#bella darvi

[manyother]

Alain Delon and Polish actress Bella Darvi.

The picture was taken during The Cannes Film Festival on May 5, 1958.

[hellooldsmelly]

[bitter69uk]

Born on this day: ill-fated Polish starlet Bella Darvi (née Bajla Węgier, 23 October 1928 - 11 September 1971), one of the many protégées (more accurately, mistresses) that 20th Century Fox magnate Darryl Zanuck unsuccessfully groomed for stardom in the fifties. (As Kenneth Anger leers in Hollywood Babylon II (1984), “Of all Hollywood’s “piggy” moguls, Zanuck was the biggest casting couch hog”). After discovering Darvi in Paris in June 1951 and importing her to Hollywood, Zanuck launched the publicity build-up: “A newly arrived French doll by the name of Bella Darvi, who has the voice of Marlene Dietrich, the eyes of Simone Simon and the allure of Corinne Calvet, is hitting Hollywood with the impact of TNT. She’s got zip, zoom and zowie and in parlez-vous she is ravissante, chi-chi and très élégante.” Unfortunately, movie audiences were underwhelmed by Darvi’s performances in Hell and High Water (1954) and Biblical epic The Egyptian (1954, pictured) and she ignominiously returned to Paris. Her messy later years were blighted by gambling addiction (according to Wikipedia “In 1956, she reportedly lost $1,000 in two minutes at the casino then $65,000 in two days … Zanuck was still paying off her debts as late as 1970. She would win and lose up to £30,000 a night”) and Darvi died of suicide aged 42 in Monte Carlo in 1971.

[colorhollywood]

Bella Darvi (23 October 1928 — 11 September 1971)

Film: The Egyptian (1954)

[musicandoldmovies]

Alain Delon and Bella Darvi (1958)

[gatutor]

Bella Darvi-Kirk Douglas "Hombres temerarios" (The racers) 1955, de Henry Hathaway.

[mydailyvintagephotos]

Remembering Bella Darvi 🌹🕊on her Birthday 🎂

[withnailrules]

Bella Darvi