Where is Yvette Mimieux today? Wiki Bio, net worth, children

Known for movies

The Time Machine (1960)
as Weena

The Black Hole (1979)
as Dr. Kate McCrae

Dark of the Sun (1968)
as Claire

Where the Boys Are (1960)
as Melanie Tolman

• Yvette Mimieux was a prominent American actress, writer, and producer, known for her roles in “The Time Machine,” “Where the Boys Are,” and “The Black Hole.”
• Born on 8 January 1942, in Hollywood, California, to immigrant parents, she combined French and Mexican heritage, contributing to her distinctive beauty.
• Mimieux’s career began in the late 1950s, and she became a celebrated figure in Hollywood throughout the 1960s and beyond, until her retirement in the early 1990s.
• Aside from acting, Mimieux was a successful businesswoman, engaging in real estate and selling Haitian products.
• She passed away on 18 January 2022, leaving behind a legacy of pioneering roles and contributions to the perception of women in Hollywood.

Who is Yvette Mimieux?

Born on 8 January 1942, in Hollywood, California, USA so under the earth sign of Capricorn, Yvette Mimeux was an 80-year-old retired American actress, writer and producer at the time of her death. She started her career in the late 1950s and quickly emerged as one of the most promising stars of the middle of the 20th century.

A former model, she was renowned for her beauty and fashion style, resulting in many invites to assume roles in popular shows and movies from the 1960s, all the way to her retirement at the beginning of the 1990s. She was perhaps best known for her role in the 1960’s “The Time Machine”, an immensely popular science fiction movie based upon H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name.

Her other notable credits included “Where the Boys Are”, “The Black Hole” and “Dark of the Sun”. Since her decision to retire, Yvette has maintained a low profile, with sporadic public appearances, and a focus on her many business ventures. She passed away on 18 January 2022.

Early Life and Education: Growing Up in Hollywood

Yvette was born to immigrant parents in the very cradle of show business; her mother, Maria del Carmen Montemayor hailed from Mexico, while her father, René Mimieux, was a Frenchman, and this diverse ethnic background contributed to the stunning beauty Yvette became known for.

When it comes to her earliest interests, there isn’t much information across any authoritative sources that could clarify specifics about this part of her life, though she is believed to have harbored a passion for art, and in particular acting. This comes as no surprise, given the fact that she often brushed shoulders with some of the brightest stars of the time.

As for her education, she first attended an unspecified local high school in her birthplace, from where she matriculated in 1960.

With an acting career in mind, Yvette decided to forego enrolling at any college, and despite the hardships actresses of the time faced on a daily basis, she persevered and earned her place amongst Hollywood’s elite.

Just as she anticipated, the road was anything but pleasant.

Career Beginnings: Noticed by Elvis, A Certain Smile, Yancy Derringer and More

Even before matriculating, Yvette began exploring various ways to become a model. Given the fact that she had exotic looks due to her mixed heritage, it was obvious that she could use her attractiveness to gain prominence.

Acting was not her first option, and she didn’t even consider it until one fateful day – in 1957, the kind of rock ‘n’ roll and known heartthrob Elvis Presley was looking for attractive women to take on a small role (“girl in a bikini”) in his upcoming movie “Jailhouse Rock”. He organized a beauty contest in which Yvette competed and reached the finals.

Despite not winning, Presley complimented her on her looks and charisma, citing that she had a bright future in show business. Also present at the contest was renowned manager Jim Byron, who immediately approached the then 15-year-old Yvette and suggested that she should pursue acting as a full-time job.

Encouraged by these positive comments from a rock star and a man with experience in show business, Mimieux started taking acting classes.

It paid off when she made her debut in “A Certain Smile”, with a subsequent appearance as Ricky in “Yancy Derringer”.

Making a Name for Herself: The Time Machine, Where the Boys Are, Light in the Piazza and More

After her first two performances, Yvette was noticed by Hollywood directors and producers, with rumors about a rising star swirling around the city.

The 1960s were a great decade for her, as she would first appear in “One Step Beyond”, then “Platinum High School”, which turned out to be just an overture for her big breakthrough – the part of Weena in “The Time Machine”.

Keep in mind that the 1960s were a decade dominated by science fiction, and the movie was a box-office hit. It was risky to cast an 18-year-old actress in such a big role, but Yvette had amazing chemistry with Rod Taylor and ended up leaving her mark on the movie industry forever.

The same year, she appeared in yet another critically acclaimed film, “Where The Boys Are” – her role as Melanie Tolman was widely praised, as she proved integral to the success of this cinematographic hit.

In 1962, she would appear in a number of movies, amongst which the most significant was “Light in the Piazza”. Afterwards, Yvette went on a rampage, appearing in many TV shows and films, including “Dark of the Sun”

The 1970s: The Most Deadly Game, Jackson County Jail, The Black Hole and More

With the same vigor she displayed at the beginning of her career, Yvette entered the 1970s. Her first role of the decade was in “The Most Deadly Game”, a crime drama centered around a group of highly skilled detectives and agents with a mission to solve the most difficult crimes in their city.

Her character, Vanessa Smith, used her college education to solve puzzles and conundrums Jonathan Croft and Ethan Arcane were unable to crack.

 

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After “Journey Into Fear” and “The Neptune Factor”, Yvette impressed in a lead role in “Jackson County Jail”, a thrilling crime drama in which her character is raped and tortured by a police officer in a jail. The film was a box-office hit, with Mimieux delivering a dazzling performance yet again.

Later that decade, she was in “Snowbeast”, “Ransom for Alice” and “Disaster on the Coastliner”, which were the highlights of her streak of successful TV movies.

In 1979’s “The Black Hole”, she made a return to science fiction, with the role of candid but cunning Dr. Kate McCrae. By this time, Yvette was already a superstar known around the world.

The Twilight of Her Career: Night Partners, Obsessive Love, Berrenger’s and More

In contrast with the large number of acting credits in the 1960s and 1970s, Yvette decided to tone it down a little in the 1980s, only appearing sporadically.

One notable role was that of Elizabeth McGuire in “Night Partners”, a housewife who is hellbent on helping the Bakersfield Police Department with a case of rape and kidnapping. While the movie wasn’t highly rated by critics, Yvette was praised for yet another impressive performance.

1984 brought a surprise to all of her fans, as she debuted as a producer in “Obsessive Love”, also playing the lead role in the TV drama about a woman who falls in love with a soap opera star and begins stalking him.

Unlike most actors and actresses who embark on such experiments, Yvette’s debut as a producer turned out to be a success and received positive reviews. In “Berrenger’s”, she played the role of Shane Bradley, who turned out to be integral to the plot of this 12-episode show.

Her last credit was as Deena Swanson in the Emmy Award-nominated drama series “Lady Boss”; it was a fine exit for the then 50-year-old star.

Yvette’s Impact on Hollywood and The Perception of Women

Yvette Mimieux was one of the first actresses to openly speak out against patriarchy in Hollywood. In the early ‘70s, she wrote her own thriller and took it to Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling, two renowned producers.

They liked the script so much that they immediately submitted it to NBC, which resulted in approval, and the film “Hit Lady” became a success, however, Mimieux was still unhappy with the role of women in the movie industry. She felt that male screenwriters only wrote one-dimensional women for movies.

According to her, they had no complexity, they were boring, and were only meant to be sexually attractive. It turns out that this wasn’t her first attempt at writing, as she had previously written short stories and news articles under an alias.

 

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1984’s “Obsessive Love” was an unprecedented project, mostly because it featured a female stalker. In a New York Times interview, she said that she loved baroque, wild, and slightly excessive theatrical ideas. She added that TV needed so much material that it was possible to create projects around some of those ‘odd’ ideas.

Personal Life: Is Yvette Mimieux Married? Does She Have Any Children?

Despite multiple rumors over the years, Yvette has been married twice. Her first marriage was in 1972 when she married famous director Stanley Dolen, but the two divorced in 1985. A year later, Yvette entered matrimony with the founder and chairman emeritus of Oakwood Worldwide, Howard Ruby. The two remained married until Ruby died in 2011. Mimieux had no children.

Where is She Now?

After her retirement, Yvette stayed out of the public eye. Despite acting being her bread and butter, she focused on other things. According to multiple reports, she’d already started thinking about life after show business, and enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Archaeology.

She also started a business selling Haitian products, earning her quite a bit of money. With her salary from acting, she traveled the world and visited famous archaeological sites. In the 1990s, she started a successful real estate business, owning several resorts and buildings in California and Mexico.

She died in her sleep of natural causes on 18 January 2022.

Body Measurements: How Tall was Yvette Mimieux?

Yvette Mimieux was 5ft 4in (165cm) tall, and her vital statistics were 34-22-35. It was precisely her blond hair, along with her deep blue eyes that contributed to her iconic image, and made her stand out from the rest of Hollywood’s beauties in the 20th century.

Net Worth: How Rich Was Yvette Mimieux?

Have you ever wondered how affluent Yvette really was? According to authoritative sources, she had a net worth of approximately $5 million, as of 2024, accumulated due to her impressive work ethic, regularly appearing in movies and TV shows for more than 30 years in a row. Unlike most actors and actresses who have a hard time adjusting to post-Hollywood life, she successfully invested her funds into apartment complexes and resorts.

Yvette Mimieux and George Hamilton in LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA ('62) #LetsMovie #SummerLooks pic.twitter.com/VE1bDw12ha

— TCM (@tcm) July 30, 2016

Social Media Presence

Yvette wasn’t active on social media.