Carol Lynley

Actor

About

Also Known As

Carole Ann Jones, Carolyn Lee

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

February 13, 1942

Biography

A blonde, ethereal, eternal ingenue, Carol Lynley has been acting since she was a teenager and is perhaps best recalled as the mother whose son is kidnapped in Otto Preminger's dreary "Bunny Lake is Missing" (1965), and as the pop singer who survives "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972).Lynley was a mere 16 when she made her film debut in Disney's "The Light in the Forest" (1958), in which sh...

Filmography

Drowning on Dry Land (1999)

Spirits (1992)

Sister Jillian

Howling VI - The Freaks (1991)

Photos & Videos

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Blue Denim (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Break The Bottle Over Your Head

Blue Denim (1959) -- (Movie Clip) They're Engaged, For Pete's Sake!

Family & Companions

Michael Selsman

Husband

Press agent; later literary agent, producer. Married in 1960; divorced in 1964.

David Frost

Companion

Had 18-year off-again, on-again relationship with Lynley.

Notes

Lynley posed for a PLAYBOY photo spread in 1965.

"I'm in transition. I'm playing middle-aged parts, which is a good idea! . . . Eventually, I want to make the next transition to where I'm playing snowy-haired old ladies, my Helen Hayes period." --Carol Lynley in PEOPLE, November 28, 1994

Biography

Lynley was a mere 16 when she made her film debut in Disney's "The Light in the Forest" (1958), in which she played a teen sympathetic to a young man raised in the wild. A former teen model, she learned competence in acting on the job and played another teen role, a young woman who becomes pregnant in "Blue Denim" (1959). She grew into young adult roles quickly and although not yet 20, played Allison MacKenzie, a young author about to have her first book published, in the sequel "Return to Peyton Place" (1961). She went on to appear as the girlfriend Richard Beymer dumps for "exotic dancer" Joanne Woodward in "The Stripper" and the young woman who draws Jack Lemmon's attention in "Under the Yum Yum Tree" (both 1963). Also that year, Lynley gave one of her best performances under Otto Preminger's direction in "The Cardinal." After appearing in one of the two 1963 biopics of 1930s bombshell Jean Harlow (the Lynley version was originally filmed for television, shot as a kinescope and then transferred to film), Lynley reteamed with Preminger for "Bunny Lake Is Missing." But the mood in the US was changing, along with its tastes in leading ladies, and Lynley made her next two films in Britain; "The Shattered Room" (1967) and the spy thriller "Danger Route" (1968). She returned to the States and found herself cast in ensemble pieces or secondary roles. Lynley was among the ensemble of the horror spoof "The Maltese Bippy" (1969) and gave way to the younger Kim Darby as leading lady opposite Glen Campbell in "Norwood" (1970). Perhaps the highest grossing film with which Lynley was associated came in 1972, "The Poseidon Adventure," in which she essayed a surprisingly fragile band singer who survives the ordeal primarily thanks to Red Buttons, who falls instantly in love with her. From the early 70s on, though, Lynley's feature film roles developed breathing room between them, and the budgets and quality of the productions dipped considerably. By 1991, she was in the horror sequel "The Howling VI: The Freaks" and was a nun to Erik Estrada's priest in the low budget "Spirits" (1992).

The small screen has provided some work, as has the stage. Lynley was a 14-year old teen model when she made her TV debut in an episode of "The Goodyear Playhouse" in 1956, and she continued to work in the medium throughout the next 30 years, although not necessarily with frequency. Her one regular series, "The Immortal" (ABC, 1970-71), found her in the recurring role of fiancee to the race car driving hero (Christopher George). Lynley began in TV-movies with "Shadow on the Land" (NBC, 1968), and many of her longforms were of the woman-in-terror or woman-in-jeopardy variety, such as "Weekend of Terror" (ABC, 1970), "The Night Stalker" (ABC, 1972) and "Death Stalk" (NBC, 1974). She appeared on the 1977 two-hour pilot for "Fantasy Island" (ABC) and also hosted the short-lived "The Fashion Report" (syndicated, 1987).