Nancy Valentine

Early years

According to her obituary, Valentine was born in St. Albans, Queens, New York City.^[1] She was the middle child of five for Richard and Bertha Valentine.^[2] Her father had his own sign painting business in Queens.^[2]

Her mother said in 1952 that she was born at Smithtown, New York and attended school in East Rockaway, New York.^[3] Valentine herself told columnist Earl Wilson she was from Smithtown and had been raised as a Baptist.^[4] Her mother said she was never interested in school;^[3] instead she had brief jobs working as a store stock clerk and as a nightclub cigarette and camera girl, before becoming a model.^[5]

Modeling

Valentine started as a Conover model but didn't get many assignments until she switched to the Powers agency.^[6] Powers corrected her attempt to look glamorous in favor of a natural appearance.^[6] She first came to public notice in June 1945 at age 17, in newspaper photos distributed through International News Service.^[7][8][9] Her modeling career reached its height with the cover of Parade in February 1946.^[10] She was reportedly earning $750 a week modeling in New York.^[11]

Valentine had just turned eighteen when a candid photo appeared in newspapers, showing her in a New York nightclub with Orson Welles, who was then married to Rita Hayworth.^[12] Earl Wilson reported that Welles took Valentine to "Toots Shor's, the Stork Club and even to his radio program",^[13] while Dorothy Kilgallen had her going back and forth between Welles and Macoco at El Morocco.^[14] Howard Hughes dated her, and later paid for Valentine to travel to Hollywood for a movie tryout.^[15][16][17]

After arriving in Hollywood with her older sister Betty, Valentine never heard from Hughes again.^[18] Valentine was signed to a personal contract by Mervyn LeRoy in May 1946.^[19] He advised her to turn down a contract offer from Lou Schrieber at 20th Century Fox, a decision she soon regretted.^[18] Instead, LeRoy sold her contract to David O. Selznick at Vanguard Films.^[18]

Early film career

At Vanguard Films she started at $150 a week while taking acting classes.^[11] She continued doing highly-paid modeling jobs, but the money now went to the studio, not her.^[11] She received a new contract from Vanguard Films in July 1947,^[20] but Erskine Johnson reported in April 1948 that "She just checked out of an acting contract at Selznick's".^[21] Despite two years at Vanguard she had yet to appear in a film. Within a month of leaving, she landed a bit part in Warner's The Girl from Jones Beach.^[22] Her next part came in October 1948 with a Columbia film, The Crime Doctor's Diary.^[23] She then appeared in a succession of uncredited bit parts for various studios, culminating in three MGM films: Father of the Bride, Father's Little Dividend, and Million Dollar Mermaid. Her first screen credit came in 1952 with Universal's The Black Castle.^[24] This was followed by Small Town Girl,^[25] her last film for six years.

Maharaja romance

From late September 1947 she was linked in newspapers with Jagaddipendra Narayan, Maharaja of Cooch-Behar, in India.^[26][27][28] Narayan's mother, the Dowager Maharanee, suggested he should come home to India as the political situation was volatile,^[29] while a public relations representative tried to convince newspaper readers that Narayan's mission in America was industrial research.^[30] A photo of Narayan and Valentine at the El Morocco nightclub in New York made the papers shortly before he had to leave the states.^[31]

Five months later Valentine announced her engagement to Howard Darrin Jr,^[32] but broke it off within a few weeks.^[33] She next announced her engagement to Omar Dejany, an Arab diplomat and businessman,^[34] to which Mrs. Lilli Dejany objected while her husband declined comment.^[35]

Sheilah Graham reported in early January 1949 on Valentine's forthcoming trip to India to see Narayan.^[36] By April 1949 Valentine was back in New York City, making the rounds of night spots.^[37] She again visited Narayan, arriving in India on November 16, 1951,^[38] after telling columnists they had been secretly married in Cooch Behar in 1949 "by two traveling priests".^[4] Arriving in Britain from India on January 1, 1952, she was pictured in the London papers, which described her as wearing a platinum and diamond wedding ring.^[39]

Though the government of India didn't approve of the marriage, Valentine was convinced she was married.^[38] However, while Valentine was sailing to New York, American newspapers reported the Indian government was now refusing to recognize the marriage.^[40] The Star Tribune reported in March 1952 that "sources in India" said the ceremony she underwent in 1949 was a "betrothal ritual" not a wedding, and that Valentine herself was now uncertain as to her marital status.^[3] The widespread coverage of her situation in newspapers continued throughout the year. She received her first featured film role and screen credit with the November release of The Black Castle,^[24] while columnist Mike Connolly reported she had signed an endorsement deal with the Puritan Dress Company in December.^[41] The latter led to a lawsuit in April 1953 as Valentine claimed she wasn't receiving the money promised by Puritan for their "Nancy Valentine Original" line.^[42]

Hiatus

Valentine announced during May 1953 she was leaving acting to enter the Self-Realization Fellowship convent in Los Angeles,^[25] following what she later described as a "nervous breakdown".^[5] While in the convent she gave an extensive interview to Los Angeles Mirror that ran in four installments from June 30, 1953, through July 3, 1953.^{[43][6][18][44]} She recounted details of her modeling, encounters with celebrities and the film industry, and her trips to India. In the last installment, she revealed the public hounding by columnists and photographers over her romance with Naranyan, and that she had become pregnant by him, but had lost the baby.^[44]

Valentine remained at Self-Realization Fellowship for several years as a novitiate.^[5] She left before taking final vows, but credited meditation with restoring her mental equilibrium.^[5]

Valentine married Frederick Tillinghast III during July 1956, after obtaining an annulment of her marriage to Naranyan.^[45] They had a daughter who was six months old when Valentine filed for divorce on November 5, 1957, charging mental cruelty.^[46] She asked only for $100 monthly child support and $1 token alimony, which was granted on January 29, 1958, in Santa Monica Superior Court.^[47] Following her divorce Valentine began working on a memoir, originally titled Broken Valentine,^[48] later Fame, Fortune and Folly.^[5] Several years later she threatened to sue Tillinghast over $3000 in unpaid child support.^[49]

Television and later films

Valentine's first television work came in 1952 with an episode of Racket Squad, followed by Mr. & Mrs. North the following year. Her performing work ceased while in the convent, but resumed in 1956 with a supporting role in the anthology series Fireside Theatre.^[50] Following her divorce, her television work picked up with episodes of Love That Jill^[47] and Matinee Theatre^[51] and as the first guest on George Fisher's local talk show.^[52] She then took over as occasional co-host for Tom Duggan's nightly live talk show on KCOP-TV starting in April 1958.^[53]

After doing two episodes of Dragnet, producer Jack Webb gave Valentine her largest film role with -30-. One columnist expressed surprise at her performance,^[54] while critic Philip K. Scheuer thought her not convincing as either society girl or would-be reporter.^[55] She had a much better received role in Tess of the Storm Country the following year,^[56] and played uncredited bits in Portrait of a Mobster and Too Late Blues during 1961.^[57][58]

From 1959 through 1961 Valentine was active on television, playing guest star and supporting roles on episodes of series such as Tales of Wells Fargo,^[59] The Texan,^[60] Man with a Camera,^[61] 77 Sunset Strip,^[62] Lawman,^[63] The Real McCoys,^[64] Hawaiian Eye,^[65] Thriller,^[66] and Surfside 6.^[67]

Later life

Valentine married actor-director Everett Chambers in October 1961, at the Self-Realization Fellowship Center in Santa Barbara, California.^[68] Columnist Sidney Skolsky said the couple met on the set of Too Late Blues.^[69] They had a daughter before divorcing in 1975.^[1] Valentine died at her home in Malibu, California on July 31, 2017.^[1]