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Sandra Dee

Actress / Film Actress / Television Actress / Model (person) | * 04/23/1942 († 62, 02/20/2005) | Bayonne, New Jersey (United States of America (USA))
Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues, Dee earned a Golden Globe Award as one of the year's most promising newcomers for her performance in Robert Wise's Until They Sail (1958). She became a teenage star for her performances in Imitation of Life and Gidget (both 1959), which made her a household name. By the late 1960s, her career had started to decline and a highly publicized marriage to Bobby Darin ended in divorce. The year of her divorce, Dee's contract with Universal Pictures was dropped. She attempted a comeback with the 1970 independent horror film The Dunwich Horror, but rarely acted after this time, appearing only occasionally in television productions throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The rest of the decade was marked by alcoholism, mental illne... ()
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Sandra Dee was born Alexandria Zuck on April 23, 1942 in Bayonne, New Jersey. Her mother envisioned a show business career for her daughter and would often lie about her age in order to get Sandy where she wanted to go. For example, her mother enrolled her in school early so she could have a head start. Sandy was only four years old when she entered the second grade. Sandra was an extremely pretty young lady, which enabled her to get into modeling. In fact, she was already very successful at her craft by the time she was 12 years old. This in turn led to television commercials for local companies, an added benefit for the young model. Through her mother's prodding and the talent scouts, Sandra was signed to do a movie when she was 14 called Until They Sail (1957), released in 1957. While the film didn't exactly top the charts, it would lay the foundation for Sandra's career. The new young actress was then signed to two more films for 1958, The Reluctant Debutante (1958) and The Restless Years (1958), the latter with a young actor, John Saxon. In 1959, Sandra appeared in five productions with Gidget (1959) and A Summer Place (1959) being the two most popular. Sandra was 17 years old and becoming the heartthrob of teenage boys all across America. In 1960, Sandra appeared in only one film, Portrait in Black (1960), but is remembered by her for something else. She married teen idol Bobby Darin in December of that year. It may have sunk a few teen boys' hearts, but most still were enamored of her. Her work, once again, took off. The 1961 releases were Come September (1961), Romanoff and Juliet (1961), and as Tammy Tyree in Tammy Tell Me True (1961). Sandra had replaced the ever-popular Debbie Reynolds in the "Tammy" series, but the film and its 1963 sequel, Tammy and the Doctor (1963), didn't do all that well at the box-office. The films were now slowing for Sandra. The last few that she made were I'd Rather Be Rich (1964), That Funny Feeling (1965), A Man Could Get Killed (1966), Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967), and Rosie! (1967). Her career was effectively over at age 26. She had divorced Bobby Darin in 1967 and it was hard to get a role in films when she was looked at as a divorcée rather than a competent actress who could play parts other than a teenager. Sandra did nail down the part of "Nancy Wagner" in 1970's The Dunwich Horror (1970). After four made for television movies in the 1970s, Sandra played in her last film for the silver screen, Lost (1983). She died of kidney complications on February 20, 2005.

Most frequent genres for this person: Comedies | Drama | Romance / Love

Known for these Movies & Shows

Awards & Nominations for Sandra Dee

Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
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Movies with Sandra Dee as Actress(25)

as Penny1983 Lost
as Angie Cordell1974 Houston, We've Got a Problem
as Mara Bocock1972 The Man Hunter
as Nancy Wagner1970 The Dunwich Horror
as Daphne Shaw1967 Rosie!
as Heather Halloran1967 Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!
as Amy Franklin1966 A Man Could Get Killed
as Joan Howell1965 That Funny Feeling
as Cynthia Dulaine1964 I'd Rather Be Rich
as Mollie Michaelson1963 Take Her, She's Mine
as Tammy Tyree1963 Tammy and the Doctor
as Chantal Stacy1962 If a Man Answers
as Tambrey 'Tammy' Tyree1961 Tammy Tell Me True
as Sandy Stevens1961 Come September
as Juliet Moulsworth1961 Romanoff and Juliet
as Cathy Cabot1960 Portrait in Black
as Pat Beasley1959 A Stranger in My Arms
as Gidget1959 Gidget
as Susie (16)1959 Imitation of Life
as Molly Jorgenson1959 A Summer Place
as Melinda Grant1958 The Restless Years
as Jane Broadbent1958 The Reluctant Debutante
as Evelyn Leslie1957 Until They Sail

TV Shows/Series with Sandra Dee as Actress(5)

as Connie (voice)1993 Frasier
as Ann Bolt (segment "Tell David...")1970 Night Gallery
as Self - Recipient1956 The Steve Allen Show

Full Name: Sandra Dee
Born: Thursday, 04/23 1942 (April) in Bayonne, New Jersey (United States of America (USA))
Died: Sunday, 02/20 2005 (February) in Thousand Oaks (aged: 62)
Zodiac sign: Taurus (Chinese zodiac sign: Horse)
Languages: English (EN, native language)
Educated at: University High School, Hollywood Professional School, Professional Children's School
Spouses (current/former): Bobby Darin
Other names for Sandra Dee (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"Alexandra Cymboliak Zuck"
"Sandy"
"Alexandra Zuck"
Sandra Dee frequently works together with these people:
Ross Hunter (9x, Crew)
Bud Westmore (9x, Crew)
Don Barry (7x, Actor)
Larry Germain (7x, Crew)
Waldon O. Watson (6x, Crew)
Jean Louis (6x, Crew)
Jack Laird (5x, Crew)
Clifford Stine (5x, Crew)
Milton Carruth (5x, Crew)
Julia Heron (5x, Crew)
WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:3935, Added: 03/23/2018, Last updated: 03/11/2024