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Victoria Vetri Profile
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Photo gallery |
| (Victoria Cecilia Vetry) |
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| 26 September 44 | is born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Italian-born parents; her father is a restaurateur from Sicily and her mother, a singer from Rome. Her mother’s maiden name is Liberatore. |
| ? | studies art at Los Angeles City College |
| c. 60 | is considered for the role of Maria in the upcoming West Side Story while still in high school. Director Robert Wise wants her, but the studio wants the insurance of a box office name. |
| c. 61 | her agent suggests she assume the nom-de-Playmate Angela Dorian. Allegedly, he is inspired by the headlines surrounding the 1956 shipwreck of the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria. |
| 10 August 61 | as TV actress Angela Dorian, she attends the grand opening of the new Zody’s Department Store at Los Coyotes Diagonal and Spring Street in Long Beach |
| November 61 | is among twelve finalists in the annual Deb Star Ball sponsored by the Hollywood Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists Union. The others are: Mary Jane Saunders, Noreen Corcoran, Cheryl Holdridge, Mikki Jameson, Ann Del Guercio, Dolores Faith, Darlene Tompkins, Cynthia Pepper, Joan Staley, Maurine Dawson, and Cynthia Lynn. |
| 7 April 63 | marries Hugh Terry Whettam in Las Vegas. He’s 21; she’s 18. |
| 8 September 63 | her son, Bret B., is born in Los Angeles |
| ? | divorces Whettam, who will marry Evelyn J. Anderson in October 1966 |
| November 66 | columnist Dorothy Manners reports: “Wonder if Luciana Paluzzi will recognize Angela Dorian when they meet on the set of Chuka competing for Rod Taylor’s affections. When Angela was 18 years old, she was the babysitter at the home of wealthy contractor Dick Taylor and his wife and Luciana was a houseguest. Remembers Angie, ‘once I was out in the kitchen imitating Miss Paluzzi’s Italian accent, when she walked in. I don’t think she was too amused. But if she does remember, I hope I’m forgiven. She's one of the real reasons I wanted to grow up to be a movie actress.’” |
| 29 December 66 | marries John Lee Hage in Los Angeles. He’s 21; she’s 22. |
| ? | is the first girl on TV to wear hot pants and boots in a Groom and Clean commercial |
| January 67 | promotes Chuka by demonstrating how she can draw and fire a .45 in just 1.4 seconds |
| September 67 | is Playboy’s “Playmate of the Month” |
| October 67 | the press tells that she’s “not only left-handed but left-footed - can write legibly with her left foot...” |
| May / October 67 | divorces Hage in Los Angeles |
| November 67 | columnist Dick Kleiner tells that she refused to pose in a bathing suit to promote Rosemary’s Baby |
| 10 April 68 | is named “Playmate of the Year.” Columnist Hal Bates reports: “That dapper man from “Mannix,” Mike Connors, wasn’t at a loss for words when last Wednesday he emceed the Playboy Club luncheon and revealed that gorgeous Angela Dorian was this year’s Playmate of the Year. The only one who found himself momentarily stunned was Beach Rogers, and he wasn’t even at the Club. Seems that after the ceremonies, Angela was connected by phone for a live interview with Beach who at that time was on the air at KFWB. In answer to one of his questions, Angela came out with a comment one doesn’t usually hear on radio. Of course, it didn’t take Beach long to recover, but I bet he’ll be a little more careful with his next live news story...” |
| 68 | Roman Polanski, her director in Rosemary’s Baby, suggests she use her original name, Victoria Vetri |
| April 68 | is announced to tour with Rosemary’s Baby |
| 68 | noted by British Hammer Films for their upcoming When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, she is sent to Warner Brothers, where she’s tested by Francis Ford Coppola. The test is sent to Aida Young, the executive producer, in London. |
| Val Guest, the director of When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, is not happy that she is foisted on him by the American distributors |
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| Late January 69 | the press reports that she was signed to a multi-picture contract by Warner Brothers-Seven Arts and given a starring role in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth |
| Late 68 / Early 69 | films When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth in the Canary Islands and at Shepperton Studios in England. Later, she will confirm that drinks, the tropical climate, and scantily-clad starlets contributed to a bacchanal climate on the set. “People were skinny-dipping, drinking sangria instead of tea at four in the afternoon, getting drunk on their asses. It was party time...” |
| Playboy sends a photographer to her for their “Sex in the Cinema” article |
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| August 69 | attends the Warner Brothers International Film Festival in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, to promote her upcoming When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth |
| 13 November 78 | marries Heinz Gottfried Schwetz in a religious ceremony in Las Vegas. He’s about 23; she’s 34. |
| 16 May 79 | remarries Schwetz in Los Angeles. He’s 24; she gives her age as 30. |
| 25 February 83 | divorces Schwetz in Los Angeles |
| 84 | works as a waitress and bartender |
| poses again for Playboy’s “Playmates Forever! Part II” |
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| 86 | marries Bruce Rathgeb |
| 08 | as Victoria C. Vetri, she resides in West Hollywood |
| 16 October 10 | shoots and wounds her husband, Bruce Rathgeb, from close range inside their Hollywood apartment after an argument and is arrested the same day. When authorities arrive on the scene, Victoria tell the cops that Rathgeb was shot by a drug dealer. |
| ? | is charged with attempted murder and pleads not guilty |
| January 11 | the judge denies her attorney's request for a reduction of the charge of attempted murder, and she is ordered to stand trial on that charge |
| ? | the charge is reduced to attempted voluntary manslaughter |
| 7 September 11 | is sentenced to nine years in state prison for attempted voluntary manslaughter. Rathgeb is in court for the sentencing but doesn’t make a statement. |
| 15 | serves her sentence |
| April 18 | is released on parole |
| Sources: Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood by Tom Lisanti, "Hammer Heroines - Victoria Vetri? in Femme Fatales, Burlington Daily Times-News, Long Beach Independent, Van Nuys News, Anderson Daily Bulletin, Las Cruces Sun-News, News-Journal Mansfield, Pacific Stars & Stripes, The Lima News, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, www.Ancestry.com | |
| Recommended Books: Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood by Tom Lisanti | |
| Links: Filmography | |