Mamie Van Doren turns 92! A look at life of Hollywood icon known as 'bad girl of silver screen'

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Mamie Van Doren, also known as the bad girl of the silver screen in the 1950s, turned 92 on Monday, February 6, 2023. Doren was always aware that she would end up on the big screen, so it didn't take long for her to establish herself in Hollywood. She is well known for movies like 'Teacher's Pet', 'The Private Lives of Adam and Eve' and the juvenile delinquency exploitation film 'Untamed Youth' (1957). It is estimated that she appeared in 41 movies between 1951 and 2002, making her the last of the platinum-blonde studio stars.

The complex and provocative woman had her fair share of memorable relationships since she frequently attracted interest from some of the most famous men of the day due to her on-screen persona. The renowned actress has been married five times in her life. She has a son from her second marriage to bandleader Ray Anthony of the Glen Miller Orchestra. After Ray, she had three more marriages, but not before having a few flings. Clark Gable, her co-star in 'Teacher's Pet', was one of her favorites.

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Mamie also had a brief affair with legendary musician Frank Sinatra. In response to criticism he had received, she said she had seen his kinder, more giving side. She expressed her admiration for Sinatra and the numerous charity performances he did. Johnny Carson and even Elvis Presley, the 'King of Rock 'n Roll', were among the people Mamie had relationships with. Although the actress acknowledged that the men she was hanging out with were highly outstanding, she always had the biggest crush on Clark.

When the 1960s came along, Mamie had already lost most of her fame, but the blonde beauty had something her contemporaries lacked, she outlived celebrities like Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. As time passed, Mamie married Thomas Dixon, a dentist, and actor, in 1979.

Mamie left Hollywood for her son and husband

Mamie continued to reside in Hollywood when she gave birth to her only son Perry Anthony in 1956. But once he was born, the actress realized it was time to relocate. She listed the widespread drug usage as one of the factors in her decision to remove her child from Sunset Boulevard. “People were doing a lot of LSD and walking around naked on Sunset Boulevard,” she said. “I didn’t want my son to be around all that," she told in an interview with Closer Weekly.

Mamie made the decision to leave Hollywood as well in order to have more solitude. The actress admitted she never liked the overt and invasive publicity, hinting that Hollywood frequently irritated her. She had considerably more solitude and serenity at Newport Beach, where she could spend uninterrupted time with her kid.

Mamie and Perry decided to leave Hollywood in order to lead a tranquil life, much like 'Love Story' actress Ali MacGraw. She eventually met the man she dated for the longest period of time a few years later. Mamie married Thomas after her relocation to Newport, and the two have been together ever since. Mamie most recently shared a picture with Thomas at a dining establishment. The joyful couple can be seen beaming broadly and looking into each other's eyes in the Facebook post. Mamie celebrated their almost 50-year marriage in the caption, claiming she couldn't believe he had stood with her for so long. The actress wrote in the caption, "Thomas my hubby of almost 50 years. How did he put up with me? Sometimes I wasn't the perfect wife."

Mamie turned to Facebook once more to express her love for her son. She uploaded a photo showing Perry smiling broadly as he peeked over her shoulder in the chair where she was seated. With her trademark blonde hair, the 92-year-old actress looked stunning. Perry, wearing a black hat, grinned joyfully over her shoulder.

'Life doesn't begin until 40'

The actress acknowledged that while leaving Hollywood meant losing some of her friends, she never really had that many to begin with. Her lifestyle radically altered when she married and had a child, who gave her a passion for boats. Mamie chuckled in wonder at the different memories from her life.

When asked about life after Hollywood, Mamie told Bust she greatly loved the calm and secure life she experienced after leaving Hollywood. She came to the realization that Hollywood wasn't where she would spend the rest of her days after her blonde equivalents -- Marilyn and Jayne -- died. She discovered that life was much more enjoyable outside Hollywood. She was frequently invited to several gatherings, but she hardly ever attended. In Newport, she had the freedom to be private and was exempt from the complications of Tinseltown culture.

Mamie also shared her thoughts on aging gracefully and maintaining a sense of youthfulness. Mamie believes that your age should not dictate how you spend your life. She thinks attitude is a far more powerful factor. She shared, "Don't think about your age. Even then, life doesn't begin until 40."

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