Biography for
Carol Lynley More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

13 February 1942, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name

Carole Ann Jones

Spouse

Michael Selsman

(30 December 1960 - 1964) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

She had an affair off and on with David Frost for 18 years.

Although she was hired to play Diane in "Twin Peaks" (1990) and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), she was never seen on screen.

"Carolyn Lee" was her modeling name -- a name that was already registered with Actors' Equity, so she changed it to use the homophone "Carol Lynley".

Daughter, Jill Victoria, born [1962]

She was featured on the April 22, 1957 cover of LIFE Magazine. Walt Disney saw her photo and article, and decided to cast her in his 1958 release The Light in the Forest (1958). It was Carol's debut (she received "and introducing" credit in the opening title), but it was also her swan song for Disney's studio. Opposite James MacArthur, a Broadway actor, both gave convincing performances, receiving mixed critical reaction, mostly because of the entrenched polarized "pro" and "anti" Disney factions.

Lynley owned the boots and pendant she wears in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). She complained during production that the boots were shrinking due to constant immersion in water, making them extremely uncomfortable.

Is a fan of Cameron Diaz, one of her favorite films being There's Something About Mary (1998).

Although in later years she claimed to have sung "The Morning After" in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), her voice was in fact dubbed by studio singer Renée Armand.

Was close friends with actor/dancer Fred Astaire. In the 1970s, it was rumored in the press that they might even marry; however 81-year old Astaire wed the much-younger Robyn Smith in 1980. Carol is quoted extensively in the book "Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk" (1988), by Sarah Giles.

With her friend, entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen, Lynley appeared in several interstitial showbiz segments covering a variety of topics. For Australia's #1 morning show "Sunrise" (2003), she reflected on the remake of The Poseidon Adventure (1972). On "TV Guide Television" (1999), she discussed her long career in TV, film and on Broadway. For "New with Nelson," she revealed some of her Oscar picks for that year and named her all time favorite Oscar winner as Frank Sinatra.

Her father's name was Cyril Jones, and her mother's name was Frances Peltch.

Personal Quotes

I've never been in a scandal. I've never been caught running naked down a highway. I've not tried to shoot anybody. Nobody's ever tried to shoot me. My child is legitimate . . . I've never been to Betty Ford . . . No porn . . . No drug addictions . . . I've outlived three of my doctors. So if you're going to write a juicy book, I've got a problem.

Where Are They Now

(February 2006) She provided audio commentary for the upcoming release of the new deluxe edition of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) DVD along with Pamela Sue Martin and Stella Stevens.