Dorothy Malone

Dorothy Malone got married to actor Jacques Bergerac in 1959. The couple had two daughters, Mimi and Diane, before separating in 1964. The duo was engaged in a long legal custody battle which ended with Dorothy eventually winning the primary custody of the children.

The actress then went on to marry stockbroker Robert Tomarkin in 1969. Unfortunately, her marriage with Tomarkin lasted just a few months.

Her third marriage was with businessman Charles Huston Bell in 1971 which ended after two years.

Dorothy Malone was born as Dorothy Eloise Maloney on January 30, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as one of the five kids of Esther Emma "Eloise" Smith and her husband Robert Ignatius Maloney Sr., an auditor who worked in the telephone company AT&T Corporation.

Her siblings were Patsy Jane, Joan Esther, Robert Bruce, and George William Maloney. Both her sisters died from polio related complications and one of her brothers was later killed by lightning while on a golf course.

In July 1925, she moved with her family to Dallas, Texas where she attended Hockaday School for Girls, Ursuline Convent, and Highland Park High School. Later, she studied at the Southern Methodist University with the ambition of becoming a nurse.

At the age of 18, Dorothy Malone was signed by RKO under her actual name, Dorothy Maloney. In 1943, she made her film debut by appearing as a model in ‘Gildersleeve on Broadway’.

She then acted in the movies ‘The Falcon and the Co-eds’, ‘Higher and Higher’, ‘Step Lively’, ‘Show Business’, ‘Youth Runs Wild’, and ‘One Mysterious Night’.

She signed a deal with Warner Bros in 1944 and went on to act in the movies ‘Hollywood Canteen’, ‘Too Young to Know’ and ‘Frontier Days’. The actress first came into the limelight when she was cast in the 1946 film ‘The Big Sleep’. She then went on to get bigger roles in the movies ‘Janie Gets Married’, ‘Night and Day’ and ‘To the Victor’.

She played her first lead role in the 1948 movie ‘Two Guys from Texas’. After this, she appeared in the films ‘One Sunday Afternoon’, ‘Flaxy Martin’, ‘South of St. Louis’ and ‘Colorado Territory’ before leaving the studio in 1949.

In the year 1950, Malone was cast as Karen Galt in the flick ‘The Nevadan’. She then had roles in the films ‘Convicted’ and ‘The Killer That Stalked New York’. Soon after this, she played Lola Gillway and Dr. Ann F. Rollins in the movies ‘Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone’ and ‘Saddle Legion’ respectively.

In 1955, Dorothy Malone had a major role the movie ‘Battle Cry’ in which she played the role of a married lady who has a love affair with a young soldier during the Second World War. The movie was a big hit.

From 1964 to 1968, she played the role of Constance MacKenzie Carson in the drama series ‘Peyton Place’. With this role, she established herself as a successful TV actress as well. This performance won her numerous awards and accolades.