HOLLYWOOD, CA. (THECOUNT) — Carol Lynley, the actress perhaps best known for her film roles in Return to Peyton Place, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Bunny Lake is Missing, The Pleasure Seekers, The Cardinal, and The Poseidon Adventure, passed away after suffering a fatal heart attack, according to her friend, actor Trent Dolan. She was 77.
Lynley began her career as a child model, appearing on the cover of LIFE magazine at the age of 15, before starring in Disney’s “The Light in the Forest” and the independent film “Holiday for Lovers.” Shortly after, she secured a breakout role in the 1958 Broadway play “Blue Denim” and its subsequent film adaptation, in which she played 15 year-old Janet Willard tasked with figuring out how to undergo an illegal abortion after an unwanted pregnancy.
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The play, written by James Leo Herlihy, received immediate criticism for its laissez-faire attitude towards abortion, leading to a revised ending in the film that sees Janet go through with her pregnancy. Despite the controversy, the role earned Lynley a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 1959, reports Variety.
The actress continued to star in a wide array of Hollywood films, including “Return to Peyton Place,” “Under the Yum Yum Tree,” “Bunny Lake is Missing,” “The Pleasure Seekers,” “The Cardinal” and “The Poseidon Adventure,” in which she performed the Oscar-winning song “The Morning After.” In 2006, she appeared in Sylvester Stallone’s 30-minute “Vic.”
The Hollywood veteran was also a television regular, appearing in shows such as “The Big Valley,” “Mannix,” “It Takes a Thief,” “Night Gallery,” “The Invaders,” “Kojak,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Night Stalker” and many more.
Lynley was married to publicist Michael Selsman from 1960-1964, during which the two had one child Jill Selsman.