Margaret Yvonne Middleton, later known as Yvonne De Carlo, was born on September 1, 1922, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. When she was just three years old, her father abandoned the family, leaving her mother to work as a waitress to make ends meet.
Yvonne's mother encouraged her to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, enrolling her in a local dance school and drama classes. Yvonne was not shy and would often put on impromptu performances for her neighborhood friends, similar to Colleen Moore.
In 1937, at the age of 15, Yvonne and her mother moved to Hollywood, but they returned to Canada after failing to secure any notable roles. They returned to Hollywood in 1940, where Yvonne worked as a chorus girl at night and checked in at studios during the day in search of film work.
After appearing in several unbilled roles in short films, Yvonne finally landed a part in the 1941 film "Harvard, Here I Come!", where she played a bathing beauty. She went on to appear in several more uncredited roles, including "The Deerslayer" (1943) and "Salome, Where She Danced" (1945),before landing the title role in "Salome, Where She Danced" for Universal Pictures.
The film was a success, and Yvonne's big break, leading to a string of leading roles in films such as "Frontier Gal" (1945),"Song of Scheherazade" (1947),"Brute Force" (1947),and "Criss Cross" (1949).
