Millicent Lovejoy

Millicent Lovejoy (19 May 1935 - ) is an American actress, philanthropist, and socialite.

Biography

Millicent Victoria Lovejoy (née VanDaane) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 19, 1935 to Dutch immigrants. She attended Kalamazoo College from 1953 - 1954, where she studied theater and English. She withdrew after her freshman year to pursue acting in California. Despite having only attended for a year, she continues to make substantial gifts to the college.

VanDaane's first film role came in 1956 alongside Marilyn Monroe in the film as an uncredited "teenage girl". Monroe and Lovejoy became friends during filming and referred Lovejoy to Lee Strasberg where she studied at his Actor's Studio until 1958. In late 1958 she began assisting Strasberg at his studio, as the clientèle was quickly multiplying. There she worked alongside actors such as Paul Newman, Al Pacino, James Dean, and Jane Fonda.

VanDaane met Quincy Milhous Lovejoy in 1960 while working for Strasberg. Lovejoy was a young businessman from Cambridge, Massachusetts who had plans to expand Strasberg's studio to California. VanDaane and Lovejoy married at midnight on January 1, 1961 in New York City, New York. He choked to death in July of that same year while eating a hot dog on a ferry off of the coast of South Korea.

In 1962, the recently-widowed Lovejoy founded the Quincy M. Lovejoy Foundation that seeks to benefit various charities including: The Triangle Foundation, ACLU, Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, and others. In 1971, Lovejoy founded Portland, Oregon's Lovejoy Surgicenter. Lovejoy Surgicenter was the first private facility that provided abortions, and is currently Oregon's only state and federally licensed abortion provider.

After Lovejoy's widowhood in 1961, she spent much of her time traveling and frequenting metropolitan cities' dance halls, clubs, and bars earning her the title of a "party girl". Occasionally she would perform comedy acts and sing, but she refused payment and tips. In the 1970s she frequently visited "Studio 54", which was the scene of a series of bitter fights between her and Liza Minnelli.

Today Lovejoy resides in New York City, continues to travel, and makes it a point to attend Kalamazoo College's annual "Crystal Ball" as the headliner.

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