Veronica Lake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Veronica Lake
Veronica Lake, c. 1952
Born	Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (1922-11-14)November 14, 1922 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1973(1973-07-07) (aged 50) Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Other names	Constance Keane Connie Keane
Education	St. Bernard's School (Saranac Lake, New York) Villa Maria Miami High School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1939–1954; 1966; 1970
Spouse(s)	John S. Detlie ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1943)​ Andre DeToth ​ ​ (m. 1944; div. 1952)​ Joseph Allan McCarthy ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1959)​
Children	4

Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (born November 14, 1922 – died July 7, 1973), known as Veronica Lake, was an American actress. She starred in movies, on stage, and on television. Lake was famous for her roles as a "femme fatale" (a mysterious, attractive woman) in film noir movies with Alan Ladd during the 1940s. She was also known for her unique "peek-a-boo" hairstyle, where her hair covered one eye. Some of her popular films include Sullivan's Travels (1941) and I Married a Witch (1942).

By the late 1940s, Lake's acting career began to slow down. She made only one film in the 1950s but appeared as a guest on several television shows. She returned to movies in 1966 with Footsteps in the Snow, but this role did not bring her back to her earlier fame.

Lake's autobiography, Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, was published in 1970. Her last movie role was in a low-budget horror film called Flesh Feast (1970). Veronica Lake passed away at age 50 in July 1973, due to liver and kidney problems.

Growing Up: Veronica Lake's Early Life

Veronica Lake was born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Harry Eugene Ockelman, worked for an oil company. He died in an oil tanker explosion in 1932. In 1933, her mother, Constance Frances Charlotta, married Anthony Keane. Young Constance then started using his last name, Keane.

The Keane family lived in Saranac Lake, New York, where Constance attended St. Bernard's School. She later went to Villa Maria, a Catholic boarding school for girls in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, but she was expelled. Lake later said she studied to be a surgeon at McGill University, but she admitted this was not true.

When her stepfather became ill, the family moved to Miami, Florida. Constance attended Miami High School, where she was known for her beauty. She had a difficult childhood.

Becoming a Star: Veronica Lake's Acting Career

Starting Out as Constance Keane

In 1938, the Keane family moved to Beverly Hills, California. Constance signed a short contract with MGM and studied acting at the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting. She appeared in a play called Thought for Food in January 1939. A newspaper critic called her "a fetching little trick."

Constance Keane's first movie role was a small part as a student in Sorority House (1939) for RKO Pictures. This part was cut from the final film, but she was encouraged to keep acting. She had similar small roles in other movies like All Women Have Secrets (1939) and Forty Little Mothers (1940). In Forty Little Mothers, she first let her hair down on screen.

A New Name and Big Success

Lake with Joel McCrea in Sullivan's Travels (1941). She is wearing her famous peek-a-boo hairstyle.

An assistant director named Fred Wilcox noticed Constance. He filmed a test scene of her acting and showed it to an agent. The agent then showed it to producer Arthur Hornblow Jr.. Hornblow was looking for an actress to play a nightclub singer in a movie called I Wanted Wings (1941). He changed Constance's name to Veronica Lake. He said her eyes were "calm and clear like a blue lake," which inspired her new name.

I Wanted Wings was a huge hit, and the teenage Veronica Lake became a star very quickly. Even before the movie was released, people called her "the find of 1941." During filming, Lake's long blonde hair accidentally fell over her right eye, creating the "peek-a-boo" look. This hairstyle became her signature, and many women copied it. Despite her success, Lake didn't think she would have a long career. She still wanted to be a surgeon.

Paramount Pictures planned more movies for Lake. She starred in Preston Sturges's Sullivan's Travels with Joel McCrea. She also appeared in the film noir This Gun for Hire (1942) with Robert Preston and Alan Ladd. Her scenes with Alan Ladd were very popular. This led Paramount to put them together again in The Glass Key. Lake was also cast in the comedy I Married a Witch. Both films were very successful.

When the United States entered World War II, Lake traveled to help raise money for war bonds. She was also a popular pin-up girl for soldiers. She helped with campaigns to prevent accidents where women's hair got caught in factory machinery. In 1943, Lake's movies were patriotic. She appeared in Star Spangled Rhythm and So Proudly We Hail! (1943), where she played a nurse. At the peak of her career, she earned a lot of money each week.

Challenges and Career Changes

Despite her early success, Veronica Lake faced many challenges. She gained a reputation for being difficult to work with. On the set of Sullivan's Travels, she did not tell the director she was pregnant, which upset him. She also had disagreements with her co-star Joel McCrea. He reportedly said, "Life's too short for two films with Veronica Lake."

Lake's behavior sometimes became public. During a publicity event, a newspaper said her "talk was on the grim side." Columnist Hedda Hopper claimed Lake "clipped her own wings" with her appearance.

In her 1944 film The Hour Before the Dawn, Lake changed her famous hairstyle. This was to encourage women working in war factories to wear safer, more practical hairstyles. The government asked her to do this to help prevent accidents. However, the film was not successful, and her new look and role as a Nazi spy received negative reviews.

In late 1943, Lake took time off due to personal difficulties. She had a fall on the set of The Hour Before Dawn and gave birth prematurely to a son who died soon after. Within weeks, she also filed for divorce from her husband.

When she returned to acting in 1944, Lake said she needed to learn more about acting. She felt she had taken many different roles, some of which were "pretty bad." She returned with roles in Bring On the Girls (1945) and Hold That Blonde. She enjoyed making Hold That Blonde, calling it a comedy like those Carole Lombard used to make. However, neither film was successful, nor were her smaller roles in Out of This World and Miss Susie Slagle's (1946).

Later Career and Comeback Attempts

Lake and Alan Ladd in the trailer for The Blue Dahlia (1946).

After Miss Susie Slagle's, producer John Houseman cast Lake in the film noir The Blue Dahlia (1946). This movie reunited her with Alan Ladd, who had become a very popular star. Lake liked the role, but the film's writer, Raymond Chandler, was not impressed with her acting. Still, it was her first big success since So Proudly We Hail! and her biggest hit ever.

For the first time, Lake worked outside of Paramount Pictures in the United Artists Western film Ramrod (1947). Her husband at the time, Andre DeToth, directed the film. It also reunited her with Joel McCrea, even though he had said he wouldn't work with her again. This film was also successful, helping her career.

After a small appearance in Variety Girl (1947), Lake and Ladd worked together again in the crime film Saigon (1948). Lake brought back her peek-a-boo hairstyle for this movie. While it was a financial success, critics had mixed feelings about it compared to their earlier films. With other movies like The Sainted Sisters and Isn't It Romantic? not doing well, Paramount decided not to renew Lake's contract in 1948.

After leaving Paramount, Lake took a supporting role in Slattery's Hurricane (1949), directed by Andre DeToth. She also appeared in the Western Stronghold (1951). Lake later called this film "a dog" and sued for not being paid.

Lake and DeToth faced financial problems. In 1951, the IRS took their home because of unpaid taxes. Later that year, they declared bankruptcy. Lake then left DeToth and moved to New York. She performed in summer plays and on stage in England. In 1955, she collapsed while performing in a play in Detroit.

Later Years: Life After Hollywood

After her third divorce, Veronica Lake lived in different hotels in New York City. In 1962, a reporter found her working as a waitress in a cocktail lounge in Manhattan, using the name "Connie de Toth." She said she liked the job because she enjoyed talking to people.

The reporter's story made many people think Lake was poor. Fans sent her money, but she returned it, saying it was "a matter of pride." Lake strongly denied being poor. The story did bring some new interest in her, leading to some television and stage appearances, including a musical in 1963.

In 1966, she briefly hosted a television show in Baltimore, Maryland, and had a small role in the film Footsteps in the Snow. She continued to act on stage. She later moved to the Bahamas for a few years.

Lake in Flesh Feast (1970), her last movie.

Lake's autobiography, Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, was published in 1969 in the UK and 1970 in the US. In the book, Lake talked about her career, her marriages, and her guilt about not spending enough time with her children. She said her mother pushed her into acting. Lake also said, "I never did cheesecake like Ann Sheridan or Betty Grable. I just used my hair."

When she visited the UK in 1969 to promote her book, she received an offer to appear on stage. She also played the role of Blanche DuBois in a play called A Streetcar Named Desire in England, and her performance received great reviews. With money from her book, she helped produce and star in her final film, Flesh Feast (1970). This was a low-budget horror movie.

Veronica Lake's Personal Life

Veronica Lake's first marriage was to art director John S. Detlie in 1940. They had a daughter, Elaine (born 1941), and a son, Anthony (born July 8, 1943). Her son Anthony was born early after she tripped on a lighting cable while filming. He died on July 15, 1943. Lake and Detlie separated in August 1943 and divorced in December 1943.

In 1944, Lake married film director Andre DeToth. They had a son, Andre Anthony Michael III (known as Michael DeToth), and a daughter, Diana (born October 1948). Lake earned her pilot's license in 1946. She later flew alone between Los Angeles and New York when she left him. Lake and DeToth divorced in 1952.

In September 1955, she married songwriter Joseph Allan McCarthy. They divorced in 1959. In 1969, she shared that she rarely saw her children.

Veronica Lake's Passing

In June 1973, Veronica Lake returned to the United States from her book promotion and stage tour in England. While traveling in Vermont, she visited a doctor for stomach pains. She was found to have liver problems. On June 26, she checked into the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

She passed away there on July 7, 1973, from acute liver and kidney failure. Her son Michael claimed her body. Lake's memorial service was held in New York City on July 11.

She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered off the coast of the Virgin Islands, as she wished. In 2004, some of Lake's ashes were reportedly found in an antique store in New York.

Legacy: Remembering Veronica Lake

For her contributions to the movie industry, Veronica Lake has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6918 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Veronica Lake, c. 1940s.

Lake with a different hairstyle in So Proudly We Hail (1943).

Selected Stage Performances

Radio Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Veronica Lake para niños