Biography
The United Kingdom's equivalent of Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors (born Diana May Fluck), earned admiration from England's rock musicians. She graced the cover artwork of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as well as the Smiths' 1995 compilation Singles, while also making guest appearances in multiple Adam Ant videos, among them the 1980 clip for "Prince Charming," where she played his fairy godmother. The Kinks honored her by placing the Ray Davies-penned track "Good Day" on their Word of Mouth album.
Born to a railroad employee, Dors launched her screen career during her teenage years. Success in regional beauty contests led to an invitation to join a theatrical company when she turned 13. One year later she entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts as the youngest member of her class. Early parts confined her to minor seductive characters, such as an uncredited turn in the 1947 release The Shops at Sly Corner and a brief walk-on in Dancing With Crime several months afterward. Although comedies and dramas of the 1950s offered more substantial opportunities, including a co-starring turn opposite George Gobel in the 1956 film I Married a Woman, she remained largely limited to supporting parts. Her strongest period arrived in the 1970s with roles in The Amorous Milkman, Craze, and Three for All, plus the part of Peter Sellers' ex-wife in There's a Girl in My Soup. She also logged frequent British television appearances, among them a recurring spot on Slim-In alongside the Dors Dozen.
Dors entered into three marriages. Divorce proceedings from her first husband, Dennis Hamilton, had already begun when he died on January 31, 1959. Her second union, to British actor/MC Richard Dawson, later known for Family Feud, concluded in divorce in 1967. Her final marriage proved the most sorrowful: wed to Alan Lake in November 1968, the couple endured a forced year-long separation while Lake served a 1970-1971 prison term for participating in a pub brawl, and he took his own life on October 10, 1984, the sixteenth anniversary of their first meeting.
Not long after finishing her last film, Steaming, in 1982, Dors received a cancer diagnosis. She passed away two years later on May 11, 1984.
Born to a railroad employee, Dors launched her screen career during her teenage years. Success in regional beauty contests led to an invitation to join a theatrical company when she turned 13. One year later she entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts as the youngest member of her class. Early parts confined her to minor seductive characters, such as an uncredited turn in the 1947 release The Shops at Sly Corner and a brief walk-on in Dancing With Crime several months afterward. Although comedies and dramas of the 1950s offered more substantial opportunities, including a co-starring turn opposite George Gobel in the 1956 film I Married a Woman, she remained largely limited to supporting parts. Her strongest period arrived in the 1970s with roles in The Amorous Milkman, Craze, and Three for All, plus the part of Peter Sellers' ex-wife in There's a Girl in My Soup. She also logged frequent British television appearances, among them a recurring spot on Slim-In alongside the Dors Dozen.
Dors entered into three marriages. Divorce proceedings from her first husband, Dennis Hamilton, had already begun when he died on January 31, 1959. Her second union, to British actor/MC Richard Dawson, later known for Family Feud, concluded in divorce in 1967. Her final marriage proved the most sorrowful: wed to Alan Lake in November 1968, the couple endured a forced year-long separation while Lake served a 1970-1971 prison term for participating in a pub brawl, and he took his own life on October 10, 1984, the sixteenth anniversary of their first meeting.
Not long after finishing her last film, Steaming, in 1982, Dors received a cancer diagnosis. She passed away two years later on May 11, 1984.
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