biography

Rhonda Fleming Born Marilyn Louis in Hollywood on August 10, 1923, knockout redhead actress Rhonda Fleming was a natural for films and began making rounds at the studios while still in her teens. Studios began to take note of the beautiful girl, and soon she was working in films as a bit player. After two years of small roles, producer David O. Selznick put her under contract, changing her name to Rhonda Fleming in the process. Her first film for Selznick was the wartime drama Since You Went Away (1944), along with another young Selznick discovery, Guy Madison. The producer also cast her in two thrillers: Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945; with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck) and Robert Siodmak's The Spiral Staircase (1946; with Dorothy McGuire and George Brent). Both films were very important in Fleming's career, especially her terrific performance as a mental patient in Spellbound. In 1947, Fleming signed with Paramount; her first film for the studio was the two-color Cinecolor process adventure flick Adventure Island (1947; with Rory Calhoun). With her green eyes and auburn tresses, Fleming photographed so beautifully that she soon became known as the "Queen of Technicolor."

Rhonda FlemingRhonda Fleming

Rhonda Fleming photographed very well in color shots

In the 1950s, Fleming starred in a number of costume epics including Serpent of the Nile (1953; with William Lundigan and Raymond Burr and Yankee Pasha (1954; with Jeff Chandler and Mamie Van Doren). In 1957, Fleming left Paramount in order to freelance. She married her third husband, actor Lang Jeffries, in April 1960, and shortly afterward the couple starred in the peplum The Revolt of the Slaves (1961). But the marriage was over by 1962. Afterward, Fleming cooled her acting career, taking on film roles sporadically throughout the 1960s and 1970s in such films as The Patsy (1964; with Jerry Lewis), Backtrack! (1969; with Peter Brown, Doug McClure, and William Smith), and Love for Rent (1979; with Annette O'Toole, David Selby, and Darren McGavin).

the films of rhonda fleming

Crosswinds (1951)

John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, and Forrest Tucker

From the Paramount adventure Crosswinds with John Payne and Forrest Tucker

Hong Kong (1951)

Rhonda Fleming, Danny Chang, and Ronald Reagan

With Danny Chang and Ronald Reagan in the Paramount adventure Hong Kong

Little Egypt (1951)

Rhonda Fleming

Fleming as Izora in Universal's Little Egypt

Inferno (1953)

Rhonda Fleming and William LundiganRhonda Fleming and William Lundigan

With William Lundigan in the 20th Century Fox thriller Inferno, originally released in 3-D

Yankee Pasha (1954)

Mamie Van Doren and Rhonda Fleming

Fleming clocks Mamie Van Doren in this scene from Universal-International's costume adventure Yankee Pasha

Tennessee's Partner (1955)

Rhonda Fleming, John Payne, and Ronald Reagan

With John Payne and Ronald Reagan in the western Tennessee's Partner, released by RKO

Slightly Scarlet (1956)

Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl

With Arlene Dahl in the RKO film-noir thriller Slightly Scarlet

Bullwhip (1958)

Rhonda Fleming and Guy Madison

With Guy Madison in the Allied Artists western Bullwhip

The Big Circus (1959)

Rhonda Fleming and Kathryn Grant

With Kathryn Grant in the Allied Artists drama The Big Circus

The Revolt of the Slaves (1960)

Lang Jeffries and Rhonda FlemingRhonda Fleming and Lang Jeffries

With then-husband Lang Jeffries in the peplum The Revolt of the Slaves

Follow the Sun (1961-1962 ABC TV Series)

Gary Lockwood and Rhonda Fleming

Fleming with Gary Lockwood in a March 1962 guest spot on the ABC TV series Follow the Sun

The Crowded Sky (1961)

Rhonda Fleming and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Fleming gets cozy with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in the Warner Bros. adventure The Crowded Sky

Wagon Train (1957-1965 NBC TV Series)

Rhonda Fleming and Robert Fuller

With series regular Robert Fuller in a December 1963 episode of Wagon Train titled The Sandra Cummings Story

Ellery Queen (1975-1976 NBC TV Series)

Rhonda Fleming and Jim Hutton

With Jim Hutton in an October 1975 episode of Ellery Queen titled The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party

The Nude Bomb (1980)

Rhonda Fleming

Fleming as Edith Von Secondberg in the Get Smart comedy The Nude Bomb, released by Universal

later years

Rhonda Fleming officially retired from the screen after her appearance in The Nude Bomb (1980). She married producer Hall Bartlett in 1966 and divorced him in the early 1970s. In 1977, she married producer and theatre-chain owner Ted Mann, who left her a widow in 2001. She married her sixth husband in 2003. She was a philanthropist whose contributions to society included the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer. Sadly, Rhonda Fleming passed away on October 14, 2020, at age 97. She is survived by her son, granddaughters, and great grandchildren.

filmography

FILM
The Nude Bomb (1980) with Don Adams, Sylvia Kristel, Dana Elcar, Bill Dana, and Vittorio Gassman
Love for Rent (1979) with Annette O'Toole, David Selby, Darren McGavin, and Catherine Hicks
Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
Last Hours Before Morning (1975) with Robert Alda, Thalmus Rasulala, Don Porter, and Victoria Principal
Backtrack! (1969) with Neville Brand, Peter Brown, Philip Carey, Gary Clarke, Fernando Lamas, Ida Lupino, Doug McClure, and William Smith
Run for Your Wife (1966) with Ugo Tognazzi and Juliet Prowse
The Patsy (1964) with Jerry Lewis, Phil Harris, Keenan Wynn, Peter Lorre, John Carradine, and Hans Conried
The Revolt of the Slaves (1961) with Lang Jeffries, Fernando Rey, and Burt Nelson
The Crowded Sky (1961) with Dana Andrews, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Anne Francis, Troy Donahue, and Patsy Kelly
The Big Circus (1959) with Victor Mature, Kathryn Grant, Red Buttons, Vincent Price, Gilbert Roland, Peter Lorre, and David Nelson
Alias Jesse James (1959) with Bob Hope, Wendell Corey, Gloria Talbott, and Glenn Strange
Home Before Dark (1958) with Jean Simmons, Dan O'Herlihy, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Mabel Albertson, and Joan Weldon
Bullwhip (1958) with Guy Madison and Burt Nelson
The Buster Keaton Story (1957) with Donald O'Connor and Ann Blyth
Gun Glory (1957) with Stewart Granger, Chill Wills, and James Gregory
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Earl Holliman, Dennis Hopper, and Martin Milner
Odongo (1956) with Macdonald Carey
Slightly Scarlet (1956) with John Payne, Arlene Dahl, and Lance Fuller
While the City Sleeps (1956) with Vincent Price, Dana Andrews, Howard Duff, George Sanders, and Sally Forrest
The Killer Is Loose (1956) with Joseph Cotten, Wendell Corey, Alan Hale Jr., and John Larch
Tennessee's Partner (1955) with John Payne, Ronald Reagan, and Coleen Gray
The Queen of Babylon (1955) with Ricardo Montalban
Yankee Pasha (1954) with Jeff Chandler, Mamie Van Doren, and Rex Reason
Jivaro (1954) with Fernando Lamas and Brian Keith
Inferno (1953) with Robert Ryan, William Lundigan, and Carl Betz
Pony Express (1953) with Charlton Heston and Jan Sterling
Serpent of the Nile (1953) with Raymond Burr and Julie Newmar
Those Redheads from Seattle (1953) with Gene Barry
Tropic Zone (1953) with Ronald Reagan, Noah Beery Jr., and Grant Withers
The Golden Hawk (1952) with Sterling Hayden
Crosswinds (1951) with John Payne, Forrest Tucker, and Alan Mowbray
Hong Kong (1951) with Ronald Reagan and Nigel Bruce
Little Egypt (1951) with Mark Stevens and Charles Drake
Cry Danger (1951) with Dick Powell and William Conrad
Cavarly Charge (1951) with Ronald Reagan, Bruce Bennett, Bill Williams, and Hugh Beaumont
The Eagle and the Hawk (1950) with John Payne
The Redhead and the Cowboy (1950) with Glenn Ford
The Great Lover (1949) with Bob Hope and George Reeves
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) with Bing Crosby
Out of the Past (1947) with Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas
Adventure Island (1947) with Rory Calhoun and Paul Kelly
The Spiral Staircase (1946) with Dorothy McGuire and George Brent
Abilene Town (1946) with Randolph Scott and Lloyd Bridges
Spellbound (1945) with Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, and Leo G. Carroll
When Strangers Marry (1944) with Robert Mitchum
Since You Went Away (1944) with Claudette Colbert, Shirley Temple, and Guy Madison

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Love Boat, episode Heads or Tails/Little People, The/Mona of the Movies, originally aired November 25, 1978
Ellery Queen, episode The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party, originally aired October 30, 1975
Kung Fu, episode Ambush, originally aired April 4, 1975
Police Woman, episode Anatomy of Two Rapes, originally aired October 11, 1974
McMillan & Wife, episode Cross and Double Cross, originally aired February 17, 1974
Needles and Pins, episode It Was a Very Good Line, originally aired October 5, 1973
Search, episode The Clayton Lewis Document, originally aired February 14, 1973
The Virginian, episode We've Lost a Train, originally aired April 21, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed 711?, originally aired December 9, 1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, episode Have Girls, Will Travel, originally aired October 16, 1964
Wagon Train, episode The Sandra Cummings Story, originally aired December 2, 1963
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Wade Walker?, originally aired November 15, 1963
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Captains Outrageous, originally aired May 31, 1963
Death Valley Days, episode Loss of Faith, originally aired December 31, 1962
The Bell Telephone Hour, episode Till Autumn, originally aired April 27, 1962
Follow the Sun, episode Marine of the Month, originally aired March 4, 1962
The Red Skelton Hour, episode Freddie's Romance, originally aired October 31, 1961
The Dick Powell Theatre, episode John J. Diggs, originally aired October 17, 1961
The Investigators, episode Murder on Order, originally aired October 5, 1961
Hong Kong, episode The Woman in Grey, originally aired March 8, 1961
Wagon Train, episode The Patience Miller Story, originally aired January 11, 1961
Wagon Train, episode The Jennifer Churchill Story, originally aired October 15, 1958
The Ford Television Theatre, episode South of Selangor, originally aired December 15, 1955
The Best of Broadway, episode Stage Door, originally aired April 6, 1955

rhonda fleming film now showing

Watch Rhonda Fleming's 1956 noir thriller The Killer Is Loose
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This page premiered June 17, 2002.
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