Laurette Luez

Laurette Luez
Laurette Luez in D.O.A. (1950)
Born	Loretta Mary Luiz (1928-08-19)August 19, 1928 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Died	September 12, 1999(1999-09-12) (aged 71) Milton, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, commercial model
Years active	1944-1964
Spouse(s)	Robert Creel (1956-1983; divorced); 2 children Edward A. Harrison (1950-1951, annulment) Gregg C. Tallas (1950-1950; divorced) Philip Sudano (1947-1948; divorced); 1 child

Laurette Luez (born Loretta Mary Luiz; August 19, 1928 – September 12, 1999) was a supporting actress and successful commercial model who appeared in films and on television during a 20-year career. She was a widely known Hollywood celebrity during the 1950s, owing much to publicity about her social life. She is best known for her supporting role as photographic model Marla Rakubian in Rudolph Maté's 1950 film noir D.O.A..

Luez was the second of three children born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Frank and Francesca Luiz, vaudeville singers and dancers who performed traditional Hawaiian and Spanish music. Luez's father was Hawaiian with some Portuguese ancestry. Her mother was Australian, the daughter of an actor. Luez first showed up on stage doing a hula dance at age three. In July 1935 the family left Honolulu on the SS Mariposa to settle in Los Angeles. That same year, six-year-old Loretta performed for Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, who was known as one of the wealthiest men in the world at that time.

In 1944 she was cast as a fetching Javanese girl in The Story of Dr. Wassell. In October 1944, she was featured in Esquire. She signed a five-year contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1945, for a weekly salary of $125. In the late 1940s, she became a highly successful model, appearing in photographs and artwork for national brands such as Lux soap. In 1949, when she was 21, she played Marla Rakubian in the film noir D.O.A. In 1950, Luez became widely known for supporting roles with Roddy McDowell in Killer Shark, and Kim with Errol Flynn, which was the first major motion picture filmed in India.