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Myrna Hansen | |
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 Hansen in a 1957 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer publicity photograph | |
| Born | August 5, 1934 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Carl Schurz High School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1953–1973 |
| Known for | |
| Title | Miss USA 1953 |
| Spouse(s) | ? (?–1960)[ citation needed ] Lee Duke Hyatt (1961–1965) Allen H. Kane (1985–1998) [1] |
| Children | 2 |
Myrna Hansen (born August 5, 1934) [2] is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1953.
Hansen is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond E. Hansen. [3] She graduated from Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, Illinois in June 1953. Before competing in the 1953 Miss Universe contest, Hansen planned to study animal husbandry in Colorado. She had mailed her tuition for admission to college, aspiring to become a veterinarian. [4]
Hansen was chosen as Miss Photoflash of 1953 by the Chicago Press Photographers Association. [3] She was entered in the Miss USA contest by virtue of winning this title. She was 5'7" tall and weighed 125 pounds. Her measurements included a 37-inch bust, 25-inch waist, and 35-inch hips. She is a blonde with brown eyes. [5] By the end of 1955, her bust had increased by an inch. Her measurements read 38-25-35. [6]
For winning the Miss USA crown, Hansen was awarded a Hillman Minx convertible, a Universal Pictures contract, and a $2,500 diamond wrist watch. She also received an ornate trophy presented by Ruth Hampton, actress, and 1952 Miss New Jersey USA. Hansen was presented with a solid silver and gold replica of the crown on the Statue of Liberty. [7]
After winning the Miss Illinois USA crown, Hansen, from Chicago, became Illinois's first representative to capture the Miss USA title. She was chosen as runner-up in the Miss Universe contest of 1953. Hedda Hopper reported in March 1954 that Hansen should have been awarded the Miss Universe title. The winner Christiane Martel of France was exposed as having been only age 17 when she won.[ citation needed ]
In January 1954, Hansen accompanied Martel in the 65th annual Tournament of Roses Parade. They were aboard the float titled American Heritage. It was an entry of the city of Long Beach, California. Adorned by cupids and thousands of white orchids and chrysanthemums, the float captured the sweepstakes prize. [8]
Hansen negotiated a new seven-year contract with Universal in August 1954. The agreement stipulated that her salary would start at $200 weekly, with options to $900. As a minor, she was required to purchase a $25 U.S. savings bond weekly. [9]
Soon after her contract was negotiated, Hansen filmed The Purple Mask (1955). Her character Constance de Voulois was one of three female spies in the film. The setting was in France after the French Revolution. She followed this project with a role as the fiancée of Jack Kelly in Cult of the Cobra (1955). She played a showgirl in Party Girl (1958), a film which featured Robert Taylor and Cyd Charisse. Her final parts in movies were roles in Goodbye Charlie (1964) and Black Caesar (1973). [10]
In December 1955, Hansen made her television debut on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show . Her appearance for eight minutes on the show was longer than her total time on screen in the 15 movies she had made. She was featured in two additional appearances as the love interest of Ronnie Burns. She performed in episodes of The Thin Man (1957), Hawaiian Eye (1960), 77 Sunset Strip (1960), Westinghouse Playhouse (1960), Straightaway (1962), and Green Acres (1971).
In 1959, Hansen did advertising for the American sunscreen brand Coppertone as a model.
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(July 2023) |
Hansen married Lee Hyatt, a salesman who later became a realtor. After their divorce, she married Allen Kane, who had been married to Gloria Pall. They later divorced. She has two children, including a son named Darren.
After retiring, she made occasional appearances on television series such as Vicki! and Family Feud .
In July 2022, Hansen was profiled in Classic Images , where she discussed her onscreen career.
Hansen's niece, Susie Damm, has been crowned Miss Massachusetts U.S International, Miss Grand Maine, and Miss Arkansas Earth. [11]
Caroline Louise Snodgress was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as well as winning two Golden Globes and two Laurel Awards.
Joi Lansing was an American model, film and television actress, and nightclub singer. She was noted for her pin-up photos and roles in B-movies, as well as a prominent role in the famous opening "tracking shot" in Orson Welles' 1958 crime drama Touch of Evil.
Jackie Loughery, born Jacqueleen Virginia Loughery, was an American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned "Miss Rockaway Point" in 1949 before becoming crowned Miss New York USA 1952 and later was the first-ever winner of the Miss USA competition in 1952.
Peggy Thomas Blair, known professionally as Peggie Castle, was an American actress who specialized in playing the "other woman" in B-movies. She was Miss Cheesecake in 1949.
Julie Adams was an American actress, billed as Julia Adams in her early career, primarily known for her numerous television guest roles. She starred in a number of films in the 1950s, including Bend of the River (1952), opposite James Stewart; and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). On television, she was known for her roles as Paula Denning on the 1980s soap opera Capitol, and Eve Simpson on Murder, She Wrote.
Christiane Martel is a French actress, model and beauty queen. She became the second woman to win the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1953. She was the only French woman to hold the Miss Universe title until Iris Mittenaere in 2016. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
The Miss Illinois USA pageant is a competition that selects the representative for the state Illinois in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Vanbros and Associates and is previously directed by D&D Productions from 2001 to 2014 before becoming part of Vanbros organization in 2014, headquartered in Shawnee.
Bella Darvi was a Polish film actress and stage performer who was active in France and the United States.
Carol Ann Laverne Morris is an American actress, model and beauty queen who was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956. She was crowned by Hillevi Rombin, Miss Universe 1955, of Sweden.
Mary Leona Gage was an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1957, the first from Maryland to capture the Miss USA crown. She was stripped of her title when it was revealed that she was 18, married, and the mother of two sons.
Ana Bertha Lepe Jiménez was a Mexican actress and beauty pageant titleholder. In 1953 she was crowned Señorita México and the third runner-up at the Miss Universe 1953.
Miss Universe 1953 was the 2nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States of America on 17 July 1953.
Miss Universe 1954 was the 3rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 24 July 1954.
Miss Universe 1955 was the 4th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 22 July 1955. This is the first time that the pageant was televised.
Miss USA 1954 was the third Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 24, 1954.
Donna Lee Custer, better known as May Wynn, was an American dancer, singer, and actress.
Myrna Fahey was an American actress known for her role as Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's Zorro and as Madeline Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher.
Miss USA 1955 was the fourth Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 20, 1955.
Miss USA 1953 was the second Miss USA pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California on July 16, 1953.
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