Suellyn Lyon was born on July 10, 1946, in Davenport, Iowa, the last of 5 children, to Sue Karr Lyon. Mrs. Lyon was 56 when her husband died. Sue was 10 months old. Her mother had to work as a hospital housemother to take care of her children and money was tight. In 1958, the Lyon family moved to Los Angeles, hoping that Sue could help them out financially as a model. She got jobs modeling for JC Penny and doing commericals, which featured her bleach blonde hair. She was chosen Miss Smile of 1960 by the dentists of Los Angeles County. She also got small parts on tv shows.
Meanwhile, a search was on for the role of "Lolita", the controversial story of a middle-aged man's obsession with a young girl based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The film was being produced by Stanley Kubrick and James B. Harris. Sue was friends with Michelle Philips at that time (later of the Mamas and the Papas) and the two of them stole a copy of the novel, knowing it had been banned. Sue later stated that she couldn't finish the book, it was too complex for her. Kubrick and Harris were barraged with potential Lolitas. The hopefuls included everyone from middle-aged women to nine year old girls wearing makeup and high heels. Kubrick spotted Sue on an episode of "The Loretta Young Show" and he contacted her agency for an interview. Said Kubrick, "From the first, she was interesting to watch--even in the way she walked in for her interview, casually sat down, walked out. She was cool and non-giggly. She was enigmatic without being dull. She could keep people guessing about how much Lolita knew about life. When she left us we shouted to each other, 'Now if she can only act!'"
They gave her a screen test. They shot the scene where Humbert gives Lolita a pedicure while grilling her about where she's been spending her time. Sue duly won the role. Mrs. Lyon went to her pastor for guidance about her daughter playing Lolita. The priest told her that Jean Harlow had been one of his parishioners and she had never been influenced by her roles. He encouraged Sue to take the part. When production began Sue was 14 years and 4 months old. When shooting was completed she was 14 years and 9 months old. Lolita was 12 years and 5 months old when she met 38 year old Humbert and over 17 when the novel concluded. During the initial rehearsal period, Kubrick learned that Sue had memorized her lines so well that she had a tendency to rush through them. He then suggested that all the actors pretend to forget the lines they had memorized and express the character in their own words, while being aware of the aim and content. The technique had a positive impact on Lyon's performance, corrected her pace, and allowed the character of Lolita to come to life.
Said Sue on her character, "I feel sorry for her. She's neurotic and pathetic and only interested in herself." She wanted to attend the Hollywood premiere of "Lolita" on June 13, 1962, but wasn't allowed in due to the film's X rating, though she was allowed to see the film at its London premiere. In 1963, she attended the Oscars and won a Golden Globe for the Most Promising Female Newcomer. Her physical endowments at that time were 34-22-35 at 5'3 and 108 lbs. Around this time, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed lithium. In October of 1963, Sue got the part of a teen seducing a defrocked priest in Elia Kazan's film version of Tennessee Williams' play "The Night Of The Iguana". The movie was shot on location in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Sue behaved childishly throughout filming and attracted the attention of the local males. They had to keep their distance, as she was accompanied by her mother and new boyfriend, Hampton Fancher III. He would often interfere with the production and was later banned from the set. On December 22, 1964 they were married in a small ceremony. Fancher had a 6- year-old son from a previous marriage. A week before their one year anniversary they were divorced due to Fancher's drug addiction. Days later, Sue's older brother committed suicide. Sue returned home from Europe and refused to see anyone for weeks. In 1966 "7 Women" was released. Sue's character of a missionary was the exact opposite of her "Lolita" image. In 1965 she began a relationship with folk singer Donovan. It ended in 1967 when he slipped LSD in her drink at a party. She described her trip as frightening and disturbing. "I felt like I was losing control of my life," she said. In 1967, Sue played a millionaire's daughter in the Frank Sinatra vehicle "Tony Rome" and the love interest in "The Flim-Flam Man". From here on Sue's career deteriorated.
She starred in a few made for TV movies, the low budget western "Four Rode Out" and the biopic "Evel Knievel". In 1970, she married black photographer and football star Roland Harrison. Racism at the time caused them to flee to Spain. She found work in the Spanish films "Tarot", playing an adulteress caught up in a murder plot, and "Murder In A Blue World", where she played a homicidal doctor. In 1973, she divorced Harrison. They had one daughter, Nona. Sue moved to Denver, Colorado and got a job as a cocktail waitress. She met Gary "Cotton" Adamson at the state penitentiary, where he was serving time for murder and robbery. She married him and began working for prison reform and conjugal rights. "God said to procreate. The prison system is going against the Bible," she said. She divorced him the next year after he broke out and committed yet another robbery. Several more made for TV and B-movies followed. Her last screen appearance was a bit part as a newswoman in the 1980 creature-feature "Alligator". She attended L.A. City College, while working in a men's clothing store. In 1985, she married Richard Rudman, a radio engineer. They divorced in 2002. In recent years, Sue has been bitter about Lolita, the film that made her a star at such a tender age. In a 1998 interview regarding Adrian Lyne's remake of the film, she said, "I am appalled they should revive the film that caused my destruction as a person."
