Actress Arlene Dahl, star of movies, TV, dies at 96

Arlene Dahl of West Palm Beach and New York, who was involved with island charities such as the Lighthouse Guild, died in New York on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. She was 96.

The actress, who was the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas, was known for appearing in the 1950s movies "Slightly Scarlet" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth,'' among others.

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Lamas announced her death on Facebook, according to USA Today. "I will remember her laughter, her joy, her dignity as she navigated the challenges that she faced," Lamas said. "Never an ill word about anyone crossed her lips."

Born in Minneapolis to Idelle (née Swan) and Rudolph Dahl, Ms. Dahl landed a spot on a Minneapolis radio show when she was 8, modeled her way to New York as a teen, and shortly thereafter sang and danced her way to Hollywood.

"My dream was to do musical comedy on Broadway. My cousin took me one Saturday to a play in Minneapolis, and I was so impressed with one of the actresses. She commanded the stage, she took it and held it, and you didn't notice anyone else," Ms. Dahl told the Palm Beach Daily News in 2010.

At 17, she tried out for a New York show on a whim during a visit and got the part. The show was dismal and tanked, but movie mogul Jack Warner happened to be sitting in the audience on opening night. He knocked on her dressing room door and offered her a screen test. She was eventually signed to a seven-year contract.

"This is supposed to only happen in movies, but it happened in real life," Ms. Dahl said in 2010.

She was cast in about 30 movies. She premiered in the 1947 movie "My Wild Irish Rose," according to USA Today, and later appeared in “A Southern Yankee,” “Reign of Terror,” "Three Little Words" and “Watch the Birdie.” She also appeared on such television shows as "The Love Boat" and "One Life to Live," and replaced Lauren Bacall in the role of Margo Channing in the 1972 Broadway show "Applause."

In the 2010 article, she recalled her first time on the Warner Bros. lot in Hollywood.

"The minute I walked in the gate at Warner Brothers, I saw this rather tall, familiar man walking toward us. And I said to my agent, 'I think I know this guy.' And he said, 'Of course you do. It's Gary Cooper. Would you like to meet him?'

"He was introduced to us and he was very kind. He asked if I'd like to have lunch. My agent saw we were getting along so well together that he excused himself. And then Ronny Reagan came over and introduced himself. Joan Crawford came over. I was the new girl in town."

She also wrote a syndicated beauty column for two decades and her Arlene Dahl Enterprises sold cosmetics and lingerie.

Condolences came in from actresses Angela Lansbury and Joan Collins, among others, according to Legacy.com.

In 2016, Ms. Dahl received the Vision Award for her service to the Lighthouse Guild. She was chairwoman or honorary chairwoman at the charity's events for several years.

Her husbands included screen performers Fernando Lamas and Lex Barker, Fleischman's yeast heir Christopher Holmes, wine importer Alexis Lichine and investor Rounsevelle Schaum, according to USA Today.

She was married to businessman Marc Rosen for the last 37 years of her life. She had two other children, daughter Christina Carole Holmes, and another son, Rounsevelle Andreas Schaum. She had six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Actress Arlene Dahl, mother of Lorenzo Lamas, dies at 96