Margaret Yvonne Middleton born was on September 1, 1922, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her father abandoned the family when she was just three years old, and her mother turned to waitressing to make ends meet. Despite the rough start, Yvonne's mother encouraged her to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, enrolling her in a local dance school and seeing her study dramatics.
Yvonne was a natural performer, entertaining the neighborhood with impromptu productions, much like Colleen Moore. In 1937, her mother took her to Hollywood, but they returned to Canada without success. They returned to Hollywood in 1940, where Yvonne danced in chorus lines at night and checked in at studios by day, searching for film work.
After appearing in several unbilled parts in short films, Yvonne finally landed a part in the feature film Harvard, Here I Come! (1941). Although the film was not a success, Yvonne's brief appearance as a bathing beauty showed promise. She continued to appear in uncredited roles in films that did not set Hollywood on fire, including The Deerslayer (1943) and The Ten Commandments (1956).
In 1945, Yvonne landed the title role in Salome, Where She Danced for Universal Pictures, which was a success and marked a turning point in her career. She continued to appear in leading roles in films such as Frontier Gal (1945),Song of Scheherazade (1947),Brute Force (1947),and River Lady (1948).
Yvonne's success continued into the 1950s, with roles in films such as The Desert Hawk (1950),Silver City (1951),and Scarlet Angel (1952). Her final film in 1952 was Hurricane Smith, which is generally considered to be her worst film.
In 1956, Yvonne appeared in The Ten Commandments, playing Sephora, the wife of Moses, and the film became a super smash. Her performance in the film served as a springboard to another fine role in Band of Angels (1957). In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Yvonne appeared on television series such as Bonanza (1959) and The Virginian (1962).
With film roles drying up, Yvonne took the role of Lily Munster in the smash series The Munsters (1964). She continued to appear in films, including McLintock! (1963),The Power (1968),The Seven Minutes (1971),and House of Shadows (1976). Yvonne De Carlo died on January 8, 2007, at the age of 84, in Woodland Hills, California.
