Born Peggy Yvonne Middleton, Yvonne De Carlo began studying dance in childhood, and in her teens appeared in nightclubs and on-stage. She debuted onscreen in 1942, going on to a number of secondary roles. Finally she was cast in the title role of Salome -- Where She Danced (1945) and played leads in The Song of Scheherazade and Slave Girl (both 1947), after which she was typecast as an Arabian Nights-type temptress in harem attire; she also appeared frequently in Westerns, and occasionally showed talent in comedies. De Carlo was a co-star of the '60s TV sitcom The Munsters. In 1971 she appeared on Broadway in the musical Follies. She married and divorced stuntman and actor Robert Morgan. She continued appearing in occasional films through the '90s and authored Yvonne: An Autobiography (1987). De Carlo died of unspecified causes at age 84 on January 8, 2007.
Yvonne De Carlo
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- When she was 15 her mother took her to Hollywood to break into show business. Unsuccessful, they returned to Canada where she began dancing at night clubs.
- Was named Miss Venice Beach in a 1941 beauty pageant.
- Took the role of Lily Munster to help pay for medical bills after her husband, stuntman Bob Morgan, was injured.
- In 1971, she starred in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies; he wrote the classic song "I'm Still Here" just for her.
- Reprised the role of Lily Munster for the 1981 made-for-TV movie The Munsters' Revenge.
- Published Yvonne: An Autobiography in 1987, in which she listed 22 of her lovers including Howard Hughes, Burt Lancaster, Robert Stack, Robert Taylor, Billy Wilder and Aly Khan.
- Made a cameo in the 1995 made-for-TV movie Here Come the Munsters, one of her last on-screen appearances before her death in 2007.