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Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress.
Veronica Lake was a Hollywood actress who starred in films such as I Wanted Wings, Sullivan's Travels, and The Blue Dahlia. She was born in 1922, changed her name in 1941, and died of hepatitis in 1973.
- January 1, 1
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- January 1, 1
- Burlington, Vermont, USA
Apr 29, 2022 · The former Hollywood star died of hepatitis and kidney failure in 1973, after a life of personal and professional struggles. Learn about her childhood, marriages, career, and final days in this article.
- Wendy Mead
Dec 23, 2022 · In the at-times mean-spirited Peekaboo: The Story of Veronica Lake by Jeff Lenburg, her bitter mother claims Lake’s problems were much more serious than that of a truant teen.
- She Had A Fake Name
- Her Father Died Horrifically
- She Had An Intense Stage Mom
- Hollywood Tried to Spit Her Out
- A Pro "Discovered" Her
- Her Stage Name Has A Secret Meaning
- She Hated Her Name
- She Was An Instant Success
- She Was A Huge Diva
- She Made A Happy Mistake on Set
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Like so many Hollywood starlets, Veronica Lake had to invent herself from the ground up. Born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, her early life was about as far away from the silver screen as you can get. After all, her father Harry, who worked for an oil company, and her mother Connie were strictly working middle class...
When Lake was just 10 years old, her father perished in a horrific Philadelphia industrial explosion. Although her mother remarried, moved Lake around from school to school, and tried to proceed like things were normal, nothing was really ever the same again. Perhaps thisis why the matriarch began trying to live vicariously through her daughter, an...
Although Lake had an itinerant and alienating childhood, one thing was certain: She was gorgeous. Indeed, by the time Lake attended Miami High School in Florida, she was literally famous around the grounds for her looks. And while Lake wasn’t sure if she wanted to capitalize on her stunning face, her ambitious mother certainly was. The overbearing ...
After years with no lasting relationships, Lake had trouble connecting with other people or even herself. So, surprise! The rigors of making it in Hollywood only further smashed her self-confidence to smithereens. Lake’s first film role, under the name “Constance Keane,” was a measly part as an extra…which the director eventually chopped entirely f...
In 1940, Lake got the break of her life. That year, producer Arthur Hornblow, Jr. was on the hunt for a nightclub singer role for his upcoming flick I Wanted Wings, starring William Holden. The moment Hornblow watched Lake's test scene, he knew she was his girl and hired her for the lead female part. This was going to be “it” for Veronica at last—b...
Like so many impresarios before him, Hornblow knew that his new find was never going to make it as “Constance Keane.” Accordingly, he suggested she use the name “Veronica Lake.” Besides, Hornblow explained, her eyes were also “calm and clear like a blue lake,” so it fit perfectly. The words were flattering, but the burgeoning starlet’s response sho...
Although Hornblow had come up with a star-making name, he was missing one excruciating detail. Lake herself hated it, and for a heartbreaking reason. As it happened, “Veronica” was her mother’s real name, and Lake wanted nothing more than to be free of her domineering parent. According to the star, when she heard that was her new stage name, “I jus...
Lake was still a teenager when I Wanted Wingscame out, but she turned into a full-blown star overnight. Although she had never grown much beyond five feet in height, audiences couldn’t help but notice her; as one review put it, she was "seductive, mischievous, with a delectable voice and mien." The hype was so big, people called her the “find of 19...
In a problem that would become increasingly pronounced, Lake wasn’t very reliable or likable on the set of I Wanted Wings. To be frank, the tiny teenager already had a big attitude. She missed her call times so frequently that director Mitchell Leisen ordered her to stay on set for the whole day so he'd always know where she was. But if Lake was al...
In I Wanted Wings, one scene turned Veronica Lake into a household name. During one day of the shoot, Lake’s hair kept accidentally falling into one of her eyes, creating a “peek-a-boo” draping effect. Although the self-conscious actress thought “I had ruined my chances for the role,” her producer Arthur Hornblow, as always, understood the star-pow...
Learn about the life and career of Veronica Lake, a Hollywood starlet who became famous for her blonde hair and femme fatale roles. Discover how she rose to fame, struggled with personal demons, and met a tragic end.
Jul 8, 2024 · The circumstances of Veronica Lake’s death in Vermont, much like the film noir characters she portrayed and the mercurial life she led, remain partially hidden in the shadows. Rising to stardom...
Veronica Lake was an American film actress and pin-up model who starred in Sullivan's Travels and film noir with Alan Ladd. She had a troubled life and died of hepatitis in 1973.
