Occupation Actress Role Actress Name Dolores Faith | Years active 1961–1972 | |
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Full Name Dolores Faith Hedges Spouse James Robert Neal (m. 1972–1977) Movies Mutiny in Outer Space, The Phantom Planet, The Human Duplicators, House of the Black Death, Damaged Goods Similar People William Marshall, Jerry Warren, Joseph Anthony | ||
DOLORES FAITH TRIBUTE
Dolores Faith (July 15, 1941 – February 15, 1990) was an American actress, best known as the mute girl Zetha in the 1961 science fiction film The Phantom Planet. Her brief career came to an end when she married millionaire James Robert Neal.
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Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Faith was of Hungarian-Italian descent. She lost her hearing at age 4 from an accident but it later returned by age 8. A natural blonde, she died her hair black to better match her olive skin.
She graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California in 1958. She was a member of the "Sock 'n' Buskin" Drama club. She began as a model and as a dance instructor, before acting.
In 1959 she was given a screen test by Warner Bros. They chose not to hire her because of her resemblance to both Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. She became a Hollywood Deb Star in 1962, and was featured in Life magazine in 1963.
Career
Faith is most notably associated with her roles in three budget-conscious science fiction films: "The Phantom Planet" and "The Human Duplicators" (films in which she was notably abducted by Richard Kiel), as well as "Mutiny in Outer Space." These roles have cemented her legacy within the genre.
She also appeared in dramas. In V.D., she was a young vixen who gets the Clap from the "hero", (who got it from a prostitute). In Wild Harvest, she plays the mistress of a ruthless, womanizing vineyard manager, played by Phantom Planet co-star Dean Fredericks, whom she sides against after getting fed up. She was also in a war drama, Shell Shock.
On television, she appeared in episodes of Ripcord, Have Gun - Will Travel, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a two-part episode released theatrically as One of Our Spies Is Missing.
Later life
Faith met Texas millionaire, and Maxwell House heir, James Robert Neal (1921-2006). The couple become a regular sight at various public events.
In November, 1972, Faith married Neal in Las Vegas after a long courtship, and retired from acting. They divorced in April, 1977. Most sources state Dolores Faith died February 15, 1990, in Miami, Florida. However, author Tom Lisanti, in his book "Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles," reports that she was living in Florida as of 2006.