Immigrant of the Day: Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster) (Canada)

Yvonne De Carlo (born Margaret Yvonne Middleton) (1922–2007) was a film and television actress, best known for her role as “Lily Munster” on the 1964-1966 television series The Munsters.

The daughter of an aspiring actress, De Carlo was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her father abandoned her family when she was 3. As a teenager, De Carlo was taken by her mother to Hollywood where she enrolled her in dancing school. Unable to find work, they returned to Canada. The pair made several such trips until 1940, when De Carlo was first runner up to “Miss Venice Beach” and was hired as a showgirl at Florentine Gardens. She made her first film appearance in 1941, but could only find bit parts for the next few years.

De Carlo began at Paramount Studios and moved to Universal Studios and she was utilized as a B-movie version of Maria Montez, one of the studio’s reigning divas.

Cast in The Ten Commandments (1956) in a leading role as Moses’ wife), De Carlo was part of a major hit. The film was a huge success and De Carlo was among those to be praised for her restrained work.

However, DeCarlo’s most famous role that led her to pop culture legacy is of Lily Munster in the cult television classic The Munsters (1964-1966), which allowed De Carlo to demonstrate a comic flair. She also played Lily in the 1966 feature film Munster, Go Home and the 1981 TV movie The Munsters’ Revenge.

Yvonne De Carlo was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a second star at 6715 Hollywood Blvd. for her contribution to television.

De Carlo died in January 2007.  Here is an obituarary.

KJ