Actress Sue Lyon, the teenage star of Stanley Kubrick's scandalous 1962 movie 'Lolita', dies at 73
Sue Lyon, the actress who played the titular role in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's scandalous 'Lolita', has died at the age of 73 on Thursday, December 26, in Los Angeles, according to The New York Times. Her death was announced by Phil Syracopoulos, a longtime friend.
Lyon, who was 14 at the time of casting, reportedly beat out 800 girls for the part. When Lyons was cast, Nabokov called her "the perfect nymphet" to play the part, although later he changed his mind and said that French actress Catherine Demongeot might have been better.
Lyon became an instant celebrity with the release of 'Lolita' and won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer — Female for the role.
Though Lyon had over two dozen film and television credits through the years 1959 to 1980, she was primarily known for her role as Dolores Haze in 'Lolita'. Sue Lyon was chosen for the title role, partly due to her more mature appearance after Lolita's age was raised from 12 to meet MPAA standards.
Kubrick, in an interview for the 1970 book 'The Film Director as Superstar' by Joseph Gelmis, acknowledged that he wasn't able to capture the forbidden flavor of the novel adequately.
He said, "Because of all the pressure over the Production Code and the Catholic Legion of Decency at the time, I believe I didn’t sufficiently dramatize the erotic aspect of Humbert's relationship with Lolita."
Sue Lyon was born in July 1946 in Iowa and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was three years old. After 'Lolita', she appeared in 'The Night of the Iguana' (1964), 'Tony Rome' (1967), 'Evel Knievel' (1971), and other assorted film and television credit.
Her last onscreen appearance was in the role of an NBC newswoman in the 1980 film, 'Alligator'. Lyon is survived by her daughter, Nona, from her marriage to Roland Harrison.