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==Personal life==
==Personal life==
In California Lyon was a childhood friend of [[Michelle Phillips]], who sang with the [[Mamas and Papas]]. According to Vanity Fair, Phillips shared the controversial ''Lolita'' with Lyon after it was published, years before she auditioned for the part.<ref name="vanityfair/2007-12/phillips">{{cite news |title=California Dreamgirl |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/12/phillips200712 |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=Vanity Fair |date=20 November 2007}}</ref> In a 1962 interview with German TV as part of the film's promotion, Lyon said she and her mother had read it and discussed it after she was cast.
In California Lyon became acquainted with [[Michelle Phillips]], who sang with the [[Mamas and Papas]]. According to Vanity Fair, Phillips shared the controversial ''Lolita'' with Lyon in 1960, the year before she auditioned for the part.<ref name="vanityfair/2007-12/phillips">{{cite news|title=California Dreamgirl|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/12/phillips200712|access-date=28 July 2023|work=Vanity Fair|date=20 November 2007}}</ref> In a 1962 interview with German TV as part of the film's promotion, Lyon said she and her mother had read it and discussed it after she was cast.


Early in her career, starting in 1965, Lyon had a relationship with Scottish singer-songwriter [[Donovan]], starting in 1965.<ref>"[https://www.waybackattack.com/donovan.html Donovan]," ''waybackattack.com''.</ref>
Early in her career, starting in 1965, Lyon had a relationship with Scottish singer-songwriter [[Donovan]].<ref>"[https://www.waybackattack.com/donovan.html Donovan]," ''waybackattack.com''.</ref>


Lyon was married five times: briefly to [[Hampton Fancher]], actor and filmmaker;<ref name="gettyimages/518865107">{{cite web |title=Sue Lyon attends a party with Hampton Fancher in Los Angeles,CA. |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sue-lyon-attends-a-party-with-hampton-fancher-in-los-news-photo/518865107 |website=Getty Images |access-date=17 June 2023 |language=en-us |date=1962}}</ref><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs">{{cite news |title=Lolita actress 'could keep people guessing' |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/lolita-actress-could-keep-people-guessing-20200103-p53ojs.html |access-date=17 June 2023 |agency=The Washington Post |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 January 2020 |language=en}}
Lyon was married five times: briefly to [[Hampton Fancher]], actor and filmmaker;<ref>{{cite web|title=Sue Lyon attends a party with Hampton Fancher in Los Angeles|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sue-lyon-attends-a-party-with-hampton-fancher-in-los-news-photo/518865107|website=Getty Images|access-date=17 June 2023|date=1962}}</ref><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs">{{cite news|title=Lolita actress 'could keep people guessing'|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/lolita-actress-could-keep-people-guessing-20200103-p53ojs.html|access-date=17 June 2023|agency=The Washington Post|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=3 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sue Lyon, actress who portrayed Lolita in scandalous 1962 movie, dies at 73|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/sue-lyon-actress-who-portrayed-lolita-in-scandalous-1962-movie-dies-at-73/2019/12/28/95b4386e-29c7-11ea-ad73-2fd294520e97_story.html|access-date=17 June 2023|work=Washington Post|date=29 December 2019}}</ref>
⚫
photographer and football coach Roland Harrison, with whom she had a daughter;<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/> Gary D. ''Cotton'' Adamson, a convicted murderer;<ref>{{cite news|title=Actress Released From Hospital|url=https://archive.org/details/lincoln-star-1976-06-25|access-date=17 June 2023|work=[[The Lincoln Star]]|date=25 June 1976|location=[[Lincoln, Nebraska]]|via=[[archive.org]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1973 Press Photo Sue Lyon marry Colorado State inmate Gary Adamson|url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/354513380183|website=eBay|access-date=17 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/> and Edward Weathers. She married Richard Rudman, an engineer, in 1985. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2002.<ref name=Guardian_obit>
*{{cite news |title=Sue Lyon, actress who portrayed Lolita in scandalous 1962 movie, dies at 73 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/sue-lyon-actress-who-portrayed-lolita-in-scandalous-1962-movie-dies-at-73/2019/12/28/95b4386e-29c7-11ea-ad73-2fd294520e97_story.html |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=Washington Post |date=29 December 2019}}
⚫
*{{cite news|title=Sue Lyon, Kubrick's Lolita, dies aged 73|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/29/lolita-sue-lyon-stanley-kubrick-dies-aged-73|access-date=17 June 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]|agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]|date=29 December 2019}}
⚫
</ref> photographer and football coach Roland Harrison, with whom she had a daughter;<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/> Gary D. ''Cotton'' Adamson, a convicted murderer;<ref name="lincoln-star-1976-06-25">{{cite news |title=Actress Released From Hospital |url=https://archive.org/details/lincoln-star-1976-06-25 |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=[[The Lincoln Star]] |date=25 June 1976 |location=[[Lincoln, Nebraska]] |via=[[archive.org]]}}</ref><ref name="ebay/354513380183">{{cite web |title=1973 Press Photo Sue Lyon marry Colorado State inmate Gary Adamson |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/354513380183 |website=eBay |access-date=17 June 2023}}</ref><ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/> and Edward Weathers. She married Richard Rudman, an engineer, in 1985. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2002.<ref name=Guardian_obit>
*{{cite news |title=Sue Lyon, Kubrick's Lolita, dies aged 73 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/29/lolita-sue-lyon-stanley-kubrick-dies-aged-73 |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=29 December 2019}}
*{{cite news|last1=Bergan|first1=Ronald|title=Sue Lyon obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/31/sue-lyon-obituary|access-date=17 June 2023|work=The Guardian|date=31 December 2019}}
⚫
</ref>
⚫
*{{cite news |last1=Bergan |first1=Ronald |title=Sue Lyon obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/31/sue-lyon-obituary |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=31 December 2019}}
⚫
</ref>


Her third marriage, in 1973, to Adamson, took place in a Colorado state prison, where he was incarcerated.<ref name="gettyimages/161977364">{{cite web |last1=Cupp |first1=David |title=Manier & Cotton Adamson in Adamson's cell. Wall had pix of Adamson's wife |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manier-cotton-adamson-in-adamsons-cell-wall-had-pix-of-news-photo/161977364 |website=Getty Images |publisher=The Denver Post |access-date=17 June 2023 |language=en-us |date=February 27, 1974}}</ref> He had been convicted of robbery<ref name="creamery-robbery-murder">{{cite web |title=Creamery robbery leads to murder |url=https://michaelcarriganfordenverda.com/creamery-robbery-leads-to-murder/ |website=Michael Carrigan for Denver DA |access-date=17 June 2023 |date=20 January 2015}}</ref> and second-degree murder. The union was contentious and ended in 1974.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people">{{cite news |title=Notes on People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/15/archives/unesco-to-swear-infirst-black-as-head-notes-on-people.html |access-date=17 June 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=15 November 1974 |quote=Actress Sue Lyon, who married Colorado State Penitentiary inmate Gary (Cotton) Adamson in Nov '73, says she is divorcing him because people ...}}</ref> She said at the time that people in the film industry had told her he had a negative effect on her career.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/>
Her third marriage, in 1973, to Adamson, took place in a Colorado state prison, where he was incarcerated.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cupp|first1=David|title=Manier & Cotton Adamson in Adamson's cell. Wall had pix of Adamson's wife|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manier-cotton-adamson-in-adamsons-cell-wall-had-pix-of-news-photo/161977364|website=Getty Images|publisher=The Denver Post|access-date=17 June 2023|date=February 27, 1974}}</ref> He had been convicted of robbery<ref>{{cite web|title=Creamery robbery leads to murder|url=https://michaelcarriganfordenverda.com/creamery-robbery-leads-to-murder/|website=Michael Carrigan for Denver DA|access-date=17 June 2023|date=20 January 2015}}</ref> and second-degree murder. The union was contentious and ended in 1974.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people">{{cite news |title=Notes on People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/15/archives/unesco-to-swear-infirst-black-as-head-notes-on-people.html|access-date=17 June 2023|work=The New York Times|date=15 November 1974|quote=Actress Sue Lyon, who married Colorado State Penitentiary inmate Gary (Cotton) Adamson in Nov '73, says she is divorcing him because people ...}}</ref> She said at the time that people in the film industry had told her he had a negative effect on her career.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people"/>


Her daughter Nona Merrill Harrison was born in Los Angeles in 1972.<ref>[http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/655/Sue+Lyon/index.html Sue Lyon.] glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.</ref><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs"/>
Her daughter Nona Merrill Harrison was born in Los Angeles in 1972.<ref>[http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/655/Sue+Lyon/index.html Sue Lyon.] glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.</ref><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs"/>

Revision as of 09:10, 28 July 2023

Not to be confused with Susan Lyons.

Sue Lyon
Lyon in the film Tony Rome (1967)
Born
Suellyn Lyon

(1946-07-10)July 10, 1946
Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 2019(2019-12-26) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materLos Angeles City College
Santa Monica College
OccupationActress
Years active1959–1980
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1963; div. 1965)​
Roland Harrison
​
​
(m. 1971; div. 1972)​
Cotton Adamson
​
​
(m. 1973; div. 1974)​
Edward Weathers
​
​
(m. 1983; div. 1984)​
Richard Rudman
​
​
(m. 1985; div. 2002)​
Children1

Suellyn Lyon (July 10, 1946 – December 26, 2019) was an American actress. She joined the entertainment industry as a model at the age of 13. She gained prominence and won a Golden Globe for playing the title role in the film Lolita (1962).[1] Her other film appearances included The Night of the Iguana (1964), 7 Women (1966), Tony Rome (1967), and Evel Knievel (1971).

Life and career

Suellyn Lyon, called Sue, was born on July 10, 1946, in Davenport, Iowa.[2] She was the youngest of five children of Sue (Karr) Lyon and her husband; the father died before the girl's first birthday. Sue worked as a child model[3] in Dallas. Her mother soon took the family to Los Angeles, where she thought there would be more opportunity. [4]

With only two acting credits, at the age of 14, Lyon was cast in the role of Dolores "Lolita" Haze in Stanley Kubrick's film Lolita (1962).[5] She starred with James Mason, then aged 53.[6] Nabokov, who wrote the novel and much of the screenplay, described her as the "perfect nymphet".[6] In Nabokov’s novel, the character Lolita is 12-years-old.[7] Lyon was 14[3]-15[7] during most of production, and 15 when the film premiered.[8][7][9]

She was chosen for the role[10] from 800 teenagers. The film makers raised[11] the age of the character to 15 to avoid violating the Hollywood Production Code. But this was still considered one of the most controversial films of the day because of the scandalous relationship at its heart.[12]

In his novel Nabokov explored an abusive relationship between Humbert and the girl; as adapted for Kubrick this was somewhat reduced. But archival footage and Lyon’s testimonies later in life have shown that Lyon was systematically sexualized and exploited during this time.[13] According to her interview with German TV in 1962, Lyon said she was accompanied while filming in England by her mother and a teacher, as she continued in school. It was still a strange period, especially after she was praised for her role.

Bosley Crowther of the New York Times noted that the screenplay of film changed the tenor of the story, and Lyon was not the child of the book. It became a more conventional tale of an older man and younger woman. He wrote, “She looks to be a good 17 years old, possessed of a striking figure and a devilishly haughty teenage air.” He went on, “The distinction is fine, we will grant you, but she is definitely not a ‘nymphet.’”[8]

Though Lyon rarely entered the public realm after the end of her film career in the 1980s, in 1996 she made an appearance. During this she said, “My destruction as a person dates from that movie. Lolita exposed me to temptations no girl of that age should undergo.[14] I defy any pretty girl who is rocketed to stardom at 14 in a sex nymphet role to stay on a level path thereafter."[14][15][16]

Lyon was 15 when the film premiered in June 1962,[8] too young to watch the film in a theater.[6] She became an instant celebrity and won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer—Female.[17]

Personal life

In California Lyon became acquainted with Michelle Phillips, who sang with the Mamas and Papas. According to Vanity Fair, Phillips shared the controversial Lolita with Lyon in 1960, the year before she auditioned for the part.[18] In a 1962 interview with German TV as part of the film's promotion, Lyon said she and her mother had read it and discussed it after she was cast.

Early in her career, starting in 1965, Lyon had a relationship with Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan.[19]

Lyon was married five times: briefly to Hampton Fancher, actor and filmmaker;[20][21][22] photographer and football coach Roland Harrison, with whom she had a daughter;[23] Gary D. Cotton Adamson, a convicted murderer;[24][25][23] and Edward Weathers. She married Richard Rudman, an engineer, in 1985. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2002.[6]

Her third marriage, in 1973, to Adamson, took place in a Colorado state prison, where he was incarcerated.[26] He had been convicted of robbery[27] and second-degree murder. The union was contentious and ended in 1974.[23] She said at the time that people in the film industry had told her he had a negative effect on her career.[23]

Her daughter Nona Merrill Harrison was born in Los Angeles in 1972.[28][21]

Death

Lyon died in West Hollywood on the morning of December 26, 2019, at the age of 73.[29] While no specific cause of death was given, she was reported to have been in poor health "for some time".[4]

"To be pretty and to stay pretty are two different things. You can’t take anything for granted, and it’s foolish to think you can. You have to think ahead of how to build health and happiness. You have to learn to avoid what is going to hurt you or someone else." — Sue Lyon, 1967[29][21]

Filmography

Film

Year[30] Title Role Notes[31]
1962 Lolita Dolores "Lolita" Haze Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer
1964 The Night of the Iguana Charlotte Goodall
1966 7 Women Emma Clark
1967 The Flim-Flam Man Bonnie Lee Packard
Tony Rome Diana Pines
1969 Arsenic and Old Lace Elaine Dodd TV movie
Four Rode Out Myra Polsen
1970 But I Don't Want to Get Married! Laura TV movie
1971 Evel Knievel Linda
1973 Murder in a Blue World Ana Vernia
Tarot Angela
1976 Smash-Up on Interstate 5 Burnsey TV movie
Crash! Kim Denne
1977 End of the World Sylvia Boran
Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready Wendy Sutherland TV movie, made in 1969
1978 The Astral Factor Darlene DeLong Re-released in 1984 as The Invisible Strangler
Towing Lynn
1980 Alligator NBC Newswoman (Final film role)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Letter to Loretta Laurie 1 episode ("Alien Love"[32])
as Suellyn Lyon
1960 Dennis the Menace Blonde with Valentine Card (uncredited) 1 episode ("Miss Cathcart's Sunsuit")[33]
1969–1974 Love, American Style Barbara Eric
Julie 		2 episodes ("Love and the Extra Job/Love and the Flying Finletters/Love and the Golden Worm/Love and the Itchy Condition/Love and the Patrolperson",
"Love and the Medium/Love and the Bed[34]/Love and the High School Flop-Out")
1970 The Virginian Belinda Ballard 1 episode ("Experiment at New Life")
1971 Men at Law Bunny Phillips 1 episode ("Marathon")
Night Gallery Betsy 1 episode ("The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes/Miss Lovecraft Sent Me/The Hand of Borgus Weems/Phantom of What Opera?")
1978 Police Story Caroline 1 episode ("River of Promises")
Fantasy Island Jill Nolan 1 episode ("Reunion/Anniversary")

References

  1. ^ Weinman, Sarah (October 24, 2020). "The Dark Side of Lolita". Air Mail (67). Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  2. ^ Olsen, Mark (December 28, 2019). "Sue Lyon, actress who portrayed Lolita in scandalous 1962 movie, dies at 73". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Kilkenny, Katie (December 27, 2019). "Sue Lyon, Teenage Star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' Dies at 73". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Genzlinger, Neil (December 27, 2019). "Sue Lyon, Star of 'Lolita,' Is Dead at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  5. ^ Archer, Eugene (September 28, 1960). "Schoolgirl Gets Lead in 'Lolita,'; Sue Lyon, a Model and TV Actress, Signed for Film". The New York Times. p. 33. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d
  7. ^ a b c Hoffman, Jordan (December 28, 2019). "Sue Lyon, Star of Lolita, Dies at Age 73". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Crowther, Bosley (June 14, 1962). "Screen: 'Lolita,' Vladimir Nabokov's Adaptation of His Novel:Sue Lyon and Mason in Leading Roles". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  9. ^ Leaf, Earl (1962). "Sue Lyon sips a milkshake after the movie premiere of Lolita at Sandpipers in Los Angeles,CA". Getty Images. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  10. ^ "HOLLYWOOD: Nymphet Found". Time. October 10, 1960. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  11. ^ McMillan, Eric. "Lolita (1962)". editoreric.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  12. ^ Tallerico, Brian. "Foreground Material: "Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection"". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  13. ^ Kubrick, Stanley. "Why Sue Lyon was guarded as if actress were an atomic bomb". Archivio Kubrick. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Fenwick, James (October 29, 2021). "The exploitation of Sue Lyon: Lolita (1962), archival research, and questions for film history" (PDF). Feminist Media Studies: 1–16. doi:10.1080/14680777.2021.1996422. ISSN 1468-0777. S2CID 240267605. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  15. ^ Ritzenhoff, Karen A.; Metlić, Dijana; Szaniawski, Jeremi (2022). "Introduction". Gender, Power, and Identity in The Films of Stanley Kubrick. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-20817-4.
  16. ^ "How Filming 1962's Lolita Destroyed Actress Sue Lyon's Life". Grunge. August 11, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Winners & Nominees 1963". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  18. ^ "California Dreamgirl". Vanity Fair. November 20, 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "Donovan," waybackattack.com.
  20. ^ "Sue Lyon attends a party with Hampton Fancher in Los Angeles". Getty Images. 1962. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c "Lolita actress 'could keep people guessing'". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Washington Post. January 3, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  22. ^ "Sue Lyon, actress who portrayed Lolita in scandalous 1962 movie, dies at 73". Washington Post. December 29, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d "Notes on People". The New York Times. November 15, 1974. Retrieved June 17, 2023. Actress Sue Lyon, who married Colorado State Penitentiary inmate Gary (Cotton) Adamson in Nov '73, says she is divorcing him because people ...
  24. ^ "Actress Released From Hospital". The Lincoln Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. June 25, 1976. Retrieved June 17, 2023 – via archive.org.
  25. ^ "1973 Press Photo Sue Lyon marry Colorado State inmate Gary Adamson". eBay. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  26. ^ Cupp, David (February 27, 1974). "Manier & Cotton Adamson in Adamson's cell. Wall had pix of Adamson's wife". Getty Images. The Denver Post. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  27. ^ "Creamery robbery leads to murder". Michael Carrigan for Denver DA. January 20, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Sue Lyon. glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  29. ^ a b Olsen, Mark (December 28, 2019). "Sue Lyon, teenage star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' is dead at 73". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  30. ^ "Sue Lyon". TV Guide. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  31. ^ "Sue Lyon". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  32. ^ The Loretta Young Show. "S7 E6 : 'Alien Love'". youtube. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  33. ^ Wheat, Lorraine (December 28, 2019). "'Lolita' Star Sue Lyon Dies at 73". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  34. ^ "LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE - "Love and the Bed" - Season One - Sue Lyon and Roger Perry starred in a story about the battle for the ownership of a brass bed". Getty Images. December 29, 1969. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
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