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Yvonne De Carlo (born September 1, 1922) is an Canadian film and television actress.
Born Peggy Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia, the daughter of an ambitious but unsuccessful aspiring actress, De Carlo was taken to Hollywood by her mother at the age of fifteen. Unable to find work, they returned to Canada until 1940, when they once again traveled to Hollywood. De Carlo supported herself working in a chorus while trying to find film work. She made her first film appearance in 1942, but could only find bit parts for the next few years.
Her break came in 1945 playing the title role in Salome, Where She Danced. Though not a critical success it was a box office favorite and De Carlo was hailed as an up and coming star. In 1947 she played her first leading role in Slave Girl and then in 1949 had her biggest success. As the female lead opposite Burt Lancaster in Criss Cross, De Carlo played a dangerous femme fatale, and her career began to ascend. For the next several years, she was constantly working although many of the films failed to advance her career. Cast in The Ten Commandments (1956), De Carlo was finally part of a major hit. The film was a huge success and De Carlo was among those to be praised for her work. Despite this, her success was short-lived and the quality of her film roles did not improve.
She played the role of Lily Munster in the television series The Munsters (1964), and was able to demonstrate a comic flair that her films had failed to utilize. She also received recognition for her work in the horror movie American Gothic in 1988. De Carlo has worked steadily in both film and television, playing her most recent role in the television production of The Barefoot Contessa (1995).
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