Mamie Van Doren, a Hollywood star, is set to receive the Legacy Award at the annual Cincecon Film Festival. She will also be screening her 1959 film, “Guns, Girls and Gangsters.” Van Doren is working on a new documentary about her life and has a book coming out soon.
Before gaining fame as a Hollywood sex symbol, Van Doren was set up on dates by Universal Studios with other movie stars to boost her career. One of these arranged dates was with Rock Hudson. Van Doren claimed that despite rumors that Hudson was gay, he made advances towards her and the two had a passionate encounter.
Rock Hudson, a popular actor, passed away in 1985 from complications of AIDS. Despite being known to his friends and colleagues as gay, his image in Hollywood was carefully maintained as that of a ladies man. Van Doren went on to write about her experience with Hudson in her memoir.
In her career, Van Doren also had a negative encounter with actor Gig Young, whom she refused to go out with due to a bad feeling about him. Young later tragically shot his wife and then himself in 1978.
Van Doren, who has been married five times, shared that she is grateful for the life she has lived and believes she has guardian angels watching over her. She tries to be kind to others and stay away from negativity.
Reflecting on her past encounters with Hollywood stars like Hudson and Young, Van Doren sees her life as guided by a higher purpose. She values kindness and positivity in her interactions with others, striving to make a difference in the world.
When he fell ill, it was a devastating blow for Mamie Van Doren.
Mamie Van Doren in a publicity portrait for the film “The Second Greatest Sex,” circa 1955. (Universal-International/Getty Images)
After rising to fame, Van Doren decided to leave Hollywood.
“I moved to Newport Beach because I didn’t enjoy Hollywood,” she said. “Life there was too exposed. So, I made a getaway… I escaped from all the negative things happening. This was in the ’60s when I left. There was a lot of drug use. Marilyn died. Jayne died. Many of my peers were no longer around. I felt it was time to leave Hollywood. It just wasn’t right for me.”
Mamie Van Doren attending The Hollywood Show at Westin LAX Hotel on April 20, 2013, in Los Angeles, California. (Albert L. Ortega/WireImage/Getty Images)
“And I had a son,” she added. “I wanted to provide him with a better life than Hollywood. He became interested in boats. I chose a different path and lifestyle from what I was accustomed to. I maintained some friendships. I didn’t have many friends in Hollywood to begin with. I avoided attending parties. I had a pile of invitations, but I never used them.”
Mamie Van Doren pictured for the first time with her son, Perry Ray Anthony. The actress was on a studio leave of absence. (Getty Images)
Despite everything, the actress is proud to be seen as a sex symbol.
“Being sexy is enjoyable,” she remarked. “I like being sexy. I enjoy sex. I prefer it over rock ‘n’ roll. I was the first to feature rock ‘n’ roll on the big screen, which certainly enhances your sex appeal. It’s innate. You can’t learn rock ‘n’ roll. You have to be born with it. It has to be natural.”
Actress Mamie Van Doren posing at home in Los Angeles, circa 1956. (Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“I believe I was born with it,” she pondered. “I certainly broke barriers during a conservative postwar era. I was ahead of my time… I wasn’t going to be typecast in nun roles, that’s for sure.”
