CINEFILER

Dawn Addams

Born
September 21, 1930
Died
May 7, 1985
Victoria Dawn Addams (21 September 1930 – 7 May 1985) was a British actress, particularly in Hollywood motion pictures of the 1950s and on British television in the 1960s and 1970s. She became a princess in 1954 (until 1971). Addams was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, England, the daughter of Ethel Mary (née Hickie) and Captain James Ramage Addams, of the Royal Air Force. Her mother died when she was young, and she spent her early life in Calcutta, India. Addams' face and physique attracted the attention of talent agents. In December 1950, she signed a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Her film career began with a role in Night into Morning (1951), and her subsequent MGM films included Singin' in the Rain (1952), Plymouth Adventure (1952), Young Bess (1953) and the female lead opposite Peter Lawford in The Hour of 13 (1952). She played David Niven's daughter in The Moon Is Blue (1953), a film which helped loosen the system of censorship of Hollywood which had been in place since 1934. She also embarked on a USO tour the same year to help entertain troops in Korea. She worked steadily in films during the remainder of the 1950s, including a heavily publicised role as Richard Carlson's model girlfriend in the science fiction film Riders to the Stars (1954) and the female lead opposite actor-director-filmmaker legend Charlie Chaplin in his final comedy to star himself, A King in New York (1957). During the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared mainly in British TV shows and French films. She was a semi-regular on the instructional series En France (1962) and the leading lady in several episodes of The Saint (1962–69), which starred Roger Moore as Simon Templar. Among her last film credits were two British horror films, The Vampire Lovers (1970) and The Vault of Horror (1973), and she was also a regular in the British sitcom Father, Dear Father (1971–1973). One of her last television roles was in the science fiction serial Star Maidens (1977). Addams retired in the early 1980s, dividing her remaining years between Europe and the United States. She married Don Vittorio Emanuele Massimo, Prince of Roccasecca, in 1954; the wedding was the subject of a cover story in Life magazine. They separated four years later, though they did not formally divorce until 1971. Their son, Prince Stefano (b.1955), married Atalanta Foxwell, daughter of film producer Ivan Foxwell and Lady Edith (Lambart), granddaughter of the 9th Earl of Cavan. In 1974 she married retired businessman Jimmy White. Addams died in 1985 in a London hospital at age 54 from lung cancer. Source: Article "Dawn Addams" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Known For
Singin' in the Rain
(1952)
Teresa - a Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
The Robe
(1953)
Junia
The Vampire Lovers
(1970)
The Countess
The Black Tulip
(1964)
La marquise Catherine de Vigogne
A King in New York
(1957)
Ann Kay - TV Specialist
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
(1960)
Kitty Jekyll
The Vault of Horror
(1973)
Inez (segment 3 "This Trick'll Kill You")
Zeta One
(1969)
Zeta
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse
(1960)
Marion Menil
Plymouth Adventure
(1952)
Priscilla Mullins
Full Filmography
Acting
The Unknown Man
(1951)
Ellie Fansworth
Night Into Morning
(1951)
Dottie Phelps
Plymouth Adventure
(1952)
Priscilla Mullins
The Hour of 13
(1952)
Jane Frensham
Singin' in the Rain
(1952)
Teresa - a Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
The Robe
(1953)
Junia
The Moon Is Blue
(1953)
Cynthia Slater
The Girl on The Roof
(1953)
Cynthia Slader
Young Bess
(1953)
Kate Howard
Riders to the Stars
(1954)
Susan Manners
Return to Treasure Island
(1954)
Jamesina 'Jamie' Hawkins
Khyber Patrol
(1954)
Diana Rivington
The Woman Who Came from the Sea
(1954)
Mizar
Count of Bragelonne
(1954)
Hélène de Winter
The Secrets of the Bed
(1954)
Janet
Rommel's Treasure
(1955)
Sofia
Four of the Thundering Jet
(1955)
Moglie di Rovi
The House of Intrigue
(1956)
Mary
A King in New York
(1957)
Ann Kay - TV Specialist
The Silent Enemy
(1958)
Third Officer Jill Masters, W.R.N.S
Come Dance with Me!
(1959)
Anita Florès
Pensione Edelweiss
(1959)
Nadia Rakesy
The Treasure of San Teresa
(1959)
Hedi von Hartmann
The Scarlet Baroness
(1959)
Szaga de Bor
Prisoner of the Volga
(1959)
Irina Tatyana
The Black Chapel
(1959)
Tilla Turner
Temptation
(1959)
Victoria
Secret professionnel
(1959)
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll
(1960)
Kitty Jekyll
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse
(1960)
Marion Menil
The Angry Young Men
(1960)
Irene
House of Sin
(1961)
Norma O'Brien
Follow That Man
(1961)
Janet Clark
The £20,000 Kiss
(1962)
Maxine Hagen
Sentimental Education
(1962)
Catherine Dambreuse
Come Fly with Me
(1963)
Katie Rinard
The Black Tulip
(1964)
La marquise Catherine de Vigogne
Ballad in Blue
(1965)
Gina Graham
Where the Bullets Fly
(1966)
Felicity 'Fiz' Moonlight
Zeta One
(1969)
Zeta
The Vampire Lovers
(1970)
The Countess
A Room in Town
(1970)
Margo
Sappho
(1971)
Marianne
The Bargain Hunters
(1971)
Cynthia Fenton
The Vault of Horror
(1973)
Inez (segment 3 "This Trick'll Kill You")
A Friend Indeed
(1973)
Rosie Butterfield
Chaplin Today: 'A King in New York'
(2003)
Self (archive footage)
Die 1000 Glotzböbbel vom Dr. Mabuse
(2018)
Sabine Hirrlinger (archive footage)
Data provided by TMDB