Babe

Background:

“For a time, I was living the life of Ernest Hemingway.” Margaux Hemingway

An American model-turned-movie actress and granddaughter of the Nobel prize winning author Ernest Hemingway, Margaux Hemingway, born in 1954, died in 1996, reached the supermodel status at age 21 thanks largely to a high-profile tenure as the spokes model of Faberge fragrance 'Babe.' Her face soon graced on the covers of illustrious magazines like Time and Vogue, and she embarked on her film career with a starring role on the thriller “Lipstick” (1976), which unfortunately launched the career of her little sister, Mariel Hemingway. After her downfall, Hemingway tried to maintain her presence by sporadically appearing in such vehicles as “Killer Fish” (1979), “Over the Brooklyn Bridge” (1984) and “Goma-2” (1984), but it was her turbulent personal life that kept her on the spotlight. A regular guest at Studio 54 in New York, she became highly depended on alcohol and drugs, and later entered the Betty Ford Center for treatment. She eventually became sober and made an attention-getting comeback in 1990 by posing nude for Playboy. Several movie roles ensued, including “Mass in C Minor” (1990), “Donna di una sera, La” (1991), “Inner Sanctum” (1991) and the installment “Inner Sanctum II” (1994), “Double Obsession” (1994) and “Vicious Kiss” (1995), but they did noting to revive her career.

Stricken by eating disorders, epilepsy, rounds of alcoholism, and drug addiction, Hemingway died in her home in Santa Monica, California at age 41. Prior to her death, she made “Dangerous Cargo” (1996) and “Backroads to Vegas” (released in 1999) as well as hosted the documentary series “Wild Guide”(1996).

Hemingway had been married twice. She married Erroll Wetson from 1975 to 1978 and then Bernard Foucher from 1979 to 1987. The marriages produced no children.

Tormented Grandchild

Childhood and Family:

Margot Louise Hemingway was born on February 16, 1954, in Portland, Oregon, to Jack Hemingway and Byra Louise Whittlesey. Her paternal grandfather was great American writer Ernest Hemingway. In addition to Portland, Oregon, she was also raised in Havana, Cuba, Central California and in her grandfather's farm in Ketchum, Idaho. She had an older sister, Joan Hemingway (born in 1950), and a younger sister, Mariel Hemingway (born in 1961), who is an actress.

Also known as Margaux Hemingway, she earned the first name from the renowned Bordeaux vineyard Chateau Margaux. Later, after stopping drinking alcohol, she returned to spelling her name Margot. Apart from her addiction to alcohol, Hemingway also suffered several kinds of disorders, among them epilepsy, bulimia and dyslexia. It was dyslexia that prevented her from reading the books her grandfather had written. In an occasion, she stated, “I am not a Hemingway aficionado.”

With the help of mentor and close friend Zachary Selig, Hemingway learned yoga and the Solar Kundalini that had played a significant part to overcome her weakening mental disorders. She would continue to practice the relaxation methods for the rest of her life.

In 1975, Hemingway was married to Erroll Wetson, whom she met at age 19 when she accompanied her father on a business trip at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Four months after the meeting, she departed her family home in Idaho to live with Wetson in NYC. The couple divorced in 1978. Next, she tied the knot with Bernard Foucher in 1979, but the bond also ended in separation. They legally divorced in 1987.

On July 2, 1996, one day before the 35th anniversary of the suicide of her grandfather, 41-year-old Hemingway was found death in her studio apartment in Santa Monica, California. One month after the incident, L.A. coroner's office announced the cause of her death was a suicide by overdose of a sedative. She became the fifth person in her family to commit suicide. Hemingway's remains were cremated and she was interred in the Hemingway family plot in the Ketchum Cemetery in Ketchum, Idaho.

“She (Margaux) was found with her legs propped up on a pillow, with a book in her lap. That does not sound like someone who committed suicide. The coroner said the same thing. Also, my sister was somewhat a drama queen. If she had committed suicide, she would have left a note ... a long note naming everyone who had ever wronged her.” Sister Mariel Hemingway

Although her death was decreed a suicide, Mariel did not accept this determination for years until the late 2005.

Lipstick

Career:

Portland, Oregon-born, Ketchum, Idaho-raised Margaux Hemingway took various jobs in the Sun Valley area before moving to New York City in the mid 1970s. Thanks to her outstanding beauty, she soon gained reputation in the modeling world. In 1975, Hemingway secured a one-million dollar contract as the face of Faberge fragrance 'Babe,' which made her the first largest paying model to do so, and was subsequently shot to national prominence. Her face could be found decorating magazines covers all through the globe.

Lured by her success as a model, Hemingway launched her movie career in the following year with a leading role in the rape melodrama “Lipstick” (1976), directed by Lamont Johnson. As Chris McCormick, a super model/vindictive rape victim, she did nothing to impress Hollywood critics with her performance. However, it was her younger sister Mariel, who got a supporting role in the film after her suggestion, that surprisingly charmed critics and picked up a Golden Globe nomination. Hemingway responded the failure by continuing her modeling career, and in 1979, she made a second attempt to break the cinematic industry with a costarring role opposite Lee Majors and Karen Black in the low-budget thriller/horror “Killer Fish,” playing Gabrielle.

“I loved to dance and went to Studio 54 at least twice a week. But I always felt nervous around the people there. I was in awe of that whole Halston-Liza Minnelli crowd. To me, they were the real celebrities and I was just a girl from Idaho. So I drank to loosen up. I never thought then that alcohol would become a problem. In my grandfather's time it was a virtue to be able to drink a lot and never show it. And like him, I wanted to live life to the fullest, with gusto.” Margaux Hemingway

By this period, Hemingway had received a degree of notoriety with her tumultuous social life. She became a frequent attendance at New York's Studio 54 and was easily found in every glamorous party and event. Besides, she began drinking heavily. The late 1970s also marked the end of her first marriage.

Hemingway resurfaced in 1982 to star with Johnny Yune in “They Call Me Bruce?,” a comedy/action film by director Elliott Hong. She went on to team up with Elliott Gould, Sid Caesar and Carol Kane for the Arnold Somkin-written comedy “Over the Brooklyn Bridge” (1984), which she later cited as her favorite, and with Jorge Rivero in the revenge drama “Goma-2” (also 1984), and in 1986, she made her TV film bow with the Italian-made “Portami la luna,” along side Barbara Blanc, Valentina Cervi, Sabrina Ferilli and Massimo Ghini.

Despite her occasional acting job, the Junoesque beauty spent much of her time in the early 1980s traveling and enjoying her new life with second husband Bernard Foucher. 1984 found her in Miami, Florida and in Cuba where she participated in the making of the long-shelved documentary “Hemingway: Winner Take Nothing” (1998, V), about the work of her grandfather which was also included her traveling around USA and Europe.

After her second marriage ended in divorce, Hemingway again became the center of attention when she checked herself into the Betty Ford Center for rehabilitation. She eventually recovered from her alcohol dependency and tried to resume her career. In 1990, Hemingway took the starring role of Sophie in the French movie “Mass in C Minor,” written and helmed by Jean-Louis Guillermou, and shot a cover for Playboy magazine for the May issues. At her request, her best buddy Zachary Selig was hired as the creative director for her cover story. After posing nude for the magazine, she said, “I think it's a celebration of my rebirth, I think it's one of the most positive things I've ever done.”

Next up for Hemingway, she starred as Ellen Foster in the thriller film “Donna di una sera, La” (1991), directed by Joe D'Amato, but it was her subsequent role that earned the beautiful actress notice. Under the direction of Fred Olen Ray, she was required to appear nude for her role as Anna Rawlins, 'the other woman,' in the erotic thriller “Inner Sanctum” (1991), which went on to become a hit in the video rental circuit. Hemingway went on to have small roles in the low-budget action/thriller “Deadly Rivals” (1993) and the indie-drama “Love Is Like That” (1993) before returning to a leading role for the 1994 thriller “Double Obsession,” opposite British actress Maryam d'Abo, and reprising her role as Anna Rawlins on the sequel “Inner Sanctum II” (1994).

It was also in 1994 that Hemingway went to a psychiatric hospital in Idaho to find help for her depressing problem. Although she managed to appear in such movies as “Vicious Kiss” (1995, opposite Danny Fendley and Monique Parent) and “Dangerous Cargo” (1996), and even served as host for the nature documentary series “Wild Guide” (both 1996), she looked to be struggling. In July 1996, she committed suicide in her apartment in Santa Monica by taking an overdose of a tranquilizing. Her last film, “Backroads to Vegas,” was released in 1999. Among her costars in the drama/thriller were Casper Van Dien and Janelle Paradee.

Awards:
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