Rhonda Fleming (August 10, 1923 – October 14, 2020) was a stunningly beautiful American actress and singer who, with her flaming red hair and flawless complexion, became known as the “Queen of Technicolor” and one of the most glamorous stars of the 1940s and 50s.
After being discovered by famed producer David O. Selznick, Fleming made her first major impression as a troubled patient in Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller Spellbound (1945). She then became a top leading lady, showcasing her singing voice opposite Bing Crosby in the lavish musical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949).
While she lit up the screen in Technicolor Westerns and adventures, she was also a formidable actress in gritty, black-and-white films noir. She gave a memorable performance in the genre masterpiece Out of the Past (1947) and later starred as the female lead opposite Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in the classic Western, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). In her later life, she became a dedicated philanthropist and advocate for women’s health.
