Special thanks to Electric One for sponsoring Dorian Leigh's memorial.
Dorian Leigh was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered to be one of the first supermodel, and was well known in the United States and Europe.
Dorian was born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker in San Antonio, Texas, to George and Elizabeth Parker. Her parents married when they were around 17 or 18 years old and Elizabeth promptly gave birth to three daughters in quick succession: Dorian (1917-2008), Florian (Cissie) (1918-2010) and Georgiabell (1921-1988). Thirteen years after giving birth of her third daughter, Elizabeth believed she was going through menopause and was shocked to discover that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her fourth daughter, Cecilia (1932-2003), who became known as model and actress Suzy Parker. The family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, soon after Dorian's birth and later to Metuchen, New Jersey. There George invented a new form of etching acid, the production gave him enough income to retire.
Dorian graduated from Newton High School in 1935, and enrolled at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. In her autobiography Dorian claimed to have been born in 1920 and graduated high school at 15 in 1935. She also wrote she was a 17 year old sophomore in college in 1937, when in fact she was 20. She met her first, husband while in college, Marshall Powell Hawkins, and married him on a whim in North Carolina in 1937. They had two children: Thomas Lofton ("T.L") Hawkins (1939-Oct. 5, 2004) and Marsha Hawkins (1940). The couple separated in the 1940s.
Dorian was married five times first to Marshall Powell Hawkins (m. 1937; div. 1944), second Roger W. Mehle (m. 1948; div. 1954), third Alfonso de Portago (m. 1954;void 1954); fourth Serge Bordat (m. 1958; div. 1960) and Iddo Ben-Gurion (m. 1964; div. 1964)
Dorian worked as a file clerk first at a department store in Manhattan and as a tabulator, keeping track of radio program ratings. She later worked at Bell Laboratories, during World War II, was a tool designer at Eastern Air Lines (with their Eastern Aircraft division). Dorian assisted in the design of airplane wings, beginning at 65 cents an hour and ending up with an hourly wage of $1.00. After failing to be promoted because she was a woman and because of wartime freeze on positions, Dorian quit and took a job with Republic Pictures as an apprentice copywriter. While writing ad copy for the B movies Republic created and distributed to movie houses, she was encoured by a Mrs. Wayburn to try modeling.
Taking Mrs. Wayburn's advice, in 1944 Dorian went to the Harry Conover modeling agency. At 27, Dorian was not only old by modeling standards, but at barely 5'5", she was shorter than the other models at the agency. Conover immediately sent her to see Diana Vreeland, the editor of Harper's Bazaar. Dorian met with Vreeland and fashion photographer Louise-Dahl Wolfe, who were intrigued by her zig-zagged eyebrows. Vreeland warned her "Do not--do not do anything to those eyebrows!" Vreeland asked Dorian to return the next day, to be photographed for the cover of the June 1944 issue of Haper's Bazaar, her very first modeling assignment. Conover told her to tell them she was 19 years old. Later they were shocked to discover her real age (27), and that she already had two children.
Dorian's parents thought that modeling was not respectable and Dorian used only her first and middle name. Once Dorian became an enormous success, they thought it was acceptable that their youngest daughter, Suzy to use the Parker name when she also became a famous fashion model. She worked with famous photographers; Irving Penn, John Rawlings, Cecil Beaton, Paul Radkai and young photographer Richard Avedon. She dated Irving Penn, who later married another model Lisa Fonssagrives. Richard Avedon would become the most famous
photographer in history. While living in her apartment in New York City, a young author was enamored with her. He was Truman Capote, who was visiting a friend. He was fascinated with the non-stop men, comings and goings and having a store across the street answer her phone calls (since there were no answering machines back in the early 1950s). Capote's character Holly Golightly in his famous 1958 novel Breakfast at Tiffany's is said to be largely based on Dorian's life as well as socialite Gloria Vanderbilt's.
Dorian's sister, Florian, also had modeling photos in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, but quit when she married a military man, and was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Florian was considered the ultimate beauty among the Parker girls.
Dorian's second married was to Roger Mehle ex-husband of Aileen Mehle (1918-2016) who became a very famous columnist named "Suzy". Roger was introduced to Dorian, by her sister Cissy. Cissy was married to an army officer and Mehle was the youngest Navy commander and fighter ace in World War II. Dorian was two months pregnant when she married Roger Mehle in August 1948. Dorian's elder two children were raised by her parents in Florida. During her marriage to Roger Mehle, she became fed up with Harry Conover's agency. Conover's phones were often too busy and it took a very long time for clients to pay the models.
Dorian opened her own agency called the "Fashion Burea". Dorian's baby sister, Suzy who was 15 years old and 15 years younger than Dorian was working as modeling, making $25 an hour for the Huntington Hartford agency. Dorian met a young fashion stylist named Eileen Ford (1922-2014) and her husband, Gerald W. Ford (1924-2008), they started what would become the most prestigous modeling agencies in the world, Ford Models. Dorian wanted Suzy to join the Ford models, sight unseen and that she felt Suzy should be making $40 an hour. The Fords' agency was only two years old so they were anxious to represent a famous model like Dorian. The Fords met with Dorian and Suzy and were shocked that Dorian had an extremely thin waist, and had black hair and bright eyes. Suzy was almost six inches taller than Dorian, had a very large frame, and had bright red hair, freckles, and green eyes. In the 1950s , Suzy would become even more famous than Dorian, and would go on to be a movie and television actress.
Dorian gave birth to her daughter, Young Eve Mehle on March 27, 1949. Dorian and Roger had a house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but rarely saw each other. Roger's naval career had him station in Atlantic City, and Dorian commuted to New York City and Paris for modeling work. Dorian also began to work in Europe more often with Richard Avedon. Her job as a model, mother, actress was featured in Look magazine's June 2, 1953, cover story. By then Dorian had appeared in more than 50 magazine covers.
The previous summer, she met the married Spanish athlete Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca, Marquis of Portago (Alfonso de Portago Oct. 11, 1928-May 8, 1957). Dorian's children were once again sent to live with her parents in Florida. Alfonso ("Fon") was eleven years younger than Dorian. She was still married to Roger Mehle. de Portago was married, to an older American showgirl named Carroll McDaniel who later married Milton Petrie becoming philanthropist Carroll Petrie (died, aged 90 on January 15, 2015). Portago also had a three year old daughter with Carroll. Dorian and Fon were reluctant to divorce their spouses but carried on an affair all summer in Paris and Biarritz. Dorian became pregnant with de Portago's child but had an abortion because she feared Roger Mehle would divorce her and take full custody of their daughter, Young Eve. Only weeks later, Fon told Dorian that Carroll was pregnant with their second child. Dorian returned to the United States and divorced Roger Mehle on November 24, 1954 in Mexico. Fon then "married" Dorian right away in Mexico but since he was still married to Carroll, the marriage was invalid.
Dorian continued her affair with de Portago even though Carroll had given birth to her and Fon's son, Anthony de Portago about 1954. Coco Chanel, Suzy's great friend warned Dorian to break it off with de Portago she said that "she was throwing away her life for an idiot". Despite Chanel's warning Dorian got pregnant by de Portago again, even though he was still married to Carroll. To avoid a scandalous illegitimate pregnancy and gospel columnists in the United States. She spent time with Charlie Chaplin's large family in Switzerland before giving birth to her son Kim Blas Parker on September, 27, 1955. Dorian did not tell her parents about the child and instead lied and told her family that she was in a tuberculosis clinic. Dorian and de Portago had an off again on again relationship through out 1956-1957.
Dorian was nearing 40 and her career as a model was coming to a close. Dorian began her first legal modeling agency in France to support her son. She also lent the financially irresponsible de Portago $15, 000. De Portago was still married and openly dating Linda Christian (1923-2011), the ex-wife of Tyrone Powell. Dorian turned 40 on April 23, 1957, and de Portago told her he was supposedly divorcing Carroll on May 9, 1957. He also told her he would be entering the famous Mille Miglia race in Italy on May 8, 1957. However, on May 8th Dorian received a phone call from, Fon's mother, Olga informing Dorian that de Portago had been killed. Fon's tire on his Ferrari race car had blown up because he did not stop in time for a tire change. Fon and his co-driver Edmund Nelson were mutilated and killed in a horrifying crash. When the tire exploded, he lost control and killed nine spectators , including five children. This catastrophe ended the Mille Miglia forever.
Dorian died in a Falls Church, Virginia nursing home from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 91 in 2008. In her obituary, her first son, T.L. Hawkins, reminisced about his mother's famous "Fire and Ice" photograph.
Dorian was survived by three of her five children: Son Thomas Lofton ("T.L.") who later married Kristie Miller, daughter of Ruth Elizabeth McCormick (March 7, 1921-February 5, 2013), daughters Young Eve and Miranda Olga. Dorian's son Blaise (Kim) and daughter Marsha Lynn pre-deceased her. She was survived by several grandchildren and one remaining Parker sister, Florian, who died at the age of 92 in 2010.
In 1980 Dorian published an autobiography, The Girl Who Had Everything (Doubleday).
According to Dorian, she wrote her autobiography for her late son: "I really wrote it for Kim, who will never read it . But perhaps other Kims and their parents may learn from my unhappy experiences".
Bio by Josh Richard (FAG# 48962907)
Dorian Leigh was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered to be one of the first supermodel, and was well known in the United States and Europe.
Dorian was born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker in San Antonio, Texas, to George and Elizabeth Parker. Her parents married when they were around 17 or 18 years old and Elizabeth promptly gave birth to three daughters in quick succession: Dorian (1917-2008), Florian (Cissie) (1918-2010) and Georgiabell (1921-1988). Thirteen years after giving birth of her third daughter, Elizabeth believed she was going through menopause and was shocked to discover that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her fourth daughter, Cecilia (1932-2003), who became known as model and actress Suzy Parker. The family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, soon after Dorian's birth and later to Metuchen, New Jersey. There George invented a new form of etching acid, the production gave him enough income to retire.
Dorian graduated from Newton High School in 1935, and enrolled at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. In her autobiography Dorian claimed to have been born in 1920 and graduated high school at 15 in 1935. She also wrote she was a 17 year old sophomore in college in 1937, when in fact she was 20. She met her first, husband while in college, Marshall Powell Hawkins, and married him on a whim in North Carolina in 1937. They had two children: Thomas Lofton ("T.L") Hawkins (1939-Oct. 5, 2004) and Marsha Hawkins (1940). The couple separated in the 1940s.
Dorian was married five times first to Marshall Powell Hawkins (m. 1937; div. 1944), second Roger W. Mehle (m. 1948; div. 1954), third Alfonso de Portago (m. 1954;void 1954); fourth Serge Bordat (m. 1958; div. 1960) and Iddo Ben-Gurion (m. 1964; div. 1964)
Dorian worked as a file clerk first at a department store in Manhattan and as a tabulator, keeping track of radio program ratings. She later worked at Bell Laboratories, during World War II, was a tool designer at Eastern Air Lines (with their Eastern Aircraft division). Dorian assisted in the design of airplane wings, beginning at 65 cents an hour and ending up with an hourly wage of $1.00. After failing to be promoted because she was a woman and because of wartime freeze on positions, Dorian quit and took a job with Republic Pictures as an apprentice copywriter. While writing ad copy for the B movies Republic created and distributed to movie houses, she was encoured by a Mrs. Wayburn to try modeling.
Taking Mrs. Wayburn's advice, in 1944 Dorian went to the Harry Conover modeling agency. At 27, Dorian was not only old by modeling standards, but at barely 5'5", she was shorter than the other models at the agency. Conover immediately sent her to see Diana Vreeland, the editor of Harper's Bazaar. Dorian met with Vreeland and fashion photographer Louise-Dahl Wolfe, who were intrigued by her zig-zagged eyebrows. Vreeland warned her "Do not--do not do anything to those eyebrows!" Vreeland asked Dorian to return the next day, to be photographed for the cover of the June 1944 issue of Haper's Bazaar, her very first modeling assignment. Conover told her to tell them she was 19 years old. Later they were shocked to discover her real age (27), and that she already had two children.
Dorian's parents thought that modeling was not respectable and Dorian used only her first and middle name. Once Dorian became an enormous success, they thought it was acceptable that their youngest daughter, Suzy to use the Parker name when she also became a famous fashion model. She worked with famous photographers; Irving Penn, John Rawlings, Cecil Beaton, Paul Radkai and young photographer Richard Avedon. She dated Irving Penn, who later married another model Lisa Fonssagrives. Richard Avedon would become the most famous
photographer in history. While living in her apartment in New York City, a young author was enamored with her. He was Truman Capote, who was visiting a friend. He was fascinated with the non-stop men, comings and goings and having a store across the street answer her phone calls (since there were no answering machines back in the early 1950s). Capote's character Holly Golightly in his famous 1958 novel Breakfast at Tiffany's is said to be largely based on Dorian's life as well as socialite Gloria Vanderbilt's.
Dorian's sister, Florian, also had modeling photos in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, but quit when she married a military man, and was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Florian was considered the ultimate beauty among the Parker girls.
Dorian's second married was to Roger Mehle ex-husband of Aileen Mehle (1918-2016) who became a very famous columnist named "Suzy". Roger was introduced to Dorian, by her sister Cissy. Cissy was married to an army officer and Mehle was the youngest Navy commander and fighter ace in World War II. Dorian was two months pregnant when she married Roger Mehle in August 1948. Dorian's elder two children were raised by her parents in Florida. During her marriage to Roger Mehle, she became fed up with Harry Conover's agency. Conover's phones were often too busy and it took a very long time for clients to pay the models.
Dorian opened her own agency called the "Fashion Burea". Dorian's baby sister, Suzy who was 15 years old and 15 years younger than Dorian was working as modeling, making $25 an hour for the Huntington Hartford agency. Dorian met a young fashion stylist named Eileen Ford (1922-2014) and her husband, Gerald W. Ford (1924-2008), they started what would become the most prestigous modeling agencies in the world, Ford Models. Dorian wanted Suzy to join the Ford models, sight unseen and that she felt Suzy should be making $40 an hour. The Fords' agency was only two years old so they were anxious to represent a famous model like Dorian. The Fords met with Dorian and Suzy and were shocked that Dorian had an extremely thin waist, and had black hair and bright eyes. Suzy was almost six inches taller than Dorian, had a very large frame, and had bright red hair, freckles, and green eyes. In the 1950s , Suzy would become even more famous than Dorian, and would go on to be a movie and television actress.
Dorian gave birth to her daughter, Young Eve Mehle on March 27, 1949. Dorian and Roger had a house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but rarely saw each other. Roger's naval career had him station in Atlantic City, and Dorian commuted to New York City and Paris for modeling work. Dorian also began to work in Europe more often with Richard Avedon. Her job as a model, mother, actress was featured in Look magazine's June 2, 1953, cover story. By then Dorian had appeared in more than 50 magazine covers.
The previous summer, she met the married Spanish athlete Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca, Marquis of Portago (Alfonso de Portago Oct. 11, 1928-May 8, 1957). Dorian's children were once again sent to live with her parents in Florida. Alfonso ("Fon") was eleven years younger than Dorian. She was still married to Roger Mehle. de Portago was married, to an older American showgirl named Carroll McDaniel who later married Milton Petrie becoming philanthropist Carroll Petrie (died, aged 90 on January 15, 2015). Portago also had a three year old daughter with Carroll. Dorian and Fon were reluctant to divorce their spouses but carried on an affair all summer in Paris and Biarritz. Dorian became pregnant with de Portago's child but had an abortion because she feared Roger Mehle would divorce her and take full custody of their daughter, Young Eve. Only weeks later, Fon told Dorian that Carroll was pregnant with their second child. Dorian returned to the United States and divorced Roger Mehle on November 24, 1954 in Mexico. Fon then "married" Dorian right away in Mexico but since he was still married to Carroll, the marriage was invalid.
Dorian continued her affair with de Portago even though Carroll had given birth to her and Fon's son, Anthony de Portago about 1954. Coco Chanel, Suzy's great friend warned Dorian to break it off with de Portago she said that "she was throwing away her life for an idiot". Despite Chanel's warning Dorian got pregnant by de Portago again, even though he was still married to Carroll. To avoid a scandalous illegitimate pregnancy and gospel columnists in the United States. She spent time with Charlie Chaplin's large family in Switzerland before giving birth to her son Kim Blas Parker on September, 27, 1955. Dorian did not tell her parents about the child and instead lied and told her family that she was in a tuberculosis clinic. Dorian and de Portago had an off again on again relationship through out 1956-1957.
Dorian was nearing 40 and her career as a model was coming to a close. Dorian began her first legal modeling agency in France to support her son. She also lent the financially irresponsible de Portago $15, 000. De Portago was still married and openly dating Linda Christian (1923-2011), the ex-wife of Tyrone Powell. Dorian turned 40 on April 23, 1957, and de Portago told her he was supposedly divorcing Carroll on May 9, 1957. He also told her he would be entering the famous Mille Miglia race in Italy on May 8, 1957. However, on May 8th Dorian received a phone call from, Fon's mother, Olga informing Dorian that de Portago had been killed. Fon's tire on his Ferrari race car had blown up because he did not stop in time for a tire change. Fon and his co-driver Edmund Nelson were mutilated and killed in a horrifying crash. When the tire exploded, he lost control and killed nine spectators , including five children. This catastrophe ended the Mille Miglia forever.
Dorian died in a Falls Church, Virginia nursing home from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 91 in 2008. In her obituary, her first son, T.L. Hawkins, reminisced about his mother's famous "Fire and Ice" photograph.
Dorian was survived by three of her five children: Son Thomas Lofton ("T.L.") who later married Kristie Miller, daughter of Ruth Elizabeth McCormick (March 7, 1921-February 5, 2013), daughters Young Eve and Miranda Olga. Dorian's son Blaise (Kim) and daughter Marsha Lynn pre-deceased her. She was survived by several grandchildren and one remaining Parker sister, Florian, who died at the age of 92 in 2010.
In 1980 Dorian published an autobiography, The Girl Who Had Everything (Doubleday).
According to Dorian, she wrote her autobiography for her late son: "I really wrote it for Kim, who will never read it . But perhaps other Kims and their parents may learn from my unhappy experiences".
Bio by Josh Richard (FAG# 48962907)
Special thanks to Electric One for sponsoring Dorian Leigh's memorial.
Dorian Leigh was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered to be one of the first supermodel, and was well known in the United States and Europe.
Dorian was born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker in San Antonio, Texas, to George and Elizabeth Parker. Her parents married when they were around 17 or 18 years old and Elizabeth promptly gave birth to three daughters in quick succession: Dorian (1917-2008), Florian (Cissie) (1918-2010) and Georgiabell (1921-1988). Thirteen years after giving birth of her third daughter, Elizabeth believed she was going through menopause and was shocked to discover that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her fourth daughter, Cecilia (1932-2003), who became known as model and actress Suzy Parker. The family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, soon after Dorian's birth and later to Metuchen, New Jersey. There George invented a new form of etching acid, the production gave him enough income to retire.
Dorian graduated from Newton High School in 1935, and enrolled at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. In her autobiography Dorian claimed to have been born in 1920 and graduated high school at 15 in 1935. She also wrote she was a 17 year old sophomore in college in 1937, when in fact she was 20. She met her first, husband while in college, Marshall Powell Hawkins, and married him on a whim in North Carolina in 1937. They had two children: Thomas Lofton ("T.L") Hawkins (1939-Oct. 5, 2004) and Marsha Hawkins (1940). The couple separated in the 1940s.
Dorian was married five times first to Marshall Powell Hawkins (m. 1937; div. 1944), second Roger W. Mehle (m. 1948; div. 1954), third Alfonso de Portago (m. 1954;void 1954); fourth Serge Bordat (m. 1958; div. 1960) and Iddo Ben-Gurion (m. 1964; div. 1964)
Dorian worked as a file clerk first at a department store in Manhattan and as a tabulator, keeping track of radio program ratings. She later worked at Bell Laboratories, during World War II, was a tool designer at Eastern Air Lines (with their Eastern Aircraft division). Dorian assisted in the design of airplane wings, beginning at 65 cents an hour and ending up with an hourly wage of $1.00. After failing to be promoted because she was a woman and because of wartime freeze on positions, Dorian quit and took a job with Republic Pictures as an apprentice copywriter. While writing ad copy for the B movies Republic created and distributed to movie houses, she was encoured by a Mrs. Wayburn to try modeling.
Taking Mrs. Wayburn's advice, in 1944 Dorian went to the Harry Conover modeling agency. At 27, Dorian was not only old by modeling standards, but at barely 5'5", she was shorter than the other models at the agency. Conover immediately sent her to see Diana Vreeland, the editor of Harper's Bazaar. Dorian met with Vreeland and fashion photographer Louise-Dahl Wolfe, who were intrigued by her zig-zagged eyebrows. Vreeland warned her "Do not--do not do anything to those eyebrows!" Vreeland asked Dorian to return the next day, to be photographed for the cover of the June 1944 issue of Haper's Bazaar, her very first modeling assignment. Conover told her to tell them she was 19 years old. Later they were shocked to discover her real age (27), and that she already had two children.
Dorian's parents thought that modeling was not respectable and Dorian used only her first and middle name. Once Dorian became an enormous success, they thought it was acceptable that their youngest daughter, Suzy to use the Parker name when she also became a famous fashion model. She worked with famous photographers; Irving Penn, John Rawlings, Cecil Beaton, Paul Radkai and young photographer Richard Avedon. She dated Irving Penn, who later married another model Lisa Fonssagrives. Richard Avedon would become the most famous
photographer in history. While living in her apartment in New York City, a young author was enamored with her. He was Truman Capote, who was visiting a friend. He was fascinated with the non-stop men, comings and goings and having a store across the street answer her phone calls (since there were no answering machines back in the early 1950s). Capote's character Holly Golightly in his famous 1958 novel Breakfast at Tiffany's is said to be largely based on Dorian's life as well as socialite Gloria Vanderbilt's.
Dorian's sister, Florian, also had modeling photos in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, but quit when she married a military man, and was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Florian was considered the ultimate beauty among the Parker girls.
Dorian's second married was to Roger Mehle ex-husband of Aileen Mehle (1918-2016) who became a very famous columnist named "Suzy". Roger was introduced to Dorian, by her sister Cissy. Cissy was married to an army officer and Mehle was the youngest Navy commander and fighter ace in World War II. Dorian was two months pregnant when she married Roger Mehle in August 1948. Dorian's elder two children were raised by her parents in Florida. During her marriage to Roger Mehle, she became fed up with Harry Conover's agency. Conover's phones were often too busy and it took a very long time for clients to pay the models.
Dorian opened her own agency called the "Fashion Burea". Dorian's baby sister, Suzy who was 15 years old and 15 years younger than Dorian was working as modeling, making $25 an hour for the Huntington Hartford agency. Dorian met a young fashion stylist named Eileen Ford (1922-2014) and her husband, Gerald W. Ford (1924-2008), they started what would become the most prestigous modeling agencies in the world, Ford Models. Dorian wanted Suzy to join the Ford models, sight unseen and that she felt Suzy should be making $40 an hour. The Fords' agency was only two years old so they were anxious to represent a famous model like Dorian. The Fords met with Dorian and Suzy and were shocked that Dorian had an extremely thin waist, and had black hair and bright eyes. Suzy was almost six inches taller than Dorian, had a very large frame, and had bright red hair, freckles, and green eyes. In the 1950s , Suzy would become even more famous than Dorian, and would go on to be a movie and television actress.
Dorian gave birth to her daughter, Young Eve Mehle on March 27, 1949. Dorian and Roger had a house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but rarely saw each other. Roger's naval career had him station in Atlantic City, and Dorian commuted to New York City and Paris for modeling work. Dorian also began to work in Europe more often with Richard Avedon. Her job as a model, mother, actress was featured in Look magazine's June 2, 1953, cover story. By then Dorian had appeared in more than 50 magazine covers.
The previous summer, she met the married Spanish athlete Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca, Marquis of Portago (Alfonso de Portago Oct. 11, 1928-May 8, 1957). Dorian's children were once again sent to live with her parents in Florida. Alfonso ("Fon") was eleven years younger than Dorian. She was still married to Roger Mehle. de Portago was married, to an older American showgirl named Carroll McDaniel who later married Milton Petrie becoming philanthropist Carroll Petrie (died, aged 90 on January 15, 2015). Portago also had a three year old daughter with Carroll. Dorian and Fon were reluctant to divorce their spouses but carried on an affair all summer in Paris and Biarritz. Dorian became pregnant with de Portago's child but had an abortion because she feared Roger Mehle would divorce her and take full custody of their daughter, Young Eve. Only weeks later, Fon told Dorian that Carroll was pregnant with their second child. Dorian returned to the United States and divorced Roger Mehle on November 24, 1954 in Mexico. Fon then "married" Dorian right away in Mexico but since he was still married to Carroll, the marriage was invalid.
Dorian continued her affair with de Portago even though Carroll had given birth to her and Fon's son, Anthony de Portago about 1954. Coco Chanel, Suzy's great friend warned Dorian to break it off with de Portago she said that "she was throwing away her life for an idiot". Despite Chanel's warning Dorian got pregnant by de Portago again, even though he was still married to Carroll. To avoid a scandalous illegitimate pregnancy and gospel columnists in the United States. She spent time with Charlie Chaplin's large family in Switzerland before giving birth to her son Kim Blas Parker on September, 27, 1955. Dorian did not tell her parents about the child and instead lied and told her family that she was in a tuberculosis clinic. Dorian and de Portago had an off again on again relationship through out 1956-1957.
Dorian was nearing 40 and her career as a model was coming to a close. Dorian began her first legal modeling agency in France to support her son. She also lent the financially irresponsible de Portago $15, 000. De Portago was still married and openly dating Linda Christian (1923-2011), the ex-wife of Tyrone Powell. Dorian turned 40 on April 23, 1957, and de Portago told her he was supposedly divorcing Carroll on May 9, 1957. He also told her he would be entering the famous Mille Miglia race in Italy on May 8, 1957. However, on May 8th Dorian received a phone call from, Fon's mother, Olga informing Dorian that de Portago had been killed. Fon's tire on his Ferrari race car had blown up because he did not stop in time for a tire change. Fon and his co-driver Edmund Nelson were mutilated and killed in a horrifying crash. When the tire exploded, he lost control and killed nine spectators , including five children. This catastrophe ended the Mille Miglia forever.
Dorian died in a Falls Church, Virginia nursing home from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 91 in 2008. In her obituary, her first son, T.L. Hawkins, reminisced about his mother's famous "Fire and Ice" photograph.
Dorian was survived by three of her five children: Son Thomas Lofton ("T.L.") who later married Kristie Miller, daughter of Ruth Elizabeth McCormick (March 7, 1921-February 5, 2013), daughters Young Eve and Miranda Olga. Dorian's son Blaise (Kim) and daughter Marsha Lynn pre-deceased her. She was survived by several grandchildren and one remaining Parker sister, Florian, who died at the age of 92 in 2010.
In 1980 Dorian published an autobiography, The Girl Who Had Everything (Doubleday).
According to Dorian, she wrote her autobiography for her late son: "I really wrote it for Kim, who will never read it . But perhaps other Kims and their parents may learn from my unhappy experiences".
Bio by Josh Richard (FAG# 48962907)
Dorian Leigh was an American model and one of the earliest modeling icons of the fashion industry. She is considered to be one of the first supermodel, and was well known in the United States and Europe.
Dorian was born Dorian Elizabeth Leigh Parker in San Antonio, Texas, to George and Elizabeth Parker. Her parents married when they were around 17 or 18 years old and Elizabeth promptly gave birth to three daughters in quick succession: Dorian (1917-2008), Florian (Cissie) (1918-2010) and Georgiabell (1921-1988). Thirteen years after giving birth of her third daughter, Elizabeth believed she was going through menopause and was shocked to discover that she was pregnant. She gave birth to her fourth daughter, Cecilia (1932-2003), who became known as model and actress Suzy Parker. The family moved to Jackson Heights, Queens, soon after Dorian's birth and later to Metuchen, New Jersey. There George invented a new form of etching acid, the production gave him enough income to retire.
Dorian graduated from Newton High School in 1935, and enrolled at Randolph-Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Virginia. In her autobiography Dorian claimed to have been born in 1920 and graduated high school at 15 in 1935. She also wrote she was a 17 year old sophomore in college in 1937, when in fact she was 20. She met her first, husband while in college, Marshall Powell Hawkins, and married him on a whim in North Carolina in 1937. They had two children: Thomas Lofton ("T.L") Hawkins (1939-Oct. 5, 2004) and Marsha Hawkins (1940). The couple separated in the 1940s.
Dorian was married five times first to Marshall Powell Hawkins (m. 1937; div. 1944), second Roger W. Mehle (m. 1948; div. 1954), third Alfonso de Portago (m. 1954;void 1954); fourth Serge Bordat (m. 1958; div. 1960) and Iddo Ben-Gurion (m. 1964; div. 1964)
Dorian worked as a file clerk first at a department store in Manhattan and as a tabulator, keeping track of radio program ratings. She later worked at Bell Laboratories, during World War II, was a tool designer at Eastern Air Lines (with their Eastern Aircraft division). Dorian assisted in the design of airplane wings, beginning at 65 cents an hour and ending up with an hourly wage of $1.00. After failing to be promoted because she was a woman and because of wartime freeze on positions, Dorian quit and took a job with Republic Pictures as an apprentice copywriter. While writing ad copy for the B movies Republic created and distributed to movie houses, she was encoured by a Mrs. Wayburn to try modeling.
Taking Mrs. Wayburn's advice, in 1944 Dorian went to the Harry Conover modeling agency. At 27, Dorian was not only old by modeling standards, but at barely 5'5", she was shorter than the other models at the agency. Conover immediately sent her to see Diana Vreeland, the editor of Harper's Bazaar. Dorian met with Vreeland and fashion photographer Louise-Dahl Wolfe, who were intrigued by her zig-zagged eyebrows. Vreeland warned her "Do not--do not do anything to those eyebrows!" Vreeland asked Dorian to return the next day, to be photographed for the cover of the June 1944 issue of Haper's Bazaar, her very first modeling assignment. Conover told her to tell them she was 19 years old. Later they were shocked to discover her real age (27), and that she already had two children.
Dorian's parents thought that modeling was not respectable and Dorian used only her first and middle name. Once Dorian became an enormous success, they thought it was acceptable that their youngest daughter, Suzy to use the Parker name when she also became a famous fashion model. She worked with famous photographers; Irving Penn, John Rawlings, Cecil Beaton, Paul Radkai and young photographer Richard Avedon. She dated Irving Penn, who later married another model Lisa Fonssagrives. Richard Avedon would become the most famous
photographer in history. While living in her apartment in New York City, a young author was enamored with her. He was Truman Capote, who was visiting a friend. He was fascinated with the non-stop men, comings and goings and having a store across the street answer her phone calls (since there were no answering machines back in the early 1950s). Capote's character Holly Golightly in his famous 1958 novel Breakfast at Tiffany's is said to be largely based on Dorian's life as well as socialite Gloria Vanderbilt's.
Dorian's sister, Florian, also had modeling photos in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, but quit when she married a military man, and was living in Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Florian was considered the ultimate beauty among the Parker girls.
Dorian's second married was to Roger Mehle ex-husband of Aileen Mehle (1918-2016) who became a very famous columnist named "Suzy". Roger was introduced to Dorian, by her sister Cissy. Cissy was married to an army officer and Mehle was the youngest Navy commander and fighter ace in World War II. Dorian was two months pregnant when she married Roger Mehle in August 1948. Dorian's elder two children were raised by her parents in Florida. During her marriage to Roger Mehle, she became fed up with Harry Conover's agency. Conover's phones were often too busy and it took a very long time for clients to pay the models.
Dorian opened her own agency called the "Fashion Burea". Dorian's baby sister, Suzy who was 15 years old and 15 years younger than Dorian was working as modeling, making $25 an hour for the Huntington Hartford agency. Dorian met a young fashion stylist named Eileen Ford (1922-2014) and her husband, Gerald W. Ford (1924-2008), they started what would become the most prestigous modeling agencies in the world, Ford Models. Dorian wanted Suzy to join the Ford models, sight unseen and that she felt Suzy should be making $40 an hour. The Fords' agency was only two years old so they were anxious to represent a famous model like Dorian. The Fords met with Dorian and Suzy and were shocked that Dorian had an extremely thin waist, and had black hair and bright eyes. Suzy was almost six inches taller than Dorian, had a very large frame, and had bright red hair, freckles, and green eyes. In the 1950s , Suzy would become even more famous than Dorian, and would go on to be a movie and television actress.
Dorian gave birth to her daughter, Young Eve Mehle on March 27, 1949. Dorian and Roger had a house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania but rarely saw each other. Roger's naval career had him station in Atlantic City, and Dorian commuted to New York City and Paris for modeling work. Dorian also began to work in Europe more often with Richard Avedon. Her job as a model, mother, actress was featured in Look magazine's June 2, 1953, cover story. By then Dorian had appeared in more than 50 magazine covers.
The previous summer, she met the married Spanish athlete Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca, Marquis of Portago (Alfonso de Portago Oct. 11, 1928-May 8, 1957). Dorian's children were once again sent to live with her parents in Florida. Alfonso ("Fon") was eleven years younger than Dorian. She was still married to Roger Mehle. de Portago was married, to an older American showgirl named Carroll McDaniel who later married Milton Petrie becoming philanthropist Carroll Petrie (died, aged 90 on January 15, 2015). Portago also had a three year old daughter with Carroll. Dorian and Fon were reluctant to divorce their spouses but carried on an affair all summer in Paris and Biarritz. Dorian became pregnant with de Portago's child but had an abortion because she feared Roger Mehle would divorce her and take full custody of their daughter, Young Eve. Only weeks later, Fon told Dorian that Carroll was pregnant with their second child. Dorian returned to the United States and divorced Roger Mehle on November 24, 1954 in Mexico. Fon then "married" Dorian right away in Mexico but since he was still married to Carroll, the marriage was invalid.
Dorian continued her affair with de Portago even though Carroll had given birth to her and Fon's son, Anthony de Portago about 1954. Coco Chanel, Suzy's great friend warned Dorian to break it off with de Portago she said that "she was throwing away her life for an idiot". Despite Chanel's warning Dorian got pregnant by de Portago again, even though he was still married to Carroll. To avoid a scandalous illegitimate pregnancy and gospel columnists in the United States. She spent time with Charlie Chaplin's large family in Switzerland before giving birth to her son Kim Blas Parker on September, 27, 1955. Dorian did not tell her parents about the child and instead lied and told her family that she was in a tuberculosis clinic. Dorian and de Portago had an off again on again relationship through out 1956-1957.
Dorian was nearing 40 and her career as a model was coming to a close. Dorian began her first legal modeling agency in France to support her son. She also lent the financially irresponsible de Portago $15, 000. De Portago was still married and openly dating Linda Christian (1923-2011), the ex-wife of Tyrone Powell. Dorian turned 40 on April 23, 1957, and de Portago told her he was supposedly divorcing Carroll on May 9, 1957. He also told her he would be entering the famous Mille Miglia race in Italy on May 8, 1957. However, on May 8th Dorian received a phone call from, Fon's mother, Olga informing Dorian that de Portago had been killed. Fon's tire on his Ferrari race car had blown up because he did not stop in time for a tire change. Fon and his co-driver Edmund Nelson were mutilated and killed in a horrifying crash. When the tire exploded, he lost control and killed nine spectators , including five children. This catastrophe ended the Mille Miglia forever.
Dorian died in a Falls Church, Virginia nursing home from Alzheimer's disease at the age of 91 in 2008. In her obituary, her first son, T.L. Hawkins, reminisced about his mother's famous "Fire and Ice" photograph.
Dorian was survived by three of her five children: Son Thomas Lofton ("T.L.") who later married Kristie Miller, daughter of Ruth Elizabeth McCormick (March 7, 1921-February 5, 2013), daughters Young Eve and Miranda Olga. Dorian's son Blaise (Kim) and daughter Marsha Lynn pre-deceased her. She was survived by several grandchildren and one remaining Parker sister, Florian, who died at the age of 92 in 2010.
In 1980 Dorian published an autobiography, The Girl Who Had Everything (Doubleday).
According to Dorian, she wrote her autobiography for her late son: "I really wrote it for Kim, who will never read it . But perhaps other Kims and their parents may learn from my unhappy experiences".
Bio by Josh Richard (FAG# 48962907)
