Rosemarie Bowe

Rosemarie Bowe

Bowe in the 1950s
Born Rose Marie Bowe[1]
(1932-09-17) September 17, 1932
Butte, Montana, U.S.
Other names Rosemarie Stack
Alma mater Stadium High School, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Years active 1952–1986
Spouse(s) Robert Stack (m. 1956; his death 2003)
Children 2

Rosemarie Bowe (born Rose Marie Bowe; September 17, 1932) is an American former model and film and television actress. She began her career modeling in Los Angeles, California before being cast in uncredited bit parts. Her first major role was a supporting part in the 1954 adventure film The Adventures of Hajji Baba. She would have several lead roles before officially retiring from acting in 1986. She was married to actor Robert Stack from 1956 until his death in 2003.

Early life

Bowe was born Rose Marie Bowe on September 17, 1932 in Butte, Montana. Bowe's father was a building contractor and her mother was a dress designer. The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, when Bowe was a child. She graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma in 1950,[2] just before moving to Los Angeles.

Career

Modeling work

She was crowned Miss Tacoma and Miss Montana in 1950. In May 1951, Bowe competed in a contest to choose the queen of the sixth annual Home Show and Building Exposition. Along with Mary Ellen Nichols, she was a runner-up to the contest winner, Linda Peterson.

When she arrived in California, Bowe secured work as a model. Her measurements were 36–25–36. She is 5'5" tall and has blue-green eyes. Her modeling agency was contacted by a high-fashion photographer, Christa, who suggested she pose for national and fashion magazine portraits.

Modeling for magazines such as Eye, Tempo, and Blightly, she eventually made the transition from model to actress in television. Her magazine credits include a Life cover.

Bowe's look was at times likened to both Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. She always modeled high fashion rather than lingerie or bathing suits.[3] She was never asked by photographers to pose for cheesecake pictures as were many a pin-up girl. She once said, "Of all the auditions and interviews I have had with casting men, directors, and producers, not one ever made a pass at me. I guess they were afraid of me."

Acting career

Bowe moved to Hollywood in 1950. Initially, she was signed by film agent Charles K. Feldman. When his production plans stalled, she obtained a contract with Columbia Pictures. She was trained in dramatic acting by Benno Schneider. Her early experience as an entertainer included performing as a singer and dancer in amateur musicals.

As a screen debutante, Bowe appeared in Lovely To Look At (1952) with Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton. The 16 beauties showcased include Jane Lynn, Alma Carroll, Shirley Kimball, Betty Sully, and Honey King. Bowe's part is uncredited, as is her depiction of a swimmer in Million Dollar Mermaid (1952). In 1954, she appeared in The Golden Mistress and The Adventures of Hajji Baba. The former was Bowe's first movie after requesting her release from Columbia. As Ann Dexter, she was featured opposite John Agar in an R.K. Productions release, set in Haiti. During filming, she almost drowned, was stung by a sea urchin, and sustained bumps, bruises, and insect bites.

Bowe was under option to 20th Century Fox when she filmed The Peacemaker (1956). Based on a novel, the Western also featured James Mitchell. It was released by Hal R. Makelim Productions. Announced in April 1954, the Makelim plan for producing pictures "guaranteed a flow of film products through a fixed fee system."

Her later acting roles included appearances in the films Murder on Flight 502 (1977) and Big Trouble (1986), both of which starred her husband Robert Stack, and the TV movie Making of a Male Model (1983).

She appeared in a 1963 episode of Burke's Law, credited as Rosemarie Bowe. The episode was "Who Killed Beau Sparrow?".

Personal life

On January 23, 1956, Bowe married Stack in Beverly Hills Lutheran Church.[4] The couple became the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth Langford Stack, on January 20, 1957.[5] They shared mutual passions for the outdoors, especially sailing and riding. Rosemarie temporarily gave up her career when her children were young.

In 1970, Bowe was in an automobile accident in Sacramento, California, and sustained serious internal injuries. She crashed into a concrete culvert because of a mechanical failure in the rental car she was driving. At the time, Stack was filming The Name of the Game. He chartered a flight to be with her.

Bowe retired from show business. Her son, Charles Robert Stack, is a retired investment banker.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1952 Lovely to Look At Model Uncredited
1952 Million Dollar Mermaid Swimmer Uncredited
1954 The Adventures of Hajji Baba Ayesha
1954 The Golden Mistress Ann Dexter
1955 The Big Bluff Fritzie Darvel
1955 The View from Pompey's Head Kit Robbins Garrick
1956 The Peacemaker Ann Davis
1961 All in a Night's Work Tony's Blonde Friend
1967 The Peking Medallion Bar Patron Also known as: The Corrupt Ones
1975 Murder on Flight 502 Dorothy Saunders Television film
1983 Making of a Male Model Lila Chandler Television film
1986 Big Trouble Mrs. Winslow

References

  1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (accessed 24 July 2017), Rose M Bowe in household of Dennis Bowe, Ward 7, Tacoma, Tacoma Election Precinct, Pierce, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 42-80, sheet 8A, line 10, family 202, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4391.
  2. ↑ "Approve Starlet's Pact". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. Associated Press. June 18, 1952. p. 28. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Bacon, James (January 16, 1955). "New Actress Has Face And Figure". Cumberland Sunday Times. Maryland, Cumberland. p. 20. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Bob Stack Marries Rosemarie Bowe". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. Associated Press. January 24, 1956. p. 19. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Baby Born to Wife of Robert Stack". The Times. California, San Mateo. Associated Press. January 21, 1957. p. 16. Retrieved January 18, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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