Early life Fleming was born Marilyn Louis on August 10, 1923, in
Hollywood, California to Harold Cheverton Louis, an insurance salesman, and Effie Graham, a stage actress who had appeared opposite
Al Jolson in the musical
Dancing Around at New York's
Winter Garden Theatre from 1914 to 1915. Fleming's maternal grandfather was John C. Graham, an actor, theater owner and newspaper editor in
Utah. She was named after
Marilyn Miller, who was a friend of her mother. graduating in 1941. She was discovered by the well-known Hollywood agent
Henry Willson, who changed her name from Marilyn Louis to Rhonda Fleming. Fleming said later, "It's so weird ... He stopped me crossing the street. It kinda scared me a little bit – I was only 16 or 17. He signed me to a seven-year contract without a screen test. It was a Cinderella story, but those things could happen in those days."
David O. Selznick photo of Fleming for
Yank, the Army Weekly in 1944 Fleming's agent Willson went to work for
David O. Selznick, who signed her to a contract. She had bit parts in
In Old Oklahoma (1943),
Since You Went Away (1944) for Selznick, and
When Strangers Marry (1944). Fleming received her first substantial role in the thriller
Spellbound (1945), produced by Selznick and directed by
Alfred Hitchcock. She later said, "Hitch told me I was going to play a nymphomaniac. I remember rushing home to look it up in the dictionary and being quite shocked." The film was a success and Selznick offered her another good role in the thriller
The Spiral Staircase (1946), directed by
Robert Siodmak. Selznick lent her to appear in supporting parts in the
Randolph Scott Western
Abilene Town (1946) at
United Artists and the
film noir classic
Out of the Past (1947) with
Robert Mitchum and
Kirk Douglas at
RKO. Fleming auditioned for the female lead in the
Bing Crosby film in ''
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1949), a
musical loosely based on the story by
Mark Twain. Fleming exhibited her singing ability, dueting with Crosby on "Once and For Always" and soloing with "When Is Sometime". They recorded the songs for a three-disc, 78-rpm
Decca album conducted by
Victor Young, who wrote the film's orchestral score. Fleming's vocal coach
Harriet Lee praised her "lovely voice", saying, "she could be a musical comedy queen." The film was Fleming's first in
Technicolor. Her fair complexion and bright red hair photographed exceptionally well and she was nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor." Fleming next starred with
Bob Hope in the hit film
The Great Lover (1949), which established her as a star. She later said, "After that, I wasn't fortunate enough to get good directors. I made the mistake of doing lesser films for good money. I was hot—they all wanted me—but I didn't have the guidance or background to judge for myself." In February 1949, Selznick sold his contract players to
Warner Bros., but he kept Fleming. In 1950 Fleming portrayed
John Payne's love interest in the Western film
The Eagle and the Hawk. In 1950, she ended her association with Selznick after eight years, although five years remained in her contract with him.
Paramount Fleming signed a three-picture deal with Paramount. Pine-Thomas cast her as
Ronald Reagan's leading lady in the Western
The Last Outpost (1951), John Payne's leading lady in the adventure film
Crosswinds (1951) and with Reagan again in
Hong Kong (1951). Fleming was top-billed for
Sam Katzman's
The Golden Hawk (1952) with
Sterling Hayden, then was reunited with Reagan for
Tropic Zone (1953) at Pine-Thomas. In 1953, Fleming portrayed
Cleopatra in Katzman's
Serpent of the Nile for Columbia. That same year, she appeared with
Charlton Heston in the Western
Pony Express for Paramount and in two films shot in
3D,
Inferno with
Robert Ryan at Fox and the musical
Those Redheads From Seattle with
Gene Barry for Pine-Thomas. The following year, she starred with
Fernando Lamas in
Jivaro, her third 3D film, at Pine-Thomas. She went to Universal for
Yankee Pasha (1954) with Jeff Chandler. Fleming also traveled to Italy to play
Semiramis in
Queen of Babylon (1954). Fleming was reunited with Payne and fellow redhead
Arlene Dahl in a noir at RKO,
Slightly Scarlet (1956). She appeared in other thrillers that year:
The Killer Is Loose (1956) with
Joseph Cotten and
Fritz Lang's
While the City Sleeps (1956), costarring
Dana Andrews, at
RKO. Fleming was top-billed in an adventure film for
Warwick Films,
Odongo (1956). She later appeared at the
Hollywood Bowl in a one-woman concert. She appeared in the
Irwin Allen/
Joseph M. Newman production of
The Big Circus (1959), costarring
Victor Mature and
Vincent Price, for Allied Artists, whom Fleming later sued for unpaid profits. Fleming traveled to Italy again to film
The Revolt of the Slaves (1959) and was second-billed in
The Crowded Sky (1960).
Television During the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s, Fleming frequently appeared on television with guest-starring roles on
The Red Skelton Show,
The Best of Broadway,
The Investigators,
Shower of Stars,
The Dick Powell Show,
Wagon Train, ''
Burke's Law, The Virginian, McMillan & Wife, Police Woman, Kung Fu, Ellery Queen and The Love Boat''. On September 30, 1951, Fleming sang live on
NBC's
Colgate Comedy Hour, broadcast from the
El Capitan Theater in
Hollywood. In 1958, Fleming recorded her only
LP, entitled
Rhonda. For the album, which was released by
Columbia Records, she blended current songs such as "
Around the World" with standards such as "
Love Me or Leave Me" and "
I've Got You Under My Skin". Conductor-arranger
Frank Comstock provided the musical direction. In December 1962, Fleming was cast as the glamorous Kitty Bolton in the episode "Loss of Faith" of the
syndicated anthology series Death Valley Days, hosted by
Stanley Andrews.
Later career In the 1960s, Fleming became involved with other businesses and began performing regularly on stage and in Las Vegas. One of her final film roles was a bit part as Edith von Secondburg in the comedy
The Nude Bomb (1980) starring
Don Adams. She also appeared in
Waiting for the Wind (1990). Fleming has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2007, a Golden Palm Star on the
Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her. ==Personal life and death==