Darlanne Fluegel

Darlanne Fluegel was an American actress and model born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. One of six children, Fluegel grew up primarily in Binghamton, New York, and when her father died when she was 16, she decided to start modeling to support her mother. She started modeling for the Ford Agency in New York City in 1974, where she stayed until 1981 when she decided to pursue acting full time. Before then, however, she did make her film debut in "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978), a thriller directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones. Fluegel also appeared in the Roger Corman-produced sci-fi flick "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980). As part of her full-time pursuit of acting, she studied with Stella Adler. Her big break came in 1984, when she played Eve in Sergio Leone's epic "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984) opposite Robert De Niro. The next year, she made her television debut in the pilot episode of "MacGyver" (ABC, 1985-1992), and landed another role in a hugely critically acclaimed film: "To Live and Die in L.A." (1985). Fluegel then starred in the action-comedy film "Running Scared" (1986) opposite Billy Crystal. That same year, she appeared in an episode each of two revered 1950s anthology TV show revivals: "The Twilight Zone" (CBS, 1985-89) and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (NBC, 1985-89). Fluegel also joined the main cast of the short-lived "Crime Story" (NBC, 1986-88) for the first season, playing the wife of star Dennis Farina's character. At this time, her roles started to be further and further apart, and with considerably less star power. She was part of the main cast of the crime drama "Hunter" (NBC, 1984-1991) for its final season, and made her final film appearance in the direct-to-video "Darkman III: Die Darkman Die" (1996). Retired from acting at that point, Fluegel went on to teach acting and drama at the University of Central Floriday. She was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease at age 56. Fluegel died from complications of the disease at age 64 on December 15, 2017. She was survived by a daughter, Jenna Carey, and a son, Coulter Small.