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IMDbPro

Sue Lyon(1946-2019)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0003965
Sue Lyon in Lolita (1997)
After witnessing a man's death in a bizarre accident, Father Pergado goes on a spiritual retreat, where he encounters his alien double bent on world conquest.
Play trailer0:31
End of the World (1977)
5 Videos
99+ Photos
Suellyn Lyon was born in Davenport, Iowa, the youngest of five siblings born to Sue Lyon (née Karr) and James Lyon. Sue Karr Lyon was 42 years old when she was widowed, when Suellyn was just 10 months old. Her mother worked in a hospital to provide for her children, and money was tight. The family then moved to Los Angeles in hopes that Suellyn could help out financially as a model.

She duly got jobs modeling for JC Penney, and doing a commercial, which featured her bleached blonde hair. She landed small parts on Dennis the Menace (1959) and The Loretta Young Show (1953). Director Stanley Kubrick saw Sue on the show and suggested to his partner that they should see her for the role of Lolita (1962). She was signed by the Glenn Shaw agency, and Pat Holmes, an agent, brought her down to Kubrick for audition, and won the part of Lolita.

In 1964, Sue married Hampton Fancher III but the marriage, like the four that would follow, would end in divorce. She was appearing at the time in such movies as 7 Women (1965), The Flim-Flam Man (1967) and Tony Rome (1967). Her second husband was Roland Harrison, an African-American photographer and football coach. The controversy over their marriage made them decide to move to Europe. She continued in movies like Evel Knievel (1971), Game of Murder (1973), and Murder in a Blue World (1973), but wound up divorcing Harrison, in part due to the fallout over the controversy and other problems.

Sue met Gary "Cotton" Adamson at the Colorado State Penitentiary, where he was serving time for murder and robbery. She worked as a cocktail waitress and lived in a hotel in Denver nearby. She married him in 1973 and began working for prison reform and conjugal rights. Unfortunately this was another short-lived marriage as she divorced him after he committed yet another robbery. More films followed including Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976), The Astral Factor (1978), Towing (1978), Crash! (1976), Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready (1971) and her final film, Alligator (1980).

Sue married Edward Weathers in 1983, but the marriage ended a year later. She married a radio engineer, Richard Rudman, but that marriage, like the four before it, ended in divorce.

Sue Lyon died in 2019, aged 73. She was survived by her only child, a daughter, Nona Harrison (from her marriage to Roland Harrison).
BornJuly 10, 1946
DiedDecember 26, 2019(73)
BornJuly 10, 1946
DiedDecember 26, 2019(73)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0003965
  • Awards
    • 1 win & 2 nominations total

Photos163

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Known for

Sue Lyon in Lolita (1962)
Lolita
7.5
  • Lolita
  • 1962
Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner, and Sue Lyon in The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Night of the Iguana
7.6
  • Charlotte Goodall
  • 1964
Frank Sinatra and Deanna Lund in Tony Rome (1967)
Tony Rome
6.5
  • Diana Pines
  • 1967
Alligator (1980)
Alligator
6.1
  • ABC Newswoman
  • 1980

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • Alligator (1980)
    Alligator
    6.1
    • ABC Newswoman
    • 1980
  • Towing (1978)
    Towing
    4.8
    • Lynn
    • 1978
  • Ricardo Montalban and Hervé Villechaize in Fantasy Island (1977)
    Fantasy Island
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Jill Nolan
    • 1978
  • The Astral Factor (1978)
    The Astral Factor
    3.7
    • Darlene DeLong
    • 1978
  • Robert Forster, David Birney, and Richard E. Kalk in Police Story (1973)
    Police Story
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Caroline
    • 1978
  • End of the World (1977)
    End of the World
    3.2
    • Sylvia Boran
    • 1977
  • Crash! (1976)
    Crash!
    4.8
    • Kim Denne
    • 1976
  • Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976)
    Smash-Up on Interstate 5
    6.0
    TV Movie
    • Burnsey
    • 1976
  • Love, American Style (1969)
    Love, American Style
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Julie (segment "Love and the Extra Job")
    • Barbara Eric (segment "Love and the Bed")
    • 1969–1974
  • Murder in a Blue World (1973)
    Murder in a Blue World
    5.7
    • Ana Vernia
    • 1973
  • Game of Murder (1973)
    Game of Murder
    5.0
    • Angela
    • 1973
  • Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready
    6.9
    TV Movie
    • Wendy Sutherland
    • 1971
  • Rod Serling in Night Gallery (1969)
    Night Gallery
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Betsy (segment "Miss Lovecraft Sent Me")
    • 1971
  • George Hamilton in Evel Knievel (1971)
    Evel Knievel
    5.2
    • Linda
    • 1971
  • Men at Law (1970)
    Men at Law
    6.3
    TV Series
    • Bunny Phillips
    • 1971

Soundtrack



  • 7 Women (1965)
    7 Women
    6.7
    • performer: "Jesus Loves Me" (uncredited)
    • 1965

Videos5

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 0:31
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 0:31
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 0:26
Trailer
Trailer [OV]
Trailer 0:31
Trailer [OV]
The Night of the Iguana
Trailer 1:06
The Night of the Iguana

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Suellyn Lyon
  • Height
    • 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
  • Born
    • July 10, 1946
    • Davenport, Iowa, USA
  • Died
    • December 26, 2019
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(long illness)
  • Spouses
      Richard RudmanMarch 31, 1985 - 2002 (divorced)
  • Children
      Robert Lyon Harrison
  • Parents
      James Lyon
  • Relatives
      Sibling(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 7 Articles
    • 7 Pictorials
    • 8 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    At the end of the shoot, Shelley Winters, her Lolita (1962) co-star, gave Sue Lyon two pink Persian kittens, which were originally Elizabeth Taylor's.
  • Quotes
    [on her The Night of the Iguana (1964) co-star Richard Burton] I wasn't very impressed by the relationship between him and [Elizabeth Taylor]. Richard was very domineering and Elizabeth meek. She would do whatever he wanted her to.
  • Salaries
      7 Women
      (1965)
      $150,000

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Sue Lyon die?
    December 26, 2019
  • How did Sue Lyon die?
    Long illness
  • How old was Sue Lyon when she died?
    73 years old
  • Where did Sue Lyon die?
    Los Angeles, California, USA
  • When was Sue Lyon born?
    July 10, 1946

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