Dolores Donlon (born Patricia Vaniver; September 19, 1920 – November 30, 2012) was an American model and actress.[1]
Dolores Donlon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Patricia Vaniver September 19, 1920 |
| Died | November 30, 2012 (aged 92) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Other names | Delores Donlon, Pat Van Iver |
| Occupations | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1944-1962 |
| Spouse(s) |
Robert dePasquale (m. 1962; div. 19??) Fernando Mendez (m. 1974; div. 19??) |
Career
editBorn in 1920 in Philadelphia and raised in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, Donlon attended a convent school in Tarrytown, New York. She later trimmed a few years off her age by claiming 1926 was her year of birth when she began modeling in the mid-1940s under the name Pat Van Iver.[2] for the Walter Thornton Model Agency.[3] She began acting in 1948 with uncredited walk-on parts in movies including Dough Girls and Easter Parade.
In 1946, she was elected Queen of the Ball by the New York Press Photographers Association.[4] By 1954, she was playing credited roles in movies such as The Long Wait and Security Risk, and appearing in television series. Her television credits include roles in Have Gun - Will Travel, The Texan, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Maverick, Perry Mason, The Jack Benny Program, 77 Sunset Strip and I Love Lucy.
In 1957, Donlon was Playboy's August Playmate of the Month.[1]
She starred in Italian director Franco Rossi's 1961 film Nude Odyssey.[5]
Marriages
editDonlon married to Hollywood talent agent Victor Orsatti in 1949;[6] they separated in 1958 and were divorced in 1960.[7][8] She retired from acting in 1962, after marrying New York Philharmonic violinist Robert dePasquale.[9] She later divorced dePasquale and married Fernando Mendez. That union also ended in divorce.[9] All three marriages were childless.[9]
Death
editDonlon died in her native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 30, 2012, aged 92.[10]
Filmography
edit- 1959 Perry Mason as Dawn Manning, episode: "The Case of the Calendar Girl"
References
edit- 1 2 "Playmate data". Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ↑ "The Face Is the Same But Not the Name". The Des Moines Register. November 10, 1957. p. 88. Retrieved June 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Agent Finds Model, Sues". Los Angeles Daily News. October 22, 1954. p. 11. Retrieved May 14, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Press Reports". Popular Photography. Vol. 19, no. 6. December 1946. p. 206. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
- ↑ Johnson, Erskine (October 16, 1960). "How Dolores Got Starring Role is Hollywood Odyssey". Star-Banner. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Talent Agent Victor Orsatti". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 14, 1984.
- ↑ "Vic Orsatti's Third Wife to File Suit". Los Angeles Times. September 29, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Dolores Donlon Seeks Divorce". Indiana Gazette. Associated Press. January 26, 1960. p. 12. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 "Dolores Donlon Profile". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
- ↑ "Patricia Dolores Mendez | 1920 - 2012 | Obituary". terranovafuneralhome.com. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
