Darlanne Fluegel (November 25, 1953 – December 15, 2017) was an American actress, fashion model, film producer and professor. She was one of the few American fashion models who successfully transitioned to a career as a serious actor. Fluegel earned the female lead role in a number of films and television shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Early life and education
Fluegel was born November 25, 1953, in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...
, the fifth child of Donald Raymond and Jane (née Warnecke) Fluegel's six children. Fluegel graduated from Binghamton Central High School in Binghamton, New York in 1971, "just after her father died".
Career
Fashion model
Fluegel started modeling at 16 and moved to New York City at 18 to start her professional modeling career, saying it was “a quick way out of Binghamton" so she would “not ...be a burden” on her mother.
In 1971 Fluegel was hired as a model by
Eileen Ford
Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to:
People Artists
* Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer
*Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer
* Eilee ...
, initially earning $100 per hour and ended her modeling career in 1981 earning $300 per hour (). She was represented for 15 years by
Ford Models
Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford.
Company
Ford Models was started in 1946 by Eilee ...
and then with the
Zoli Agency The Zoli Agency was a modeling agency based in New York City, particularly notable in the 1970s and 1980s.
Background
It was established by a Budapest-born Hungarian designer named Zoltan "Zoli" Rendessy in 1971.Stella Adler
Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher. ''
Reflecting on her modeling career in 1986, Fluegel said “It hasn’t been easy. It is tough to get people in the acting world to take you seriously if you’ve been a successful model. Some models turn out to be good actresses; most are terrible". Her modeling mentor,
Eileen Ford
Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to:
People Artists
* Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer
*Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer
* Eilee ...
, said Fluegel's difference was “... she approached her acting scientifically. She worked at it and didn’t let the hype go to her head. A lot of models wouldn’t have done that".
Transition to acting
Fluegel said “I realized I was washed up as a model at 25. I’d been in the business for years, and a lot of people thought I was even older than I was. I realized I had to make a drastic change in my life".
Actress
Professional name
Fluegel said she was pressured into changing her surname when she started her acting career. "There was a lot of pressure from agents, publicists and even Gene Shalit on "
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
" asked why I (kept) it, but I want my family to be proud of me. And I find that once people hear the name, they don't soon forget it".
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...
, who worked with Fluegel in the film ''Tough Guys'' said “With a name like Fluegel, she’d better be good.” The surname "Fluegel" means "wing" in conversational German.
''Eyes of Laura Mars''
Fluegel made her screen debut in a supporting role as a model in the 1978
Irvin Kershner
Irvin Kershner (born Isadore Kershner; April 29, 1923November 27, 2010) was an American film director, actor, and producer of film and television.
He gained notice early in his career as a filmmaker for directing quirky, independent drama films ...
film ''
Eyes of Laura Mars
''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled ' ...
''. Discussing her debut, she said “I wasn’t ready after Laura Mars. Let’s just say that it wasn’t much of a stretch to portray a New York model being chased by a weirdo. But when I was 25 I decided to go for it. What the hell, right? I was always determined to succeed at whatever I did and I figured Hollywood was a tough nut to crack—but one that could be broken".
Her first major film role was as Nanelia in the
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. Thi ...
sci-fi movie ''
Battle Beyond the Stars
''Battle Beyond the Stars'' is a 1980 American space opera film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, and starring Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, John Saxon, Sybil Danning and Darlanne Fluegel. Intended as ...
'' (1980).
''Once Upon a Time in America''
Fluegel was featured as
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
's girlfriend Eve in
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's 1984 film ''
Once Upon a Time in America
''Once Upon a Time in America'' ( it, C'era una volta in America) is a 1984 epic crime film co-written and directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. The film is an Italian–American venture produ ...
''. Fluegel's role in the film opened the door for Fluegel to a wide array of different character types.
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...
' girlfriend.
''To Live and Die in L.A.''
In 1985, she appeared in '' To Live and Die in L.A.'' as Ruth Lanier, an undercover informant, heroin addict and the love interest of Secret Service Agent Richard Chance, portrayed by
William Petersen
William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Aw ...
.
''Running Scared''
In 1986, she portrayed Billy Crystal's ex-wife Anna in the buddy-cop action comedy '' Running Scared''. The film's director,
Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams (born July 26, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer known for directing ''Capricorn One'' (which he also wrote), the 1981 science fiction-thriller '' Outland'', the 1984 science fiction film '' 2010: Th ...
, later said he had "had a huge crush on Fluegel since he saw her in ''To Live and Die in L.A.''".
''Crime Story''
Fluegel had a primary role during the first season of
Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films '' Thief'' (1981) ...
's NBC
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
drama series '' Crime Story'' playing Julie Torello, Detective Michael Torello's (portrayed by actor
Dennis Farina
Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor. Often typecast as a mobster or police officer, he is known for roles such as FBI Agent Jack Crawford in '' Manhunter'', mobster Jimmy Serrano in th ...
) wife in 11 episodes from 1986 to 1987. A New York Times review said of Fluegel's performance "A smoldering Darlanne Fluegel played Torello's wife, Julie. Their marriage crumbled over the show's first season, as Torello let the violence of his job bleed into his family life...". Fluegel described her character as a “woman trying to come to terms with the ’60s. She wants the American dream — a nice home, a husband, a family—but those things are falling apart".
''Hunter''
Fluegel joined Fred Dryer's character Sgt. Rick Hunter in the cast of NBC's detective series ''
Hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
'', playing the role of Hunter's sidekick, Metro Division officer Joanne Molenski. Fluegel said she was pleased to have earned the part, saying "...this time I've got a part that's not a stereotyped female role as a wife or girlfriend. This is bigger, so I can show a broad spectrum of Joanne's emotional and physical life. And I was delighted to get to play a cop. (Acting) as a wife, you only deal with how the job affects someone on the periphery. But here you learn that they risk their lives every day and the job never leaves them. That's why this part took so much preparation."
After seven episodes Fluegel announced she would leave the series early, saying "Having completed my obligation to the series, I feel it's time to move on to other roles in both television and features." Fluegel's publicist, Lili Unger said at that time "I wouldn't say there was any tension or conflict on the set. I think she had hoped that her character would evolve beyond a certain point, but it hasn't." Fluegel's character was written out of the show as a shooting victim. Her last episode aired in January, 1991.
Later roles
As a lead actress, Fluegel starred in the independent film ''
Freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
'' (1988). In 1989, she starred in ''Lock Up'' with Sylvester Stallone. She later had a recurring role on '' Wiseguy''.
Teacher and professor
Fluegel taught acting and drama as a professor at
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State Universi ...
's School of Film and Digital Media program from 2002 to 2007.
At the
New Beverly Cinema
The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by filmmaker Quentin Tar ...
in Los Angeles in 2011, Fluegel encouraged the audience to be receptive to their life experiences. She said “It could be the greatest thing you could do. Just being in your life, talking to people, just doing what you’re doing, let it bring into you. Bring it back in".
Film producer
Fluegel co-produced the 2010 documentary film ''The Land of the Rising Fastball'', an examination of Japan's interest in baseball and the sociological role it has held throughout that nation's growth, from its introduction in 1872, through World War II to today.
Personal life
From 1983 until 2004, Fluegel was married to Michael Ira Small. They had two children.
Death
Fluegel was diagnosed at age 56 with
early-onset Alzheimer's disease
Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, also called younger-onset Alzheimer's, is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's, accounting for only 5–10% of all Alzheimer's cases. About 60% have a positive ...
. On December 15, 2017, she died from the disease at her home in
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
*2010 - ''LAPD 100 Years: Celebrating the Women Sworn to Protect and to Serve'': The
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...
honored Fluegel and her ''Hunter'' predecessor
Stepfanie Kramer
Stepfanie Kramer (born Stephanie Lyla Kramer; August 6, 1956) is an American actress best known for having played Detective Sgt. Dee Dee McCall on the 1980s NBC police series ''Hunter''. She was nominated for an Emmy in Special Class Programmin ...
for their portrayals of LAPD Officer Joanne Molenski and LAPD Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, respectively, in an event celebrating female Los Angeles police officers.