Monique van Vooren

Monique van Vooren (March 25, 1927 – January 25, 2020) was a Belgian-American actress, singer, and writer. Her career spanned Broadway, cabaret, film, and television. She appeared in films such as Tarzan and the She-Devil and Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (1973), and made guest appearances on TV shows including Batman (1968) as the Penguin's associate. Her album, Mink in Hi-Fi, was released in 1958 and her book, Night Sanctuary, was published in 1981. Van Vooren died of cancer at age 92 in Manhattan.

Early life and education Monique Bronz was born in 1927 Brussels to George Bronz (or Bronze) and Louise van Vooren. She was a champion skater and a beauty queen in Belgium.

Reportedly, she arrived in New York in 1950 on a Fulbright scholarship. She had studied philosophy in Europe before enrolling at New York University.

Career

Theater Van Vooren performed in several Broadway plays including John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953–54), Destry Rides Again (1960), and Man on the Moon (1975).

In the 1960s, she starred in summer stock theatre productions of Damn Yankees and A Shot in the Dark in the United States.

Music In 1958, her debut album Mink in Hi-Fi was released on RCA Victor Records. Backed by Skitch Henderson and his orchestra, it included a blend of English and French songs. She performed at the Mocambo on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood in 1957.

Film and television Her first film role was as a schoolgirl in the 1950 Italian drama Domani È Troppo Tardi (Tomorrow Is Too Late), which starred Vittorio De Sica. She described the book as being about "the dark side of people."

Death Van Vooren died of cancer in Manhattan on January 25, 2020. She was survived by her son Eric Purcell, and a granddaughter.

Marriages and relationships By 1957, Van Vooren had been married and divorced twice. She married second husband Kurt (or Curt) Henry Pfenniger in 1950; they separated in 1954 and later divorced. Rivers retorted by making fun of the new couple's advanced ages on Howard Stern's radio show. Van Vooren responded, telling Page Six: "She’s one to talk. She's got more miles on her than an old Checker cab. As for dear Orin, he's been a friend of mine before Rivers came along, while they were together and after he wisely dumped her."

Legal issues In 1983, Van Vooren was found guilty of lying before a federal grand jury and "ordered to get psychiatric help and perform 500 hours of community service as part of a suspended sentence." The sentence resulted from an investigation of "whether she had pocketed her dead mother's Social Security payments."

Filmography

1950: Tomorrow Is Too Late - Giannina 1953: Tarzan and the She-Devil - Lyra, the She-Devil 1955: The Infiltrator - Elaine 1955: Ça va barder - Irène 1957: Producers' Showcase (episode: "Mayerling", TV film released theatrically in Europe) 1957: Ten Thousand Bedrooms - Girl on Main Title 1958: Gigi - showgirl (uncredited) 1959: Sunday Showcase (TV series) - Zizi Molnari "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 1" (1959) "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 2" (1959) 1959: Happy Anniversary - Jeanette Revere 1961: The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series) - Krys "Trick or Treason" 1959–1963: The United States Steel Hour (TV series) "A Taste of Champagne" (1959) - Simone Durrell "Southwest Quarter" (1963) 1965: The Trials of O'Brien (TV series) "Goodbye and Keep Cool" (1965) - Eve St. Clair 1967: Fearless Frank - Plethora 1968: Batman (TV series) "Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club" (1968) - Miss Clean (uncredited) "Penguin's Clean Sweep" (1968) - Miss Clean 1971: The Decameron - Queen of Skulls (as Monique Van Voren) 1973: Sugar Cookies - Helene 1973: Ash Wednesday - German Woman 1973: Andy Warhol's Frankenstein - Baroness Katrin Frankenstein 1987: Wall Street - "Woman at '21'" 2012: Greystone Park - Monique