Sue Lyon, best known for her role in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film "Lolita," has died at age 73. Her longtime friend Phil Syracopoulos confirmed the news to The New York Times.
It is unclear what caused her death Thursday, but the actress' health had reportedly been declining for some time.
Lyon was selected from a group of 800 other hopefuls to play Dolores Haze in "Lolita," BBC News reported. She was just 14 at the time and Kubrick described her as the "perfect nymphet."
She went on to receive a Golden Globe for her performance in the film.
Lyon had a successful acting career that saw her appear in several other films, but it was her personal life that stole the limelight.
She was 10 months old when her father died. Her mother became the sole breadwinner and worked as a hospital house mother to feed her five children but money was still tight, according to IMDB.
Lyon hoped that by achieving fame, she could help her family financially, so she began modeling and took up acting. "Lolita" was her big break.
Two years after the film premiered, Lyon married Hampton Fancher III but the couple soon divorced. She then tied the knot with Rolan Harrison, a black photographer, but the controversy surrounding their relationship caused its demise.
In 1973, Lyon married Gary "Cotton" Adamson, who she met at the Colorado State Penitentiary. He had been charged with murder and robbery and Lyon later blamed him for ending her career from which she retired in 1980.
"I've been told by people in the movie business, specifically producers and film distributors, that I won't get a job because I'm married to Cotton," she said, according to the BBC.
Lyon later married Edward Weathers and then radio engineer Richard Rudman. She is survived by her daughter Nona, from her previous marriage to Harrison.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
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