Monique van Vooren

Monique van Vooren (March 25, 1927 – January 25, 2020) was a Belgian-American actress and dancer.

Monique van Vooren
Van Vooren in 1957
Born(1927-03-25)March 25, 1927
Brussels, Belgium
DiedJanuary 25, 2020(2020-01-25) (aged 92)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
NationalityBelgian-American
Other namesMonique Vooren
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Years active1950–2012
Spouse(s)Jakobson (details unknown)
Kurt (or Curt) Henry Pfenniger (m. 1950-195?; divorced)
Gerard Walter "Jerry" Purcell
​
​
(m. 1958⁠–⁠2002)​
, his death); 1 child[1][2]
Children1

Early years

Born in Brussels to George Bronz (or Bronze) and Louise van Vooren, Monique was a champion skater and a beauty queen in Belgium. She reportedly studied philosophy and languages and learned to speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch. "I can also read Greek and Latin," she stated.[3] Her first visit to the United States apparently took place in 1946 at age 19, with the married name "Jakobson" and listed as a "housewife".[4][5] Her second husband was Kurt (or Curt) Henry Pfenniger. Her third husband was New York businessman Gerard Walter Purcell. The couple were married from 1958 until Purcell's death in 2002.[1]

Career

On Broadway, Van Vooren played in John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953–54) and Man on the Moon (1975).[6] In the 1960s, Van Vooren starred in summer stock theatre productions in the United States.[5] Van Vooren recorded an album, Mink in HiFi for RCA Victor.[5] In 1956, she signed a contract with Request Records.[7]

In 1983, Signet published Night Sanctuary, written by Van Vooren.[8] She described the book as being about "the dark side of people."[9]

In 1983, Van Vooren was found guilty of lying before a federal grand jury and "ordered to get psychiatric help and perform 500 hours of community service as part of a suspended sentence."[10] The sentence resulted from an investigation of "whether she had pocketed her dead mother's Social Security payments."[10] Van Vooren died of cancer on January 25, 2020.[11]

Filmography

References
  1. "Paid Notice: Deaths PURCELL, GERARD W." The New York Times. 2002-03-20. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  2. "Desert Sun". Cdnc.ucr.edu. 1958-06-13. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  3. "Beauty Hinders Acting Career -- Monique van Vooren". Standard-Speaker. Standard-Speaker. December 16, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved October 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. Thomas, Bob (February 16, 1957). "Blonde Belgian Singer Cocks Practiced Eye at U.S. Women". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. p. 4. Retrieved October 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. "Monique van Vooren To Star In Canal Fulton Production". The Daily Times. The Daily Times. July 19, 1963. p. 7. Retrieved October 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "Monique Van Vooren". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  7. "Music as Written" (PDF). Billboard. May 12, 1956. p. 14. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. Vooren, Monique Van (1983). Night Sanctuary. ISBN 0451120558.
  9. Kleiner, Dick (April 10, 1982). "Monique van Vooren turns to writing". The Index-Journal. The Index-Journal. p. 26. Retrieved October 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. "Monique van Vooren Sentenced". The Dispatch. September 24, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  11. "Monique van Vooren, Actress in 'Tarzan and the She-Devil' and 'Batman,' Dies at 92". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 January 2020.
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