Rosemarie Bowe

Rosemarie Bowe

Rosemarie and Robert Stack at home in 1961.
Born (1932-09-17) September 17, 1932
Butte, Montana, U.S.
Other names Rosemarie Stack
Years active 1952–1986
Spouse(s) Robert Stack (m. 1956–2003) (his death)
Children Elizabeth Stack
Charles Stack

Rosemarie Bowe (born September 17, 1932) is an American former film and television actress.

Early life

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 just before moving to Los Angeles.

Beauty contestant

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.

Model

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. 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."

Motion pictures

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).

Television

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

Marriage

In 1956, she married Robert Stack. The couple became the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth Langford Stack, on January 20, 1957. They shared mutual passions for the outdoors, especially sailing and riding. Stack enjoyed skeet shooting as his favorite pastime. 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.

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

References

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