Carole Landis (January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948) was an American film and stage actress.
Landis was born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste in Fairchild, Wisconsin to a Polish immigrant, Clara Stentek Ridste. Although Mrs. Stenek Ridste was married to Norwegian Alfred Ridste, who abandoned the family before Carole was born, author E. J. Fleming suggested that Charles Fenner, Clara's second husband, was most likely Carole's biological father. Carole was th...
more
Carole Landis (January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948) was an American film and stage actress.
Landis was born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste in Fairchild, Wisconsin to a Polish immigrant, Clara Stentek Ridste. Although Mrs. Stenek Ridste was married to Norwegian Alfred Ridste, who abandoned the family before Carole was born, author E. J. Fleming suggested that Charles Fenner, Clara's second husband, was most likely Carole's biological father. Carole was the youngest of five children. Two of her brothers died in childhood: Jerome was burned by scalding water and Lewis was accidentally shot. She had an unhappy childhood filled with poverty and sexual abuse. Nevertheless, she blossomed into a stunning teenager who won several local beauty contests. Later, she became an early feminist who tried to form an all-female football team in high school.
In January 1934, 15-year-old Landis married her 19-year-old neighbor, Irving Wheeler, but the marriage was annulled in February 1934. They later remarried...
less
