Martha Vickers

Auburn-haired Martha Vickers, born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 28, 1925, was an American actress, former glamour model, and musician. She began her career in the entertainment field as a model for photographer William Mortenson, which caught the attention of David O. Selznick. Though her initial contract with Selznick yielded little, Universal took over and cast her in bit parts, including a corpse in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). During World War II, she gained pin-up exposure in magazines like Yank: The Army Weekly.\n\nHer breakthrough came at Warner Bros., where she earned celebrity status as Lauren Bacall's wild, thumb-sucking sister Carmen in the film noir classic The Big Sleep (1946). The role made her a memorable "bad girl" on screen. She followed with roles in The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946) and The Man I Love (1946), eventually earning leading lady status in That Way with Women (1947). She was part of the Hollywood dating scene, seeing actor James Stewart and director Frederick De Cordova, before marrying producer A.C. Lyles in 1948, though the marriage ended within months. Her second marriage, to Mickey Rooney in 1949, also proved short-lived, despite the birth of their son Teddy. After a third marriage to Manuel Rojas in 1954, she returned to the screen in The Big Bluff (1955), but her career momentum had faded. She worked in television and ended her career with the western Four Fast Guns (1960). Martha died of cancer in 1971 at age 46 in Hollywood. She was 5'3" and slim, with blue eyes and real, natural breasts.