Beverly Sassoon (born ) is a Canadian-American actress and author.
Early life
Adams was born in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
, Canada, but was a citizen of the United States. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Adams. Raised Roman Catholic, she moved with her family to
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
after the war where, as a teen, she competed in and won beauty contests before becoming an actress. She began working as a model while she was a student at Valley State College.
Adams, who initially wanted to become a doctor, had a weekend job in a dress shop while she worked during the week as secretary to a Superior Court judge in Los Angeles. When the dress shop had a fashion show televised, Adams modeled some of the dresses. An advertising man saw her modeling on that broadcast and invited her to make a commercial at a local television station.
Ozzie Nelson
Oswald George Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, musician, composer, conductor and bandleader. He originated and starred in '' The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', a radio and te ...
was at the station at the same time, and he invited her to play a bit part in an episode of ''
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from October 3, 1952, to April 23, 1966, and starred the real-life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television, where it ...
''.
Acting
Adams appeared in various guest roles in television series of the 1960s, including a recurring role on the ''
Dr. Kildare
Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...
'' TV series. She was selected for
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
' New Talent Program and was signed to a contract where she appeared on several
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...
television series and several films including the recurring role of Lovey Kravezit in the
Matt Helm
Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916-2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of t ...
movies starring
Dean Martin
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
.
After appearing uncredited in two films with
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, ''
Roustabout
Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who handled materials ...
'' and ''
Girl Happy
''Girl Happy'' is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song " Puppe ...
'', she played the redheaded Cassandra in ''
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini
''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' is a 1965 Pathécolor beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverl ...
''
During her retirement from acting, Adams, going by her married name of Beverly Sassoon published several books and served as a spokeswoman for Vidal Sassoon, Inc.
She launched her own line of pet care products, Beverly Sassoon Pet Care System.
Personal life
Adams met hairstylist
Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon (17 January 1928 – 9 May 2012) was a British hairstylist, businessman, and philanthropist. He was noted for repopularising a simple, close-cut geometric hairstyle called the bob cut, worn by famous fashion designers including Ma ...
when she was sent to his London salon while she was filming '' Torture Garden.'' They married on February 16, 1967, and Adams retired from acting, after fulfilling a commitment to appear in
Irving Allen
Irving Allen (born Irving Applebaum, November 24, 1905 – December 17, 1987) was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director.
He received an Academy Award in 1948 for producing the short movie ''Climbing the Matterhorn''. In the early 19 ...
's '' Hammerhead'', to raise the couple's children.
They had four children: daughter Catya, an actress who died from a drug-induced heart attack; son Elan BenVidal ; son David; and daughter Eden Sassoon. In 1981, the couple divorced and Adams returned to acting. She married a matador, Antonio Migoni, but the marriage was annulled. Adams later married Philip Neal, whom she described as "the love of my life". Neal died in 2004. In November 2022, Adams was profiled in ''
Classic Images
''Classic Images'' is a monthly American mail-subscription newspaper in tabloid format, founded in 1962 by film collector Samuel K. Rubin, dedicated to film and television of the "Golden Age". Its offices are located in Muscatine, Iowa and it is ...