Yvonne Furneaux, famous on-screen star in film such as Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and Polanski’s “Repulsion,” died at the age of 98.
Furneaux’s son Nicholas Natteau confirmed her death to The Hollywood Reporter, July 23. He told the publication his mother died at her North Hampton, New Hampshire home, July 5, as a result of complications from a stroke. The glamorous actress was a leading lady in the 1950s and 60s that left an unforgettable mark on Hollywood that will continue to live on.
Yvonne Furneaux in a publicity pose for The Warriors aka The Dark Avenger 1955. (Photo by Screen Archives/Getty Images)
Furneaux appeared opposite Hollywood’s most famous stars from the golden era, including Laurence Olivier, Christopher Lee and Errol Flynn
The mesmerizing actress starred in “Meet Me Tonight” and “Affair in Monte Carlo” in 1952, but Furneaux’s breakthrough role was in “Le Amiche” in 1955. The movie proved to be a hit at the Venice Film Festival. The famous actress went on to play the female lead in the epic 1959 horror film “The Mummy” starring Peter Cushing and Lee, before starring in the Fellini’s legendary “La Dolce Vita” in 1960.
By then, she was a bonafide Hollywood star with a trail of admirers and loyal fans.
French actress Yvonne Furneaux, circa 1950 (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Furneaux had a role in Polanski’s production of “Repulsion” in 1965, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The star’s impressive list of credits includes on-stage appearances in “Macbeth” and “The Taming of the Shrew,” along with “The Beggar’s Opera,” “The House of the Arrow” and a role as Flynn’s mistress in “The Master of Ballantrae,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. She also starred in “Crossed Swords,” alongside Flynn.
Other notable credits include “Lisbon,” “The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse” and “The Champagne Murders.”
Somber Yvonne Furneaux leaning head against wall in a scene from the film ‘La Dolce Vita’, 1960. (Photo by American International Pictures/Getty Images)
She met her future husband, French cinematographer Jacques Natteau, while filming “The Story of The Count of Monte Cristo.” The couple married in 1962 and stayed together until his death in 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (RELATED: Celebrity Agent To The Stars Don Buchwald Dead At 88)
The talented star is being memorialized on social media, as fans and loved ones pay tribute to her lifelong career in the spotlight.
