Yvette Vickers (born Yvette Iola Vedder; August 26, 1928 – ) was an American actress,

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

model and singer.

Early life and career

Vickers was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of jazz musician Charles Vedder. During her youth, she traveled with her parents to their various performances. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and studied journalism. While at UCLA, she took a class in acting and discovered that she enjoyed it, so she changed her major to drama. She began making television commercials. She later moved to New York City to model for White Rain shampoo advertisements, but she eventually returned to California to pursue an acting career. Her first movie appearance is listed under the name Yvette Vedder in ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

'' (1950), although she was not listed in the production

credits Credit refers to any form of deferred payment, the granting of a loan and the creation of debt. Credit may also refer to: Places * Credit, Arkansas, a ghost town * Credit River, a river in Ontario, Canada * Credit River (Minnesota), a river in ...

. She made her first movie appearance under the Vickers name in ''

Short Cut to Hell ''Short Cut to Hell'' is a 1957 American film noir, filmed in black-and-white VistaVision, starring Robert Ivers and Georgann Johnson.. The film is the only directorial effort by famous actor James Cagney. ''Short Cut to Hell'' is a remake of ...

'' (1957), which was directed by

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

. In the same year, she starred in

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

' ''

Reform School Girl ''Reform School Girl'' is a 1957 film starring Gloria Castillo as a teenage girl who is sent to a reformatory. The film was directed by Edward Bernds and was produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff. ''Reform School Girl'' was one of many sexploitation f ...

''. Her image was used for the movie's theatrical poster, and it depicted her and

Gloria Castillo Gloria Castillo (March 3, 1933 – October 24, 1978) was an American stage and motion picture actress of the 1950s and a businesswoman. Early years Castillo was born in Belen, New Mexico. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Castillo, and ...

fighting each other. The poster has subsequently become a

collector's item A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

Yvette Vickers in Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)

In 1958, she appeared as Honey Parker in ''

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman ''Attack of the 50 Foot Woman'' is a 1958 independently made American science fiction horror film directed by Nathan H. Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz) and starring Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. It was produced by Bernard ...

'', in which she plays the role of the town floozy who has an affair with Harry Archer ( William Hudson), who is married to Nancy Archer (

Allison Hayes Allison Hayes (born Mary Jane Hayes; March 6, 1930 – February 27, 1977) was an American film and television actress and model. Early life Allison Hayes was born to William E. Hayes and Charlotte Gibson Hayes in Charleston, West Virginia. She ...

). The following year she played the role of Liz Walker in ''

Attack of the Giant Leeches ''Attack of the Giant Leeches'' (originally to be called ''The Giant Leeches'') is an independently made, 1959 black-and-white science fiction- horror film, produced by Gene Corman and directed by Bernard L. Kowalski. It stars Ken Clark, Yvet ...

''. During the same period, she made a number of appearances on TV shows, including an episode of ''

One Step Beyond One Step Beyond may refer to: Music * ''One Step Beyond'' (Dungeon album) or the title song, 2004 * ''One Step Beyond'' (Jackie McLean album), 1963 * '' One Step Beyond...'', an album by Madness, or the title song (see below), 1979 * ''One Step ...

'' titled "The Aerialist", aired on April 28, 1959, and an episode of ''Bat Masterson'' titled "Double Trouble in Trinidad," aired January 7, 1959 as "Jessie Simmons." She appeared as ''Playboys

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

in the July 1959 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...

. She also appeared in several other

men's magazines This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audience of the magazines. This list includes mostly mainstream magazines as well as adult ones. Not included here are autom ...

. Her film roles began to decrease around this time. She did play some small parts in films from 1962 onward, including a small role in ''

Hud Hud or HUD may refer to: Entertainment * ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman * ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film * ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program Places * Hud, Fa ...

'' (1963). Her last role was in ''Evil Spirits'', a 1991

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

. Vickers was also a singer. In the 1990s, she released a jazz tribute to her parents on CD titled ''A Tribute to Charlie and Maria''. In 2005, she visited Canada for the first time to appear at the Toronto Classic Movie Festival. She appeared with interviewer Tom Weaver on the

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

track of the 2007 DVD release of ''

''. She had been writing her autobiography before her death.

Personal life

In 1953, Vickers married Don Prell, and they were divorced by 1957. Her second marriage was to Leonard Burns in 1959, divorcing in 1961. Her third and final marriage was to Tom Howland from 1967 to 1969. Vickers had no children. She had a long-term relationship with actor

Jim Hutton Dana James Hutton (May 31, 1934 – June 2, 1979) was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, ...

. She also had a recurring relationship with actor

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Death

Vickers was last seen alive in 2010. She had withdrawn from her

extended family An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem ...

and friends, and her

mummified A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...

body was discovered by actress and neighbor Susan Savage on April 27, 2011, in her home at 10021 Westwanda Drive,

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. The month of her death is unknown, but

forensic scientists Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal ...

concluded that she may have been dead for as long as a year before her body was discovered. There were no signs of foul play. Her autopsy was completed by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, who ruled her cause of death to be heart failure resulting from coronary artery disease. Her remains were

cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

. ''Playboy'' mogul

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

issued statements expressing his sorrow and outrage at her lonely death. Her half-brother Perry Palmer retained possession of her ashes.

Filmography

References

External links