,
Rock Hudson and
Ronald Reagan (with whom she made
four films). In addition to motion pictures, Fleming made her Broadway
debut in Clare Boothe Luce's "The
Women", essayed the role of "Lalume" in "Kismet" at the Los Angeles
Music Center and toured as "Madame Dubonnet" in "The Boyfriend". She
made her stage musical debut in Las Vegas at the opening of the
Tropicana Hotel's showroom. Later she appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in
a one-woman concert of Cole Porter and
Irving Berlin compositions. She
also starred in a national ten-week concert tour with
Skitch Henderson, featuring the music
of George Gershwin. She has
guest-starred on numerous television series, including
Wagon Train (1957),
Police Woman (1974),
The Love Boat (1977),
Last Hours Before Morning (1975)
and a two-hour special of
McMillan & Wife (1971).
Waiting for the Wind (1991)
reunited her with former co-star Robert Mitchum.
In private life she resides in Century City, California, and was
married for 23 years to Ted Mann, a
producer and chairman of Mann Theatres, until his death in January
2001. She is a member and supporter of Childhelp USA, ARCS (Achievement
Rewards For College Scientists); a Life Associate of Pepperdine
University; a Lifetime Member of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley
Forge; 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 she helped build the Jerusalem
Film Institute in Israel. She also is a member of the Board of Trustees
of The UCLA Foundation and a member of the Board of Advisors of the
Revlon/UCLA Women's Health Research Program. In addition, she created
at the City of Hope Hospital The Rhonda Fleming Mann Research
Fellowship to further advance research and treatment associated with
women's cancer.
In 1991, she and her husband established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic
for Women's Comprehensive Care at UCLA Medical Center. This clinic
provides a full range of expert gynecologic and obstetric care to
women. Since 1992, she has devoted her time to a second facility at
UCLA - the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer,
which opened in early 1994. This Center is the fulfillment of her
vision to create a safe, warm place where women cancer patients and
their families might receive the highest quality psychosocial and
emotional care as well as assistance with the complex practical
problems that arise with cancer. In August 1997, the Center opened
"Reflections", a unique retail store and consultation suite that
carries wigs, head coverings, breast prostheses and other items to help
men, women and children deal with the physical appearance changes
brought on by cancer and its treatments. The staffs of the clinic,
center and store are guided by her belief that caring, compassion,
communication and commitment are essential components of the healing
process.
and private schools. Her father was Harold Cheverton Louis (1896-1951). Her mother, Effie Olivia Graham (1891-1985), was a famous model and actress in New York. She has a son
(Kent Lane), two granddaughters (Kimberly and
Kelly) and four great-grandchildren (Wagner, Page, Lane and Cole). She
has appeared in over 40 films, including
David O. Selznick's
Spellbound (1945), directed by
Alfred Hitchcock;
Jacques Tourneur's
Out of the Past (1947); and
Robert Siodmak's
The Spiral Staircase (1946).
She later got starring roles in such classics as
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949),
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957),
Home Before Dark (1958),
Pony Express (1953),
Slightly Scarlet (1956),
While the City Sleeps (1956)
and The Big Circus (1959). While
she was always a competent actress, she was more renowned for her
exquisite beauty, and the camera absolutely adored her. One time a
cameraman on one of her films remarked on how he was so struck by her
beauty that, as a gag, he intentionally tried to photograph her badly;
he was astonished to discover that no matter how deliberately he
botched it, she still came out looking ravishing.
Among her co-stars over the years were
Gregory Peck,
Robert Mitchum,
Kirk Douglas,
Charlton Heston,
Glenn Ford,
Burt Lancaster,
Bob Hope,
Bing Crosby,
Rock Hudson and
Ronald Reagan (with whom she made
four films). In addition to motion pictures, Fleming made her Broadway
debut in Clare Boothe Luce's "The
Women", essayed the role of "Lalume" in "Kismet" at the Los Angeles
Music Center and toured as "Madame Dubonnet" in "The Boyfriend". She
made her stage musical debut in Las Vegas at the opening of the
Tropicana Hotel's showroom. Later she appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in
a one-woman concert of Cole Porter and
Irving Berlin compositions. She
also starred in a national ten-week concert tour with
Skitch Henderson, featuring the music
of George Gershwin. She has
guest-starred on numerous television series, including
Wagon Train (1957),
Police Woman (1974),
The Love Boat (1977),
Last Hours Before Morning (1975)
and a two-hour special of
McMillan & Wife (1971).
Waiting for the Wind (1991)
reunited her with former co-star Robert Mitchum.
In private life she resides in Century City, California, and was
married for 23 years to Ted Mann, a
producer and chairman of Mann Theatres, until his death in January
2001. She is a member and supporter of Childhelp USA, ARCS (Achievement
Rewards For College Scientists); a Life Associate of Pepperdine
University; a Lifetime Member of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley
Forge; 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 she helped build the Jerusalem
Film Institute in Israel. She also is a member of the Board of Trustees
of The UCLA Foundation and a member of the Board of Advisors of the
Revlon/UCLA Women's Health Research Program. In addition, she created
at the City of Hope Hospital The Rhonda Fleming Mann Research
Fellowship to further advance research and treatment associated with
women's cancer.
In 1991, she and her husband established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic
for Women's Comprehensive Care at UCLA Medical Center. This clinic
provides a full range of expert gynecologic and obstetric care to
women. Since 1992, she has devoted her time to a second facility at
UCLA - the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer,
which opened in early 1994. This Center is the fulfillment of her
vision to create a safe, warm place where women cancer patients and
their families might receive the highest quality psychosocial and
emotional care as well as assistance with the complex practical
problems that arise with cancer. In August 1997, the Center opened
"Reflections", a unique retail store and consultation suite that
carries wigs, head coverings, breast prostheses and other items to help
men, women and children deal with the physical appearance changes
brought on by cancer and its treatments. The staffs of the clinic,
center and store are guided by her belief that caring, compassion,
communication and commitment are essential components of the healing
process.