Venetia Stevenson
Italian postcard in the series Divi del Cinema, no. 33, by Vetta Traldi, Milano.
Sultry, glamorous blonde Venetia Stevenson (1938) was a British-born Hollywood starlet of the late 1950s.
Joanna Venetia Invicta Stevenson was born in 1938 in London, England, as the daughter of film director Robert Stevenson and actress Anna Lee, a well-known co-star of the British cinema. The family moved to Hollywood within a year of her birth after her father signed a contract with film producer David Selznick. When her parents divorced in 1944, she stayed with her father and new stepmother, Frances. After an education in exclusive Californian private schools, her theatrical debut was with her mother in the play Liliom in 1955. Stevenson was placed on contract by RKO Pictures in 1956. Venetia took acting lessons and posed for publicity stills but she made little progress there. Venetia Stevenson married MGM actor-dancer, Russ Tamblyn, on Valentine's Day, 1956. She was 17 and they divorced in April 1957, but the two remained friends. A widely-reproduced photo shows Stevenson calmly walking down a Los Angeles street, seemingly unaware that Tamblyn is doing a spectacular backward aerial handspring a few inches away from her. Venetia's photogenic beauty was apparent from the start. She was cast in Where's Charley? (1957), a TV adaptation of Charley's Aunt, alongside Tom Tryon, Jackie Coogan, and Jeanette MacDonald and in three episode of the Western series, Sugarfoot (1957-1958). She made her film debut in Darby's Rangers (William Wellman, 1958), followed by the Western Day of the Outlaw (André De Toth, 1959), starring Robert Ryan and Tina Louise. Stevenson also had a primary role in Studs Lonigan (Irving Lerner, 1960), the film version of the Studs Lonigan trilogy by James T. Farrell.
During her short career, Venetia Stevenson was mostly cast as a beautiful distraction in action-adventure and crime movies. Her films include Island of Lost Women (Frank Tuttle, 1959), Jet Over the Atlantic (Byron Haskin, 1959) with Guy Madison, The Big Night (Sidney Salkow, 1960), and The Sergeant Was a Lady (Bernard Glasser, 1961). A month and half before production of Seven Ways from Sundown (Harry Keller, 1960) began, star Audie Murphy separated from his wife. During filming the chemistry with co-star Stevenson lead to a well-publicized affair that lasted nearly a year. They'd established a bond through their shared love of horses. Stevenson also appeared on television, in episodes of Cheyenne (1957), Colt .45 (1958), The Third Man (1959), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) alongside Burt Reynolds and Harry Dean Stanton. In Great Britain, she made the film The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel (John Moxey, 1960) with Christopher Lee. She played a young coed who uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. When she stays in the Raven's Inn, she discovers she is in a coven of evil witches. In 1962, Stevenson remarried, to Don Everly, one of The Everly Brothers, of Wake Up, Little Susie" fame. Gary Brumburgh at IMDb: "A shapely, lush-lipped knockout, the camera simply adored her and, in her early years, she dotted the covers of several magazines. Her acting talent, however, never measured up and, within a few years, she willingly retired." Stevenson and Everly had two daughters, Stacy and Erin Everly, both model/actresses, and a son, Edan Everly, a musician. Venetia Stevenson divorced Don Everly in 1970 and has not remarried. Erin, the ex-wife of rocker Axl Rose, was the inspiration for several Guns N' Roses songs including Sweet Child o' Mine, where she also appeared in the video. In later years, Venetia Stevenson became a script reader for Burt Reynolds's production company and, subsequently, became vice-president of Cinema Group, a production company that made several films in the 1980s. She did not remarry.
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.
Venetia Stevenson
Italian postcard in the series Divi del Cinema, no. 33, by Vetta Traldi, Milano.
Sultry, glamorous blonde Venetia Stevenson (1938) was a British-born Hollywood starlet of the late 1950s.
Joanna Venetia Invicta Stevenson was born in 1938 in London, England, as the daughter of film director Robert Stevenson and actress Anna Lee, a well-known co-star of the British cinema. The family moved to Hollywood within a year of her birth after her father signed a contract with film producer David Selznick. When her parents divorced in 1944, she stayed with her father and new stepmother, Frances. After an education in exclusive Californian private schools, her theatrical debut was with her mother in the play Liliom in 1955. Stevenson was placed on contract by RKO Pictures in 1956. Venetia took acting lessons and posed for publicity stills but she made little progress there. Venetia Stevenson married MGM actor-dancer, Russ Tamblyn, on Valentine's Day, 1956. She was 17 and they divorced in April 1957, but the two remained friends. A widely-reproduced photo shows Stevenson calmly walking down a Los Angeles street, seemingly unaware that Tamblyn is doing a spectacular backward aerial handspring a few inches away from her. Venetia's photogenic beauty was apparent from the start. She was cast in Where's Charley? (1957), a TV adaptation of Charley's Aunt, alongside Tom Tryon, Jackie Coogan, and Jeanette MacDonald and in three episode of the Western series, Sugarfoot (1957-1958). She made her film debut in Darby's Rangers (William Wellman, 1958), followed by the Western Day of the Outlaw (André De Toth, 1959), starring Robert Ryan and Tina Louise. Stevenson also had a primary role in Studs Lonigan (Irving Lerner, 1960), the film version of the Studs Lonigan trilogy by James T. Farrell.
During her short career, Venetia Stevenson was mostly cast as a beautiful distraction in action-adventure and crime movies. Her films include Island of Lost Women (Frank Tuttle, 1959), Jet Over the Atlantic (Byron Haskin, 1959) with Guy Madison, The Big Night (Sidney Salkow, 1960), and The Sergeant Was a Lady (Bernard Glasser, 1961). A month and half before production of Seven Ways from Sundown (Harry Keller, 1960) began, star Audie Murphy separated from his wife. During filming the chemistry with co-star Stevenson lead to a well-publicized affair that lasted nearly a year. They'd established a bond through their shared love of horses. Stevenson also appeared on television, in episodes of Cheyenne (1957), Colt .45 (1958), The Third Man (1959), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1960) alongside Burt Reynolds and Harry Dean Stanton. In Great Britain, she made the film The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel (John Moxey, 1960) with Christopher Lee. She played a young coed who uses her winter vacation to research a paper on witchcraft in New England. Her professor recommends that she spend her time in a small village called Whitewood. When she stays in the Raven's Inn, she discovers she is in a coven of evil witches. In 1962, Stevenson remarried, to Don Everly, one of The Everly Brothers, of Wake Up, Little Susie" fame. Gary Brumburgh at IMDb: "A shapely, lush-lipped knockout, the camera simply adored her and, in her early years, she dotted the covers of several magazines. Her acting talent, however, never measured up and, within a few years, she willingly retired." Stevenson and Everly had two daughters, Stacy and Erin Everly, both model/actresses, and a son, Edan Everly, a musician. Venetia Stevenson divorced Don Everly in 1970 and has not remarried. Erin, the ex-wife of rocker Axl Rose, was the inspiration for several Guns N' Roses songs including Sweet Child o' Mine, where she also appeared in the video. In later years, Venetia Stevenson became a script reader for Burt Reynolds's production company and, subsequently, became vice-president of Cinema Group, a production company that made several films in the 1980s. She did not remarry.
Sources: Gary Brumburgh (IMDb), Wikipedia and IMDb.