Rosemarie Bowe obit

Rosemarie Bowe, model and actress who had ‘a face like Grace Kelly and the body of Marilyn Monroe’ – obituary

 

She was not on the list.

Rosemarie Bowe, who has died aged 86, was a model turned actress who set pulses racing during the 1950s. Described by one Hollywood profile writer as “a starlet with a face like Grace Kelly and the body of Marilyn Monroe”, she had earned enough experience starting out as a model in Seattle to know how the film industry worked. But, she recalled, “of all the auditions and interviews I have had with casting men, directors, and producers, not one ever made a pass at me. I guess they were afraid of me.”

She was born on September 17 1932 in Butte, Montana, the youngest of three children. Her father, Dennis, was a building contractor, while her mother, Ruby was a dress designer.

Born in Butte, Montana, Bowe was primarily raised in Tacoma, Washington. She began her career modeling in Los Angeles, California, before being cast in uncredited bit parts. Her first major role was a supporting part in the 1954 adventure film The Adventures of Hajji Baba. She would have several lead roles before officially retiring from acting following her appearance in John Cassavetes' Big Trouble (1986).

She was married to actor Robert Stack from 1956 until his death in 2003.

Bowe was born Rose Marie Bowe on September 17, 1932, in Butte, Montana, the youngest child of Dennis and Ruby Bowe. Bowe's father was a building contractor and her mother was a dress designer. She had an older sister, Claire (maternal grandmother of actor Taran Killam), and a brother, Sidney. The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, when Bowe was a child. She was raised Lutheran.

As a teenager, she worked as a model in Seattle. She was a 1950 graduate of Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington, where she was active in theater and dance, and graduated in 1950. The same year, Bowe won the "Miss Tacoma" beauty contest. In 1951, she was one of six finalists in competition for queen of the Home Show and Building Exposition in Los Angeles, California.

Bowe briefly attended Tacoma Community College before moving to Los Angeles.

She was crowned Miss Tacoma and Miss Montana in 1950. In May 1951, Bowe competed in a contest to choose the queen of the sixth annual Home Show and Building Exposition. Along with Mary Ellen Nichols, she was a runner-up to the contest winner, Linda Peterson.

In 1951, Bowe traveled with her mother to Los Angeles, California, to see her brother Sidney off to the military during the Korean War. "Washington is very much like London," Bowe reflected in an interview. "Kinda gloomy, dark skies, unless it's summertime. Washington state is beautiful from June to September, but after that it's overcast, everyday practically. The minute my mother and I saw California palm trees and the sun, we really liked it and we decided we could stay here for awhile."

Having done modeling work in the past, Bowe secured work in Los Angeles as a model, appearing in several pin-up portraits by artist Gil Elvgren. Her measurements were 36–25–36. She was 5'5" tall and had blue-green eyes. Her modeling agency was contacted by a high-fashion photographer, Christa, who suggested she pose for national and fashion magazine portraits. Modeling for magazines such as Eye, Tempo, and Blightly, she eventually made the transition from model to actress in television.

Bowe's look was at times likened to both Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. She always modeled high fashion rather than lingerie or bathing suits. She was never asked by photographers to pose for cheesecake pictures as were many a pin-up girl. She once said, "Of all the auditions and interviews I have had with casting men, directors, and producers, not one ever made a pass at me. I guess they were afraid of me.

Bowe moved to Hollywood in 1950. In 1952, a court approved her seven-year contract with film agent Charles K. Feldman. When his production plans stalled, she obtained a contract with Columbia Pictures. She was trained in dramatic acting by Benno Schneider. Her early experience as an entertainer included performing as a singer and dancer in amateur musicals.

Early in her career, she used the name Laura Bowe.

As a screen debutante, Bowe appeared in Lovely To Look At (1952) with Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton. Bowe's part is uncredited, as is her depiction of a swimmer in Million Dollar Mermaid (1952). The same year, in June, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine. In 1954, she appeared in The Golden Mistress and The Adventures of Hajji Baba. The former was Bowe's first movie after requesting her release from Columbia. As Ann Dexter, she was featured opposite John Agar in an R.K. Productions release, set in Haiti. Bowe performed her own stunts on the set, and during filming, she almost drowned, was stung by a sea urchin, and sustained bumps, bruises, and insect bites.

Bowe was under option to 20th Century Fox when she filmed The Peacemaker (1956). Based on a novel, the Western also featured James Mitchell. It was released by Hal R. Makelim Productions. Announced in April 1954, the Makelim plan for producing pictures "guaranteed a flow of film products through a fixed fee system."

Her later acting roles included appearances in the films Murder on Flight 502 (1977) and Big Trouble (1986), both of which starred her husband Robert Stack, and the TV movie Making of a Male Model (1983).

She appeared in a 1963 episode of Burke's Law, credited as Rosemarie Bowe. The episode was "Who Killed Beau Sparrow?".

Actress (20 credits)

 1986 Big Trouble

Mrs. Winslow

 1983 Making of a Male Model (TV Movie)

Lila Chandler

 1975 Murder on Flight 502 (TV Movie)

Dorothy Saunders

 1971 Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (TV Series)

Jerry Woods' Wife

- Legacy of Fear (1971) ... Jerry Woods' Wife (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1967 The Corrupt Ones

Bar Patron (as Rosemary Bowe)

 1963 Burke's Law (TV Series)

Ann Maxwell

- Who Killed Beau Sparrow? (1963) ... Ann Maxwell (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1963 The Third Man (TV Series)

Monica Sellers

- Ghost Town (1963) ... Monica Sellers (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1961 The Dick Powell Theatre (TV Series)

Bette

- Out of the Night (1961) ... Bette (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1961 All in a Night's Work

Tony's Blonde 'Friend' (uncredited)

 1959 John Paul Jones

Minor Role (uncredited)

 1956 The Peacemaker

Ann Davis (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1955 The Lone Wolf (TV Series)

Bonnie

- The Beverly Hills Story (1955) ... Bonnie (as Rose Marie Bowe)

 1955 The View from Pompey's Head

Kit Robbins Garrick (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1955 It's a Great Life (TV Series)

Girl

- The Paper Drive (1955) ... Girl (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1955 The Big Bluff

Fritzie Darvel (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1954 The Golden Mistress

Ann Dexter (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1954 The Adventures of Hajji Baba

Ayesha (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1953-1954 The Ford Television Theatre (TV Series)

Nancy

- The Tryst (1954) ... (as Rosemarie Bowe)

- The World's My Oyster (1953) ... Nancy (as Rosemarie Bowe)

 1952 Million Dollar Mermaid

Swimmer (uncredited)

 1952 Lovely to Look At

Model (uncredited)