Sue Lyon

Sue Lyon was an American actress, best known for her role as Dolores "Lolita" Haze in the 1962 film adaptation of Lolita.
== Biography ==
=== Early years ===
Suellyn "Sue" Lyon was born on July 10, 1946, in Davenport, Iowa, as the youngest of five children. Her father, James Lyon, passed away when she was just 10 months old. Her family then moved to Dallas, Texas, and at age 11, Lyon began working as a model to support her family financially. After three years, her mother, Sue Lyon (née Karr), relocated their family to Los Angeles in search of better opportunities for Lyon. She continued her modeling career until she landed her first acting job, a minor television role, in 1959. 
At the age of 14, Lyon was chosen from 800 teenagers(October 10, 1960). "HOLLYWOOD: Nymphet Found". Time Magazine. Retrieved on October 19, 2023. for the role of Dolores Haze, initially being regarded as the "perfect nymphet." Following its release, she instantly became a star, even being awarded "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 20th Golden Globe Awards.Winners & Nominees 1963 | Golden Globes Because of the film, she had been bound to a 7-year contract with director Stanley Kubrick and producer James B. Harris, under which she starred in four A-list films: The Night of the Iguana in 1964, 7 Women in 1966, and Flim Flam Man and Tony Rome in 1967. She also went on to study acting at Hollywood Professional School.(August 11, 1985). "Hollywood Pro School to Be Auctioned". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2023.HOLLYWOOD PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL (squareone.org) 
=== Post-Lolita career ===
After the contract expired, she began appearing only in low-budget films and minor roles for television. Throughout the '70s, as acting jobs had become more sporadic, Lyon worked several lower-income jobs, such as cocktail waitressing.(November 15, 1974). "Notes on People". The New York Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. She retired from acting in 1981 and avoided being in the public eye from then on."Remembering Sue Lyon, Golden Globe Winner, 1946-2019". Retrieved on October 4, 2023. Lyon's downfall is often credited to a series of controversial marriages, though her daughter blames Lolita and the Kubrick-Harris contract for having restricting her to only "seductive" roles.
== Personal life ==
Lyon married her first husband, 25-year-old actor and later filmmaker Hampton Fancher, at the age of 17. In the following year, she filed for divorce, claiming to have been "alone and miserable" for most of their marriage.(December 9, 1964). "Sue Lyon Divorced". The New York Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. Fancher later admitted that he was wrong to pursue Lyon, given their age and maturity differences. In 1964, her older brother, aged 20, passed away from a drug overdose.(October 17, 1964). "Actress's Brother Found Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2023. It was around this time that Lyon began suffering from depression.
In the late 1960s, she donated her penthouse apartment to people in need and founded her own nonprofit charity, SUE-PAX Inc, though the company was short-lived.(January 4, 2020). "Sue Lyon obituary". The Times. Retrieved on October 12, 2023. She had allegedly been intimate with singer-songwriter Donovan (b. 1946), screenwriter Robert Towne (b. 1934), singer Eddie Fisher (b. 1928), and actor John Ireland (b. 1914).Ireland had several alleged affairs with young girls, including Tuesday Weld, who famously turned down the role of Dolores in Lolita, saying "I don't need to play it. I am Lolita." Ireland was also in an alleged relationship with Shelley Winters, who portrayed Dolores' mother in the 1962 film.
In 1971, she married Roland Harrison, an African-American photographer and football coach(July 5, 1971). "Sue Lyon Wed in Las Vegas". The New York Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2023., prompting overwhelming backlash from the public due to their racial difference.Racial intermarriage was generally frowned upon during this time. State laws banning interracial marriage were not declared unconstitutional until 1967 (Loving v. Virginia), just four years after Lyon married Harrison. In May 1972, their daughter, Nona Harrison, was born; that same month, Lyon and Harrison divorced."Sue Lyon". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved on October 9, 2023. She then moved to Denver, Colorado, where she would work as a cocktail waitress. In 1973, while volunteering as a public defender, she met Gary D. "Cotton" Adamson, who had been convicted of armed robbery and second-degree murder. They maintained their relationship through letters and frequent visits, and were married within prison walls that same year.:File:Sue prison wedding.jpgLyon also began advocating for prison reform and conjugal rights during this time, but was unsuccessful. In 1974, however, Adamson escaped and committed yet another holdup and Lyon filed for divorce soon after, due to their relationship having negatively affected her career.
In the following years, the failing actress' mental health, satiated with pills, cigarettes, and alcohol, began to rapidly decline. She would allegedly be bedridden for months at a time, leaving Nona to care for their home. In 1984, she divorced from a brief, abusive marriage to Edward Weathers, and, incapable of caring for her, abandoned Nona. In 1985, she married her final husband, radio engineer Richard Rudman, with whom she claimed to be very happy.:File:Sue letter 1.jpg Rudman, however, would later regretfully admit that he had acted as an "enabler" for Lyon. They were married for 17 years before divorcing in 2002.
==="Lolita" and James B. Harris===
In California, Lyon was close friends with Michelle Gilliam, who would later be known as Michelle Phillips from the Mamas and the Papas.Sue Lyon Interview (youtube.com) 
In the summer of '62, Lyon and producer James B. Harris embarked on a press tour for the film, during which, Harris' sexualization of Lyon led newspapers to believe that the two had been in a relationship. The Washington Post suggested that Lyon, aged 15, had "bowled over" Harris, 32 and married, and much enjoyed the company of older men. The two were even asked if they had plans of marriage, and Harris reportedly followed her across the country after the tour. Phillips would later confirm that the nature of Lyon and Harris's relationship had been sexual, except that it had happened in England when Lyon was 14.The age of consent in England (where the affair would've taken place) was 16 and 18 in California; therefore, under no circumstances was the affair legal or consensual. Lyon and Harris reportedly remained "very good friends" for several years, being that Lyon was under contract with Harris and Kubrick.
In 1996, Lyon made a rare press appearance to discuss Adrian Lyne's then-upcoming adaptation of Lolita. Regarding the 1962 adaptation, she stated: 
Lyon did, however, state in another interview that Kubrick and her cast members, specifically James Mason, had been very kind to her while on set.
==Death==
Lyon died at the age of 73 in an assisted living facility in Los Angeles, on the morning of December 26, 2019, after being in poor health for some time.
==Filmography==
===Film===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1962	Lolita 	Dolores "Lolita" Haze	
1964	The Night of the Iguana 	Charlotte Goodall 	
1966	7 Women 	Emma Clark 	
1967	The Flim-Flam Man 	Bonnie Lee Packard 	
1967	Tony Rome 	Diana Pines 	
1969	Arsenic and Old Lace 	Elaine Dodd 	TV movie
1969	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 	
1973	Tarot 	Angela 	
1976	Smash-Up on Interstate 5 	Burnsey 	TV movie
1976	Crash! 	Kim Denne 	
1977	End of the World 	Sylvia Boran 	
1977	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
1978	Towing 	Lynn 	
1980	Alligator 	NBC Newswoman 	
===Television===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1959 	The Loretta Young TV Show	Laurie 	1 episode
1960 	Dennis the Menace 	Blonde with Valentine Card (uncredited)	1 episode
1969–1974	Love, American Style 	Barbara Eric
Julie 	2 episodes
1970 	The Virginian 	Belinda Ballard 	1 episode
1971 	Men at Law 	Bunny Phillips 	1 episode
1971 	Night Gallery 	Betsy 	1 episode
1978 	Police Story 	Caroline 	1 episode
1978 	Fantasy Island 	Jill Nolan 	1 episode
== Gallery ==
== Notes ==
== References ==
Category:1962 film cast
Category:Actresses