Monique van Vooren

Monique van Vooren (March 25, 1927 – January 25, 2020) was a Belgian-American actress, singer, and dancer whose credits included onscreen roles in Tarzan and the She-Devil, Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, the television series Batman, and Wall Street.

Early years
Born Monique Bronz in Brussels to George Bronz (or Bronze) and Louise van Vooren, Monique was a champion skater and a beauty queen in Belgium. She reportedly studied philosophy at New York University on a Fulbright scholarship, and languages, learning to speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish, and Dutch. "I can also read Greek and Latin," she stated. Her first visit to the United States apparently took place in 1946 at age 19, with the married name "Jakobson" and listed as a "housewife." Her second husband was Kurt (or Curt) Henry Pfenniger. Her third husband was New York businessman Gerard Walter Purcell. The couple were married from 1958 until Purcell's death in 2002.

Career
On Broadway, Van Vooren played in John Murray Anderson's Almanac (1953–54) and Man on the Moon (1975). In the 1960s, Van Vooren also starred in summer stock theatre productions in the United States.

She had roles in numerous films from 1950 to 1979.

On television, she appeared in a 1959 NBC adaptation What Makes Sammy Run? and as Miss Clean on Batman (1968).

In 1956, she signed a contract with Request Records, and in 1958, Van Vooren recorded an album, Mink in HiFi for RCA Victor. She appeared frequently in cabaret performances and on game shows including To Tell the Truth and Password.

In 1981, Signet published Night Sanctuary, written by Van Vooren. She described the book as being about "the dark side of people."

Later life, legal problems, and death
In 1983, Van Vooren was found guilty of lying before a federal grand jury and "ordered to get psychiatric help and perform 500 hours of community service as part of a suspended sentence." The sentence resulted from an investigation of "whether she had pocketed her dead mother's Social Security payments." Van Vooren died of cancer in Manhattan on January 25, 2020, leaving behind a son, Eric Purcell, and granddaughter.

Filmography

 * 1950: Tomorrow Is Too Late - Giannina
 * 1953: Tarzan and the She-Devil - Lyra, the She-Devil
 * 1955: The Infiltrator - Elaine
 * 1955: Ça va barder - Irène
 * 1957: Producers' Showcase (episode: "Mayerling", TV film released theatrically in Europe)
 * 1957: Ten Thousand Bedrooms - Girl on Main Title
 * 1958: Gigi - showgirl (uncredited)
 * 1959: Sunday Showcase (TV series) - Zizi Molnari
 * "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 1" (1959)
 * "What Makes Sammy Run?: Part 2" (1959)
 * 1959: 'Happy Anniversary' - Jeanette Revere
 * 1961: The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series) - Krys
 * "Trick or Treason"
 * 1959–1963: The United States Steel Hour (TV series)
 * "A Taste of Champagne" (1959) - Simone Durrell
 * "Southwest Quarter" (1963)
 * 1965: The Trials of O'Brien (TV series)
 * "Goodbye and Keep Cool" (1965) - Eve St. Clair
 * 1967: Fearless Frank - Plethora
 * 1968: Batman (TV series)
 * "Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club" (1968) - Miss Clean (uncredited)
 * "Penguin's Clean Sweep" (1968) - Miss Clean
 * 1971: The Decameron - Queen of Skulls (as Monique Van Voren)
 * 1973: Sugar Cookies - Helene
 * 1973: Ash Wednesday - German Woman
 * 1973: Andy Warhol's Frankenstein - Baroness Katrin Frankenstein
 * 1987: Wall Street - "Woman at '21'"
 * 2012: Greystone Park - Monique