Diane Varsi

Diane Marie Antonia Varsi (February 23, 1938 – November 19, 1992) was an American film actress best known for her performances in Peyton Place – her film debut, and for which she was nominated for an Academy Award – and the cult film Wild in the Streets. She left Hollywood in order to pursue personal and artistic aims, notably at Bennington College in Vermont, where she studied poetry with poet and translator Ben Belitt, among others. Varsi was b... more

Diane Marie Antonia Varsi (February 23, 1938 – November 19, 1992) was an American film actress best known for her performances in Peyton Place – her film debut, and for which she was nominated for an Academy Award – and the cult film Wild in the Streets. She left Hollywood in order to pursue personal and artistic aims, notably at Bennington College in Vermont, where she studied poetry with poet and translator Ben Belitt, among others. Varsi was born in San Mateo, California and made her screen debut as Allison MacKenzie in Peyton Place (1957), receiving an Academy Award nomination for an Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The following year, she shared the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress with Sandra Dee and Carolyn Jones. She appeared in the films Ten North Frederick (1958) and Compulsion (1959) and worked steadily until 1960. Afterwards, she left Hollywood. She returned to acting in the late 1960s, but by this time she was no longer being offered major... less