Who Am I? May, 2022

I was born in “The Steel City” at the junction of 3 rivers during the ‘Roaring Twenties’. My mom, Belle, was born in Romania of Jewish parents. My dad, Milton, was born in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France to Romanian-Jewish parents. Dad worked as a clothing manufacturer. I grew up in N.Y.C. and attended the Fieldston School in the Bronx. At 17 I left home to find work modeling hats and selling stuffed pandas.

I was soon drawn to acting and became an early member of The Actors Studio. My first Broadway stage role was in a landmark play written by Ben Hecht promoting the idea of a Jewish homeland in the ancient Land of Israel. That role gave me an auspicious career start because my co-stars were Celia Adler, Paul Muni and Marlon Brando. My film breakthrough came in an early 1950’s film noir which told the story of a nuclear physicist who was selling top secret information to the Russians that came to the attention of the F.B.I... Soon after that I signed an MGM contract and began rooming with another young actress who would one day marry a prince. We two became lifelong friends.

Many of you might know me as a stage and screen actress. Some of my film co-stars were Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrer, Gregory Peck, Jane Fonda, Broderick Crawford and Jack Palance. I did a lot of TV work beginning in the 1950’s to include Playhouse 90, The Rockford Files, Mannix, the Jackie Gleason Show, Family Affair, Motorola Television Hour, Kraft Theatre, and the United States Steel Hour. I was also an occasional panelist on “What’s My Line?” I appeared in two plays that were performed in Fort Lee, New Jersey – “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” Life magazine described me as having a “sultry face and an insinuating voice” and they put me on the cover of one of their magazine issues. In the early sixties I also agreed to a risqué photo shoot for Esquire magazine.

I’ve produced at least two documentary films, one examined the movie business and the other was a PBS travel series. I’ve also authored two books. In April 1956 I was honored to be selected as a bridesmaid when my former roomie, Grace Kelly, married Prince Rainier at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monte Carlo. I’m pretty sure you know me by now. That’s me in the photo below.

(1a)Who Am I? (1b)In what city was I born? (1c) In what play advocating for a Jewish state did I debut in? (2a) In the 1930 U.S. Census, two women’s names appear as part of our household. What were their names? (2b)What is the name of the cemetery in Staten Island where my dad is buried? (2c) In what issue of Life Magazine did I appear on the cover? (3a)I was a good friend of a U.S. president’s daughter. What was her name? (3b)On which ship did I sail to attend Princess Grace’s royal wedding? (4a)Name one book that I have authored? (4b) What was the title of my documentary on the movie business and who was my co-producer OR what was the title of my PBS travel documentary series and who was my coproducer? (5) I once portrayed a villainous queen on film. What was her name and what was the name of that film?