Profile of Diane Varsi on Famous Like Me

Diane Marie Varsi (February 23, 1938 - November 19, 1992) was an American film and television actress.

Born in San Mateo, California, Varsi made her screen debut in Peyton Place (1957), playing Allison MacKenzie, a teenager who dreams of becoming a writer and leaving the stifling existance of the small New England town in which she lives; she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. The same year, she shared a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer" with Sandra Dee and Carolyn Jones. She appeared in the films Ten North Frederick (1958) and Compulsion (1959) and worked steadily until 1960.

After she left Hollywood due to its negative influence on her, she married Michael Hasuman who later became a noted line producer for many award-winning films.

Science fiction and fantasy film fans probably remember Varsi best as Valancy Carmody in The People, a 1972 ABC-TV Movie of the Week based on a story by Zenna Henderson about peaceful alien refugees living on earth. Her portrayal of the would-be Oldest One with a dead-flat affect but compassionate expression and soft, recollected speaking voice was partly caused by the death of her father just after filming began. The director, John Korty, appealed to her professionalism and insisted on her completing the film despite her trauma. Varsi was rendered virtually mute and had to dub in her many of her voice parts later.

In 1968, while working on the set of Wild In The Streets Diane suffered extreme trauma to her cervical spine, which led to long years of misdiagnosed pain. In 1977, she contracted Lyme disease and lived for five years in undiagnosed and unremitting meningitis which to brought her close to death several times. The Lymes disease, combined with her neck injury, which had resulted in numerous surgeries, was not diagnosed until 1989.

Another very brief but memorable Varsi role was Sylvia in I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, based on the Joanne Greenberg novel about a Jewish teen whose allegiance to an alternate universe called the Kingdom Of Yr has led to her being diagnosed as a schizophrenic. In the book, Sylvia was a patient in the mental hospital who ordinarily stood frozen by the wall and very rarely spoke, although completely aware of everything around her. Varsi appears only for a moment in the film and is almost unrecognizable; Deborah, the central character, crumples in misery on the floor of the dayroom, and Varsi breaks away from the wall, kneels by Deborah's side, and whispers a Roman Catholic blessing. It was the last time she was seen on film.

Diane's favorite role was that of the nurse in Johnny Got His Gun, which had been adapted from the novel of the same name by Dalton Trumbo.

Diane is survived by two children, son Shawn, daughter Willo, and younger sister Gael.

Varsi's Lyme disease, contributed to her death from respiratory failure.

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