Toni Seven

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Toni Seven (actually June Elizabeth Billarde ; born June 29, 1922 in New York City , † May 21, 1991 in Gaithersburg , Maryland ) was an American actress and model . She gained notoriety primarily through pin-ups during the Second World War and through her private life, which was accompanied by the press.

Life

June Millarde was the only child of actress June Caprice and director Harry F. Millarde . She lost her father at the age of nine and her mother at fourteen. According to a 1949 report in Time magazine, Billion inherited about $ 3 million in fortune from the death of their parents. From then on, she grew up with her grandparents in Long Island . There she attended school in Great Neck .

In 1942 Billarde began her short career as an actress with an extra role in Mit dir ins Glück . In total, she acted in five films, including 1942 in Yankee Doodle Dandy . However, these were only extras or small supporting roles. After a breakthrough in the film industry failed, Billarde ended her acting career in 1944 after only two years.

During World War II, Billion volunteered at the Hollywood Canteen . In June 1944 she changed her name to Toni Seven (written by herself Toni 7 ). The name was suggested to her by the advertising consultant Russ Birdwell, whom she hired to promote her career. Seven was invited to a casting with the film producer Hunt Stromberg , but this second attempt at a career in Hollywood also failed. At the same time, Seven became a popular topic for the gossip press. She was known for numerous affairs with important figures in the entertainment industry and politics. In March 1943 she had a short-lived relationship with Errol Flynn .

Instead of a career as an actress, Toni Seven began a successful career as a photo model. Her pin-ups were printed in numerous United States Army magazines during the war . In August 1944, she allegedly received 500 letters a week from fans. On November 26, 1944, her photos were part of the first pin-up exhibition in the United States. In addition to Seven, stars such as Jane Russell and Martha Tilton also took part in the event.

In 1946 the theater producer W. Horace Schmidlapp planned a revival of the play Accent On Youth by Samson Raphaelson on Broadway . Toni Seven was supposed to play the main role. She moved from her previous place of residence in Benedict Canyon near Los Angeles to New York City. The attempt at a theater career failed, however, because the revival was never realized.

In January 1949 Toni Seven had an affair with the US Senator Warren G. Magnuson, which was widely covered by the press . This lasted from 1948 to 1953. Seven officially accompanied the Senator on business trips as a personal hostess. After that relationship ended, she had other, short-lived affairs. In 1959, Seven reverted to her maiden name June Billarde. That same year she married Eric Stanley of Washington, DC

June Billarde spent the last years of her life withdrawn from the public. She died on May 21, 1991 at the age of 68 in Gaithersburg. Her grave is in the Freedom Mausoleum in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale .

Filmography

  • 1942: With you into happiness (We Were Dancing)
  • 1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy
  • 1942: Wings for the Eagle
  • 1944: Ladies Courageous
  • 1944: Pinky and Curly

Web links

Commons : Toni Seven  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Toni Seven. In: Those obscure objects of desire. July 25, 2016, accessed October 30, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Seven, Toni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Billion, June Elizabeth (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actress and model
DATE OF BIRTH June 29, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH May 21, 1991
Place of death Gaithersburg , Maryland