Venetia Stevenson was a British-born actress who rose to fame in late 1950s Hollywood with her stunning looks, but struggled to find success as an actress. Born in London on March 10, 1938, Venetia was the daughter of actress Anna Lee and director Robert Stevenson, both well-known in the British cinema.
Venetia's parents moved to Hollywood just before World War II, and she grew up surrounded by the entertainment industry. She began her career in junior modeling and eventually transitioned to acting, making her TV debut in 1955 on the show "Matinee Theatre". She also appeared in several stage productions, including a 1955 Arizona production of "Liliom" alongside her mother and the husband/wife team of Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl.
Signed with RKO, Venetia took acting lessons and posed for publicity stills, but made little progress as an actress. She was eventually signed with Warner Bros. and made several guest appearances on TV shows, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" and "Cheyenne".
Venetia made her film debut in the 1958 war picture "Darby's Rangers", starring James Garner, Peter Brown, and Edd Byrnes. She was part of the Hollywood dating scene and was set up with several big stars, including Tab Hunter, Anthony Perkins, and Elvis Presley. She married up-and-coming actor/dancer Russ Tamblyn in 1956, but the couple divorced a year later.
For the most part, Venetia was cast as a beautiful distraction in action-adventure and crime movies, alongside hunky co-stars like Jeff Richards and Guy Madison. Her last film was "The Sergeant Was a Lady" in 1961.
Venetia married Don Everly of The Everly Brothers in 1962 and retired from acting, focusing on her family life. She had two daughters and a son with Everly, all of whom dabbled in the entertainment industry. After her divorce from Everly in 1970, Venetia remained single and continued to work in the entertainment industry as a script reader and vice-president of a production company.
