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Melinda Markey

{{Short description|American actress (born 1934)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Melinda Markey

| birth_name = Melinda Mary Markey

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1934|02|27}}

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| education = University of Southern California

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1952–1961

| spouse = {{marriage|Don Hayden|1954|1958|reason=div}}

{{marriage|Joseph Albert Bena Jr.|1960|1991|reason=died}}

{{marriage|Thierry Van Dyck|1998|}}

| children = 3

| mother = Joan Bennett

| father = Gene Markey

}}

Melinda Markey (born February 27, 1934) is an American actress, known for her roles in 1950s film and television, often portraying young women in supporting roles.{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2FYEAAAAMBAJ&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PA98 |title=LIFE |date= |publisher= |language=}}

Early life

Melinda Mary Markey was born on February 27, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, to famous Hollywood actress Joan Bennett[https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2019/07/22/growing-up-with-doanie-joan-bennett-by-parker-j-bena-the-grandson-of-joan/ GROWING UP WITH DOANIE ( JOAN BENNETT ) BY PARKER J. BENA ( THE GRANDSON OF JOAN] and screenwriter-producer Gene Markey.[https://frombeneaththehollywoodsign.com/f/gene-markey-the-unlikely-cassanova Gene Markey: The Unlikely Casanova] Notably, she was born on her mother's 24th birthday. Following her parents' separation during her infancy, Markey was raised primarily by her mother.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= 29 March 2019|title=Melinda Van Dyck: Life on Stage and on Horseback |url=https://sidelinesmagazine.com/weekly-featured/melinda-van-dyck-life-on-stage-and-on-horseback.html |access-date= |website= |language=}}

Growing up in a Hollywood neighborhood, Markey was surrounded by prominent figures{{Cite book |last=Tucker |first=David C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnleDwAAQBAJ&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PA118 |title=Gale Storm: A Biography and Career Record |date=2018-06-04 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-7177-2 |language=en}} of the entertainment industry, including Art Linkletter, Liza Minnelli, Ronald Reagan, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and Bing Crosby.{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WcDYZT6Rq4gC&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PA89 |title=Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film |date=2010-06-07 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-2604-3 |language=en}} This environment fostered her early interest in acting.{{Cite web |title=17 Melinda Markey Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images |url=https://www.gettyimages.ie/photos/melinda-markey |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=www.gettyimages.ie}} She was the niece of actresses Barbara Bennett and Constance Bennett.{{Cite book |last=Hannsberry |first=Karen Burroughs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTxIzIZFI28C&dq=melinda+markey+constance+bennett&pg=PA1943 |title=Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film |date=2012-10-26 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9159-9 |language=en}}

During her youth, Markey spent time at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where she engaged in horseback riding alongside actress Elizabeth Taylor.{{Cite web |title=Actress Taylor Had Ties to Horse Racing |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/137236/actress-taylor-had-ties-to-horse-racing |access-date= |website=}} One of the farm's notable horses, Our Mims,[https://equineinfoexchange.com/recreation-lifestyle?start=120 Recreation & Lifestyle] was named in her honor and later became a champion racehorse.{{Cite book |last1=Sugar |first1=Bert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CTz-QVhv8bYC&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PP17 |title=Horse Sense: An Inside Look at the Sport of Kings |last2=Richardson |first2=Cornell |date=2003-05-26 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-44557-9 |language=en}}

Career

Markey began her acting career in the early 1950s, appearing in both film and television productions. Her film debut was in the 1953 drama Titanic, where she played a minor role. She subsequently appeared in several films throughout the 1950s, including The Other Woman (1954), Woman's World (1954), Crashout (1955), Prince of Players (1955), and Guns of the Timberland (1960).{{Cite book |last=Reid |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Y-IrOqtORcC&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PA8 |title=Cinemascope Two: 20th Century-fox |date=2005-02-01 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4116-2248-7 |language=en}}

In addition to her film work, Markey made numerous television appearances during the 1950s and early 1960s. She had guest roles on popular series such as Dragnet, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, M Squad, Alcoa Theatre, and Matinee Theater. Also she appeared on Broadway, portraying the character Marcia Giles in the 1953 production of On Borrowed Time.{{Cite web |title=Melinda Markey {{!}} Playbill |url=https://www.playbill.com/person/melinda-markey-vault-0000092843 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20201001002221/https://www.playbill.com/person/melinda-markey-vault-0000092843 |archive-date=2020-10-01 |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=Playbill |language=en}}

Personal life

Markey has been married three times. She was first married to actor Don Hayden from October 1954 until their divorce in September 1958.{{Cite book |last=Kellow |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRrebTiu4WUC&dq=melinda+markey&pg=PA375 |title=The Bennetts: An Acting Family |date=2004-11-26 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-7192-0 |language=en}} Subsequently, she married Joseph Albert Bena Jr., and later, on July 5, 1998, she married Thierry Van Dyck, with whom she remains married. She has three children.{{cite magazine |last=Claesson |first=Samuel |date=September 2024 |title=Melinda Markey |magazine=Classic Images |pages=58–59}}

Filmography

References

{{Reflist}}

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Category:1934 births

Category:Living people

Category:American film actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:Actresses from Los Angeles

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:University of Southern California alumni

Category:American horse trainers