Bella Darvi(1928-1971)
- Actress
Bella Darvi became a 50s symbol for one of the many movie "Cinderellas"
whose bright and beautiful Hollywood fairy tale would come crashing
down, ending in bitterness and tragedy. A self-destructive brunette
beauty, her life was full of misfortune. Of Polish/French descent, she
miraculously survived the tortures of a WWII concentration camp as a
youth, only to get caught up in the phony glitter and high-living style
of Monaco's casinos as a young adult in Europe. An inveterate gambler
and drinker, she was, by chance, "discovered" by movie mogul
Darryl F. Zanuck and his wife,
Virginia Fox, who thought she had a foreign
cinematic allure à la
Ingrid Bergman. Despite her lack
of acting experience, the Zanucks paid off her gambling debts and
whisked her away to Hollywood to be groomed for stardom. Her marquee
name "Darvi" was derived from the combined first names of her mentors.
It should have been a dream-come-true opportunity. Fate, however, would
not be so kind. After three high profile roles in
The Egyptian (1954),
Hell and High Water (1954)
and The Racers (1955) opposite three
top male films stars (Victor Mature,
Richard Widmark and
Kirk Douglas, respectively),
Darvi's limited abilities were painfully transparent. Not only was she
hampered by an ever-so-slight crossed-eyed appearance, she had a trace
of a lisp which, combined with a foreign accent, made her speech appear
slurred and difficult to understand. It didn't take long for the
actress to go off the deep end. Within a short time, a major sex
scandal involving Mr. Zanuck had wife Virginia packing Darvi's bags and
any "career" she once had here in America was over. She retreated back
to Europe, made a few inconsequential films, and quickly returned to
her adverse habits -- liquor and the gambling tables. But this time
there was no one to save her. Mounting debts and despair eventually
turned her thoughts to suicide. After several attempts, Darvi finally
succeeded in 1971 by turning on the gas stove in her apartment. She
was only 42.
