TUESDAY WELD

A montage to the underrated and underappreciated actress, to the song "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore, which seems to fit Weld's free-spirited and independant nature.

Tuesday Weld (born Susan Kerr Weld in New York) was forced to become the family breadwinner at age 3 when her father died. She supported her mother, older brother, sister and herself by working as a child model. The pressures of this hectic life took its toll - she had too much too soon - she suffered a nervous breakdown at 10, had become an alcoholic by the following year, and attempted suicide at 13. Danny Kaye, who later costarred with her in "The Five Pennies" (1959), described her as "14 going on 27." She rebelled against her mother's control by having love affairs with older men. In 1956 she made her film debut in "Rock, Rock, Rock" a low-budget production that featured some of the 50s up and coming rock 'n roll groups, and her singing voice was dubbed by Connie Francis. Weld attended Hollywood Professional School, and was her graduating class valedictorian. Tuesday continued to make memorable appearances in films and on television, including "Rally 'Round The Flag, Boys!" (1956), "Because They're Young" (1960), "Return To Peyton Place" (1961), in which she assumed the role of incest victim Selena Cross (originally played by Hope Lange), and "Wild In The Country" (opposite Lange and Elvis Presley) that same year. She costarred with Bob Hope in "I'll Take Sweden" , Steve McQueen in "The Cinninnati Kid" (both 1965), Roddy McDowall in "Lord Love A Duck" (1966), Anthony Perkins in "Pretty Poison" (1968) and "Play It As It Lays" (1973), and Gregory Peck in "Walk The Line" (1970). In 1978, she received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Diane Keaton's sister in "Looking For Mr. Goodbar". After that she focused primarily on television, and she rejected many plum roles in movies during her peak years (such as "Bonnie and Clyde"), and she later admitted that she did not want to become "a movie star". Tuesday was disdainful of the press, and lived life on her own terms. Like her contemporaries Carol Lynley, Yvette Mimieux and Sandra Dee, she was much more than a pretty face suited only to ingenue roles - she was capable of deep, meaningful performances, something that many critics overlooked. Weld became estranged from her family, and lived for a few years in obscurity before returning to the screen in such films as "Falling Down" (1993) and "Feeling Minnesota" (1996). As of this writing, her last film appearance was in "Chelsea Walls" (2001). Three times married, once to actor Dudley Moore, she has three children.