View source for Sue Lyon

{{short description|American actress (1946–2019)}}
{{distinguish|Susan Lyons}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Sue Lyon
| image              = Sue Lyon (Portrait by Kubrick for Lolita - L-66).jpg
| caption            = Portrait of Lyon by [[Stanley Kubrick]] in 1962
| birth_name         = Suellyn Lyon
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1946|07|10}}
| birth_place        = [[Davenport, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2019|12|26|1946|07|10}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| alma_mater         = [[Los Angeles City College]]<br />[[Santa Monica College]]
| occupation         = Actress
| years_active       = 1959–1980
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Hampton Fancher]]|1963|1965|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Roland Harrison|1971|1972|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Cotton Adamson|1973|1974|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Edward Weathers|1983|1984|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Richard Rudman|1985|2002|end=divorced}}
}}
| children           = 1
}}

'''Suellyn Lyon''' (July 10, 1946&nbsp;– December 26, 2019) was an American actress who is most famous today for playing the title role in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s [[Lolita (1962 film)|1962 film adaptation]] of [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s novel ''[[Lolita]]'', for which she was awarded a [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Weinman |first1=Sarah |title=The Dark Side of ''Lolita'' |magazine=Air Mail |date=October 24, 2020 |issue=67 |url=https://airmail.news/issues/2020-10-24/the-dark-side-of-lolita |access-date=March 12, 2021}}</ref>

Lyon's early career flourished with appearances in such high-profile films as [[John Huston]]'s ''[[The Night of the Iguana (film)|The Night of the Iguana]]'' (1964), [[John Ford]]'s ''[[7 Women]]'' (1966), the [[Frank Sinatra]] detective film ''[[Tony Rome]]'' (1967), and the [[George C. Scott]] comedy ''[[The Flim Flam Man]]'' (1967). However, her career diminished in the 1970s and she subsequently retired from acting after making ''[[Alligator (film)|Alligator]]'', which was released in 1980.

In 1991, Lyon featured prominently in the artwork for Welsh rock band [[Manic Street Preachers]]' single "Stay Beautiful".

== Early life ==
Suellyn Lyon, called Sue, was born on July 10, 1946, in [[Davenport, Iowa]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=December 28, 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, actress who portrayed Lolita in scandalous 1962 movie, dies at 73 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/sue-lyon-actress-who-portrayed-lolita-in-scandalous-1962-movie-dies-at-73/2019/12/28/95b4386e-29c7-11ea-ad73-2fd294520e97_story.html |access-date=December 30, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en}}</ref> She was the youngest of five children of Sue (Karr) Lyon and her husband; her father died before her first birthday. To help her family pay bills, Lyon worked as a child model<ref name="hollywoodreporter/12650702">{{cite news |last1=Kilkenny |first1=Katie |date=27 December 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, Teenage Star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' Dies at 73 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/sue-lyon-dead-teenage-star-stanley-kubricks-lolita-was-73-1265070/ |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> in Dallas. Her mother soon took the family to [[Los Angeles]], where she thought there would be more opportunity.<ref name="NYTimes2">{{cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |date=December 27, 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, Star of 'Lolita,' Is Dead at 73 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/movies/sue-lyon-dead.html |access-date=January 1, 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> There, at 11 years old she began modeling for the [[JCPenney]] agency.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Bergan |first=Ronald |date=2019-12-31 |title=Sue Lyon obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/31/sue-lyon-obituary |access-date=2025-09-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Lyon made her acting debut in 1959, with appearances in [[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|''Dennis the Menace'']] and [[The Loretta Young Show|''The Loretta Young Show'']].<ref name=":0" />

In California, Lyon was friends with Michelle Gilliam, who was two years older. Gilliam would achieve fame as [[Michelle Phillips]], after marrying [[John Phillips (musician)|John Phillips]] and becoming part of the [[pop music]] quartet [[The Mamas and the Papas]]. According to Phillips, she shared the controversial novel ''Lolita'' with Lyon in 1960, the year before she auditioned for the part.<ref name="vanityfair/2007-12/phillips2">{{cite magazine |date=November 20, 2007 |title=California Dreamgirl |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/12/phillips200712 |access-date=July 28, 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref> (In a 1962 interview with German TV as part of the film's promotion, Lyon said she and her mother had read it and discussed the novel after she was cast in the part.)

==Career==

=== ''Lolita'' ===
With only two acting credits, at the age of 14, Lyon was cast in the role of Dolores "Lolita" Haze in [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s film ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]'' (1962).<ref name="nytimes/-lolita-sue-lyon-model-actress2">{{cite news |last1=Archer |first1=Eugene |date=September 28, 1960 |title=Schoolgirl Gets Lead in 'Lolita,'; Sue Lyon, a Model and TV Actress, Signed for Film |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/09/28/archives/schoolgirl-gets-lead-in-lolita-sue-lyon-a-model-and-tv-actress.html |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=The New York Times |page=33}}</ref> She was chosen for the role<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 10, 1960 |title=HOLLYWOOD: Nymphet Found |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871713,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808154940/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871713,00.html |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |magazine=Time}}</ref> from 800 teenagers. Lyon co-starred with [[James Mason]], then aged 53.<ref name="Guardian_obit2">* {{cite news |date=December 29, 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, Kubrick's Lolita, dies aged 73 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/29/lolita-sue-lyon-stanley-kubrick-dies-aged-73 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}
* {{cite news |last1=Bergan |first1=Ronald |date=2019-12-31 |title=Sue Lyon obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/31/sue-lyon-obituary |access-date=2023-06-17 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Nabokov, who wrote the novel and much of the screenplay, described her as the "perfect nymphet".<ref name="Guardian_obit2" />

Lyon got the role after the original choice, British actress [[Jill Haworth]], was unavailable.<ref name="LisantiT-2001-p712">{{citation |author=Lisanti, Tom |title=Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies |page=71 |year=2001 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-0868-9}}</ref> The role was then offered to child star [[Hayley Mills]], then under contract to [[Walt Disney]], but the studio vetoed the casting.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Vagg |first=Stephen |date=March 19, 2022 |title=Movie Star Cold Streaks: Hayley Mills |url=https://www.filmink.com.au/movie-star-cold-streaks-hayley-mills/ |magazine=Filmink}}</ref> On September 28, 1960, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported the casting of Lyon.<ref name="AFI Lolita2">{{cite web |title=AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Lolita (1962) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/22908 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=afi.org |publisher=American Film Institute}}</ref>
[[File:Sue-Lyon-1.jpg|right|thumb|Lyon as the titular character in [[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]]]
''Lolita'' had its world premiere on June 13, 1962, at Loew's State Theatre in [[New York City]], two days after its press screening.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lolita (1962) |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/282/lolita/#overview |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 13, 2009 |title=This Day In History: Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" released |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/stanley-kubricks-lolita-released |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=history.com |publisher=History Channel}}</ref> ''Lolita'' was released in [[West Germany]] on June 21 and had its [[London]] premiere on September 6. It was released in [[France]] on November 5.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lolita: Release info |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056193/releaseinfo/?ref_=tt_dt_rdat |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=IMDb}}{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2023}}</ref> Lyon gained critical acclaim for her performance, becoming an instant celebrity and winning a [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer—Female]].<ref name="Winners & Nominees 19632">{{cite web |title=Winners & Nominees 1963 |work=Golden Globes |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1963 |access-date=December 28, 2019 |publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "Sue Lyon makes an auspicious film debut as the deceitful child-woman who'd just as soon go to a film as romp in the hay. It's a difficult assignment and if she never quite registers as either wanton or pathetic it may be due as much to the compromises of the script as to her inexperience."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Variety |date=1962-01-01 |title=Lolita |url=https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/lolita-1200420145/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> However, [[Bosley Crowther]] of [[The New York Times|''The New York Times'']] was less enthusiastic: "She looks to be a good 17 years old, possessed of a striking figure and a devilishly haughty teenage air." He went on, "The distinction is fine, we will grant you, but she is definitely not a 'nymphet.'" Lyon was 15 when it premiered,<ref name="Crowther">{{cite news |last1=Crowther |first1=Bosley |author1-link=Bosley Crowther |title=Screen: 'Lolita,' Vladimir Nabokov's Adaptation of His Novel:Sue Lyon and Mason in Leading Roles |url=<!-- https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/06/14/80400053.pdf -->https://www.nytimes.com/1962/06/14/archives/screen-lolita-vladimir-nabokovs-adaptation-of-his-novelsue-lyon-and.html |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=June 14, 1962}}</ref> too young to watch the film in a theater.<ref name="Guardian_obit2" />

In 1962, [[MGM Records]] released a [[Single record|7" vinyl single]] recorded by Lyon, singing the lyrics "Ya ya" in [[Nelson Riddle]]'s "Lolita Ya Ya", a send up of [[Yé-yé|yé-yé singers]]. The B-side had her singing "Turn off The Moon".<ref>{{cite web |title=Lolita Ya Ya: Sue Lyon |url=https://www.vinylheaven.com/catalog/product/lolita-ya-ya |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=vinylheaven.com |publisher=Vinyl Heaven}}</ref> Both songs were co-written by producer James B. Harris' brother, [[J. Robert Harris]]. Neither song charted.

Although Vladimir Nabokov originally thought that Sue Lyon was the right selection to play Lolita, years later Nabokov said that the ideal Lolita would have been [[Catherine Demongeot]], a young French actress who had played the child Zazie in [[Louis Malle]]'s ''[[Zazie dans le Métro|Zazie in the Metro]]'' (1960). The [[Tomboy|tomboyish]] Demongeot was four years younger than Lyon.<ref>{{cite book |last=Boyd |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C8lF4iqAgRQC&q=Catherine+Demongeot+lolita&pg=PA415 |title=Vladimir Nabokov: the American years |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1991 |isbn=9780691024714 |location=Princeton NJ |page=415 |access-date=August 30, 2013}}</ref>

=== Post-''Lolita'' career ===
[[File:Sue_Lyon_Tony_Rome_1967.jpg|right|thumb|Lyon in ''[[Tony Rome]]'' (1967)]]
In 1960, Lyon was bound to a seven-year professional services contract to Kubrick, ''Lolita'' producer [[James B. Harris]] and production company [[Seven Arts Productions]], when she accepted the part in ''Lolita''.<ref name="Fenwick2">{{cite journal |last1=Fenwick |first1=James |date=2023 |title=The exploitation of Sue Lyon: Lolita (1962), archival research, and questions for film history |journal=Feminist Media Studies |language=English |location=London |volume=23 |issue=4 |page=2 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2021.1996422 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=The Tragic Life and Death of Sue Lyon (Lolita) |url=https://factsverse.com/the-tragic-life-and-death-of-sue-lyon-lolita/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=factsverse.com |publisher=Facts Verse}}</ref>

''The Night of the Iguana'' (1964), in which she appeared opposite [[Richard Burton]] and [[Ava Gardner]], was a Seven Arts picture. Lyon was featured on the theatrical release poster, embracing Burton. The film was released by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], which Seven Arts had a deal with, as was ''7 Women'' (1967), in which Lyon co-starred with [[Billing (performing arts)|first-billed]] [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Oscar-winner]] [[Anne Bancroft]], to whom Lyon received second-billing. Lyon also was second-billed to George C. Scott in ''[[The Flim-Flam Man]]'' (1967) and Frank Sinatra in ''[[Tony Rome]]'' (1967).

After the Kubrick-Harris-Seven Arts contract expired, she did not again appear in [[A-list]] motion pictures. She appeared in the 1969 low-budget [[spaghetti western]] ''[[Four Rode Out]]'', top-billed over former ''[[Bonanza]]'' star [[Pernell Roberts]], whose career was in eclipse. In 1969, she also appeared in a TV version of ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (1969 film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' that starred [[Bob Crane]] of ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' and [[Helen Hayes]]. She also made the first of her two appearances on the TV comedy ''[[Love American Style]]'' that year.

In the 1970s, her career likely was negatively impacted by an interracial marriage to African American [[football player]] Roland Harrison in 1971 and a subsequent marriage to imprisoned murderer Cotton Adamson in 1973. [[Racial intermarriage]] between [[white people]] and [[black people]] was rare in 1971, the year she co-starred with [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]] in ''[[Evel Knievel (1971 film)|Evel Knievel]]'', a higher end [[B-film]]. State laws banning interracial marriage were not declared unconstitutional in the United States until the [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]'s 1967 ''[[Loving v. Virginia]]'' decision.

Lyon and Harrison had a daughter, Nona Merrill Harrison, who was born in Los Angeles in 1972.<ref>[http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/655/Sue+Lyon/index.html glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com] Sue Lyon. Retrieved December 30, 2019.</ref><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs2">{{cite news |date=2020-01-03 |title=Lolita actress 'could keep people guessing' |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/lolita-actress-could-keep-people-guessing-20200103-p53ojs.html |access-date=2023-06-17 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |agency=The Washington Post}}</ref>

A minor hit at the box office, taking in US$4 million in rentals<ref>"Updated All-time Film Champs", ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 9 January 1974, pg 60.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Donahue |first=Suzanne Mary |url=https://archive.org/details/americanfilmdist0000dona/page/293/mode/1up |title=American film distribution: the changing marketplace |publisher=UMI Research Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8357-1776-2 |page=293}} Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada</ref> (equivalent to approximately ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4000000|1971|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US}}) against a $450,000 budget,<ref name="kings2">{{cite book |title=Kings of the Bs: working within the Hollywood system: an anthology of film history and criticism |publisher=E. P. Dutton |year=1975 |editor-last1=Flynn |editor-first1=Charles |page=140 |editor-last2=McCarthy |editor-first2=Todd}}</ref> ''Evel Knievel'' was the last significant motion picture Lyon starred in. After her marriages to Harrison and Adamson, Lyon worked in supporting roles in B-films, [[television films]] and guest spots on [[TV series]].

===Grade Z film star===
Towards the end of the 1970s, she began appearing in [[Z movies|Z films]], including two produced by [[Charles Band]]. In her first film for Band, ''[[Crash!]]'' (1977), [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Oscar]]-winner [[Jose Ferrer]] played her husband, who is trying to kill her. She retaliates by using her occult powers to manipulate objects to kill him.

In her second film for Band, Lyon played the wife of Kirk Scott's astrophysicist character in the [[sci-fi film]] ''[[End of the World (1977 film)|End of the World]]'', which received poor reviews after it was released in 1977 as part of a double-bill with another low budget sci-fi flick.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mosely |first1=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0d6EAAAQBAJ&dq=helen+hayes+arsenic+and+old+lace+1969&pg=PT627 |title=Christopher Lee: The Loneliness of Evil |date=2022 |publisher=Midnight Marquee Press, Inc. |isbn=978-1644301289 |location=Baltimore |access-date=August 4, 2023}}</ref> The film starred [[Christopher Lee]], and he later lamented his participation in the film, claiming he was misled as to the quality of the picture by producer Band.<ref>{{cite web |date=2013-11-14 |title=End of the World (1977) |url=https://www.moriareviews.com/sciencefiction/end-of-the-world-1977.htm |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=moirareviews.com |publisher=Moira: Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy Reviews}}</ref>

Lyon followed this up with a part in ''[[Invisible Strangler|The Astral Factor]]'', which was also known as ''The Astral Fiend'' on its initial release in 1978. Yet another low budget sci-fi flick, the ''Astral'' film went through three directors. She then graced ''[[Towing (film)|Towing]]'', a low-budget [[comedy film]] based on [[newspaper columnist]] [[Mike Royko]]'s expose of unethical [[Vehicle recovery|vehicle towing companies]]. Also known as ''Who Stole My Wheels?'' and ''Garage Girls'', the [[Chicago]]-based film featuring one of the first appearances of actor [[Dennis Franz]] got one and one-half stars from critic [[Roger Ebert]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Towing |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/towing-1978 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=rogerebert.com |publisher=Roger Ebert Estate}}</ref>

Lyon ceased working in the entertainment industry after a [[bit part]] in the 1980 B-film ''[[Alligator (film)|Alligator]]''. In 1984, a recut version of ''The Astral Factor'' re-titled ''Invisible Strangler'' was released, making it the last time Sue Lyon appeared in a motion picture.

==Personal life==
Lyon rarely entered the public realm after the end of her film career in the 1980s, in 1996 she made an appearance. During this she stated:<blockquote>"My destruction as a person dates from that film. ''Lolita'' exposed me to temptations no girl of that age should undergo. I defy any pretty girl who is rocketed to stardom at 14 in a sex nymphet role to stay on a level path thereafter."<ref name="14680777.2021.19964222">{{cite journal |last1=Fenwick |first1=James |date=October 29, 2021 |title=The exploitation of Sue Lyon: Lolita (1962), archival research, and questions for film history |url=https://shura.shu.ac.uk/28988/10/Fenwick-TheExploitationOfSueLyon%28VoR%29.pdf |journal=Feminist Media Studies |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=1786–1801 |doi=10.1080/14680777.2021.1996422 |issn=1468-0777 |s2cid=240267605 |access-date=June 17, 2023}}</ref><ref name="978-1-003-20817-42">{{cite book |last1=Ritzenhoff |first1=Karen A. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003208174-1/introduction-karen-ritzenhoff-dijana-metli%C4%87-jeremi-szaniawski |title=Gender, Power, and Identity in The Films of Stanley Kubrick |last2=Metlić |first2=Dijana |last3=Szaniawski |first3=Jeremi |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-20817-4 |chapter=Introduction |doi=10.4324/9781003208174-1}}</ref><ref name="grunge/4851492">{{cite web |author=Molly M. |date=11 August 2021 |title=How Filming 1962's Lolita Destroyed Actress Sue Lyon's Life |url=https://www.grunge.com/485149/how-filming-1962s-lolita-destroyed-actress-sue-lyons-life/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816195105/https://www.grunge.com/485149/how-filming-1962s-lolita-destroyed-actress-sue-lyons-life/ |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |website=Grunge}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Relationships and family ===
[[File:Sue_Lyon_with_her_husband_Hampton_Fancher_III,_1964.jpg|left|thumb|Lyon with her first husband [[Hampton Fancher]] in 1964]]
In February 1964, 17-year-old Lyon married [[Hampton Fancher]], who was seven years her senior. They divorced only 10 months later, with Lyon citing '"mental cruelty" as the reason.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1964-12-18 |title=Milestones: Dec. 18, 1964 |url=https://time.com/archive/6814229/milestones-dec-18-1964/ |access-date=2025-09-20 |magazine=Time}}</ref> Around the same time, her older brother Mike died of an [[Drug overdose|overdose]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Weinman |first1=Sarah |date=October 24, 2020 |title=The Dark Side of ''Lolita'' |url=https://airmail.news/issues/2020-10-24/the-dark-side-of-lolita |access-date=March 12, 2021 |magazine=Air Mail |issue=67}}</ref> In 1971 she married black photographer and football coach Roland Harrison,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1971-07-05 |title=Sue Lyon Wed in Las Vegas (Published 1971) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/07/05/archives/sue-lyon-wed-in-las-vegas.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |language=en}}</ref> with whom she had a daughter named Nona in 1972, but they divorced the same year due to pressures relating to racism.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Naderzad |first=Ali |date=2019-12-28 |title=SUE LYON (she played Lolita in the Stanley Kubrick film) dead at 73 |url=https://screencomment.com/2019/12/suelyon/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Screen Comment |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sue Lyon Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/facts/Sue-Lyon |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=September 27, 2019 |title=What happened to Sue Lyon? Little is known about the 'Lolita' star at age 73 – but her estranged daughter offers some insights |url=https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2019/09/27/what-happened-to-sue-lyon-little-is-known-about-the-lolita-star/23401090/ |access-date=August 3, 2023 |via=AOL}}</ref>

Her third marriage, in November 1973, to Gary D. Adamson, took place in [[Colorado State Penitentiary]], where he was incarcerated.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cupp |first1=David |date=February 27, 1974 |title=Manier & Cotton Adamson in Adamson's cell. Wall had pix of Adamson's wife |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/manier-cotton-adamson-in-adamsons-cell-wall-had-pix-of-news-photo/161977364 |access-date=June 17, 2023 |website=The Denver Post |via=Getty Images}}</ref> He had been convicted of robbery<ref>{{cite web |date=20 January 2015 |title=Creamery robbery leads to murder |url=https://michaelcarriganfordenverda.com/creamery-robbery-leads-to-murder/ |access-date=June 17, 2023 |website=Michael Carrigan for Denver DA}}</ref> and second-degree murder. The union was contentious and ended in 1974.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people2">{{cite news |date=November 15, 1974 |title=Notes on People |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/15/archives/unesco-to-swear-infirst-black-as-head-notes-on-people.html |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=The New York Times |quote=Actress Sue Lyon, who married Colorado State Penitentiary inmate Gary (Cotton) Adamson in Nov '73, says she is divorcing him because people ...}}</ref> She said at the time that people in the film industry had told her he had a negative effect on her career.<ref name="nytimes/1974/11/15/notes-on-people2" /> Discussing her divorce from Adamson, Lyon said, "I've been told by people in the film business, specifically producers and film distributors, that I can't get a job because I'm married to Cotton. Therefore, right now we can't be married. But that doesn't mean love has died. I'll always love him."<ref name="LA Times Obit2">{{cite web |last1=Olsen |first1=Mark |date=December 28, 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, teenage star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' is dead at 73 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-12-28/sue-lyon-lolita-stanley-kubrick-dead-obituary |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1974-11-15 |title=Notes on People (Published 1974) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/15/archives/unesco-to-swear-infirst-black-as-head-notes-on-people.html |access-date=2025-09-29 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1983, she married Edward Weathers, but they divorced the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lincoln |first=Ross A. |date=2019-12-28 |title=Sue Lyon, Star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' Dies at 73 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/sue-lyon-star-of-stanley-kubricks-lolita-dies-at-73/ |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref> Her fifth and final marriage was to radio engineer Richard Rudman; they were married from 1985 until their divorce in 2002.<ref name=":0" />

According to Nona, Lyon suffered from [[bipolar disorder]].<ref name=":1" /> Throughout her marriages her mental health declined, something all five of her husbands were unable to prevent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weinman |first=Sarah |date=2020-10-04 |title=The Dark Side of Lolita |url=https://airmail.news/issues/2020-10-24/the-dark-side-of-lolita |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=AirMail |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, [[Michelle Phillips]] told journalist Sarah Weinman that producer [[James B. Harris]] engaged in a forced sexual relationship with Lyon during her stay in England to film ''Lolita'' when she was 14 years old.<ref name="grunge/4851492" /> When contacted by Weinman, the 92-year-old Harris refused to respond to the allegation. At the time Stanley Kubrick's ''Lolita'' was in production, the [[age of consent]] in the UK was 16 years old but 18 in Lyon's home state of California.<ref name="Weinman2">{{cite web |last1=Weinman |first1=Sarah |date=October 24, 2020 |title=The Dark Side of Lolita: Sue Lyon was 14 when she starred in the film; The producer slept with her anyway |url=https://airmail.news/issues/2020-10-24/the-dark-side-of-lolita |access-date=August 3, 2023 |website=Airmail}}</ref> Harris was nearly 18 years older than Lyon, and a married man.

==Death==
Lyon died in West Hollywood on the morning of December 26, 2019, at the age of 73.<ref name="LATimes2">{{cite news |last=Olsen |first=Mark |date=December 28, 2019 |title=Sue Lyon, teenage star of Stanley Kubrick's 'Lolita,' is dead at 73 |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-12-28/sue-lyon-lolita-stanley-kubrick-dead-obituary |access-date=December 29, 2019 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> While no specific cause of death was given, she was reported to have been in poor health "for some time".<ref name="NYTimes2" /><blockquote>"To be pretty and to stay pretty are two different things. You can't take anything for granted, and it's foolish to think you can. You have to think ahead of how to build health and happiness. You have to learn to avoid what is going to hurt you or someone else." — Sue Lyon, 1967<ref name="LATimes2" /><ref name="smh.com.au/20200103-p53ojs2" /></blockquote>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:50px;"|Year<ref name="Sue Lyon - TV Guide">{{cite web |title=Sue Lyon |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/sue-lyon/credits/175644/ |website=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=December 28, 2019}}</ref>
! style="width:250px;"|Title
! style="width:150px;"|Role
! style="width:450px;"|Notes<ref name="Sue Lyon - Rotten Tomatoes">{{cite web |title=Sue Lyon |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sue_lyon |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=December 28, 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Lolita (1962 film)|Lolita]]''
| Dolores "Lolita" Haze
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer]]
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The Night of the Iguana (film)|The Night of the Iguana]]''
| Charlotte Goodall
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[7 Women]]''
| Emma Clark
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1967
| ''[[The Flim-Flam Man]]''
| Bonnie Lee Packard
|
|-
| ''[[Tony Rome]]''
| Diana Pines
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1969
| ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (1969 film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]''
| Elaine Dodd
| TV film
|-
| ''[[Four Rode Out]]''
| Myra Polsen
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[But I Don't Want to Get Married!]]''
| Laura
| TV film
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Evel Knievel (1971 film)|Evel Knievel]]''
| Linda
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1973
| ''[[Murder in a Blue World]]''
| Ana Vernia
|
|-
| ''Tarot''
| Angela
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1976
| ''[[Smash-Up on Interstate 5]]''
| Burnsey
| TV film
|-
| ''[[Crash!]]''
| Kim Denne
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977
| ''[[End of the World (1977 film)|End of the World]]''
| Sylvia Boran
|
|-
| ''Don't Push, I'll Charge When I'm Ready''
| Wendy Sutherland
| TV film, made in 1969
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| ''[[Invisible Strangler|The Astral Factor]]''
| Darlene DeLong
| Re-released in 1984 as ''The Invisible Strangler''
|-
| ''[[Towing (film)|Towing]]''
| Lynn
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Alligator (film)|Alligator]]''
| NBC Newswoman
| (Final film role)
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:50px;"|Year
! style="width:250px;"|Title
! style="width:150px;"|Role
! style="width:450px;"|Notes
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Letter to Loretta]]''
| Laurie
| 1 episode ("Alien Love"<ref>{{cite web |author1=The Loretta Young Show |title=S7 E6 : 'Alien Love' |date=October 30, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUszrbZlZpA |via=YouTube |access-date=June 17, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>)<br />as Suellyn Lyon
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series)|Dennis the Menace]]''
| Blonde with Valentine Card (uncredited)<!-- Tina, thesuelyoncage.wordpress.com/2015/04/08/lyon-menace/ -->
| 1 episode ("Miss Cathcart's Sunsuit")<ref name="variety/1203452857/">{{cite news |last1=Wheat |first1=Lorraine |title='Lolita' Star Sue Lyon Dies at 73 |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/sue-lyon-dead-dies-lolita-1203452857/ |access-date=June 17, 2023 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=December 28, 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 1969–1974
| ''[[Love, American Style]]''
| Barbara Eric<br />Julie
| 2 episodes ("Love and the Extra Job/Love and the Flying Finletters/Love and the Golden Worm/Love and the Itchy Condition/Love and the Patrolperson",<br />"Love and the Medium/Love and the Bed<ref name="gettyimages/93674889">{{cite web |title=LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE – "Love and the Bed" – Season One – Sue Lyon and Roger Perry starred in a story about the battle for the ownership of a brass bed |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/love-and-the-bed-season-one-12-29-69-sue-lyon-and-roger-news-photo/93674889 |publisher=Getty Images |access-date=June 17, 2023 |language=en-us |date=December 29, 1969}}</ref>/Love and the High School Flop-Out")
|-
| 1970
| ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]''
| Belinda Ballard
| 1 episode ("Experiment at New Life")
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| ''Men at Law''
| Bunny Phillips
| 1 episode ("Marathon")
|-
| ''[[Night Gallery]]''
| Betsy
| 1 episode ("The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes/Miss Lovecraft Sent Me/The Hand of Borgus Weems/Phantom of What Opera?")
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| ''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]''
| Caroline
| 1 episode ("River of Promises")
|-
| ''[[Fantasy Island]]''
| Jill Nolan
| 1 episode ("Reunion/Anniversary")
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{AFI person| 143172-Sue-Lyon }}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{cite web |title=Sue Lyon |url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/sue-lyon |website=[[Getty Images]] }}
* [https://www.angelfire.com/la2/annettecentral/ Sue Lyon Tribute] – filmography, photos at [[angelfire.com]]

{{Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year Actress}}
{{Portal bar |Biography |Film |Television |Pop music}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, Sue}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:American child actresses]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Spain]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:MGM Records artists]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:People with bipolar disorder]]
[[Category:Actresses from Davenport, Iowa]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]