If Dolores Fuller had ever thought in the 1970s, 1980s, or early '90s about what she would be known for professionally in the 21st century, it might well have been for writing songs for Elvis Presley and Peggy Lee or perhaps managing Tanya Tucker early in the singer's career. Instead, she is best known (downright famous, in fact) for her 40-years-past career as an actress, her mid-'50s relationship with director Edward D. Wood Jr., and the three movies that she made with him. The films were scarcely seen and virtually unreviewed at the time of their release and for decades after. Considering that one of those movies — Glen or Glenda — was the first American feature film dealing with the subject of transvestism and drew much of its content from one corner of Fuller's relationship with the cross-dressing Wood, her recognition for them seems all the more improbable, especially for a woman who started life in South Bend, IN, during the era of silent movies.
Fuller was born there in 1923 (some sources say 1925), but her family moved to California when she was very young. Setting her sights on an acting career, she worked in school plays and later became a model, also succeeding in getting some television work in the early days of the medium. An attractive young woman (Fuller was a stand-in for Jayne Mansfield in the theatrical production of …  » Read more