Norma Eberhardt

The beautiful Norma Eberhardt was born in Oakhurst, New Jersey. Norma developed a love for movies early. She was at a Easter Parade event with her mother when a well-known photographer stopped her and gave her his business card. When she turned seventeen, she got on a train and went straight to New York to find the photographer. She found out after she got there that she needed her mother to sign papers, in order for Norma to model for the photos because she was only seventeen. The photographer had to drive her all the way back to New Jersey. After Norma's mother signed the papers, her modeling career began. She became a John Robert Powers model. After modeling successfully for a few years in New York, this led to an acting career on television. Norma went out to Hollywood in 1951 and she was put under contract to Universal International studios. She appeared on television first and, later, her "first" film appearance was in a small part in Sailor Beware (1952). Also interesting is that this Martin & Lewis comedy would be the second film role for James Dean, also in a small part.

Afterwards, her first main film role was as an "agorphobic" girl (Louise) in Problem Girls (1953) (aka "The Velvet Cage"), also starring Beverly Garland and Ross Elliot and directed by German director Ewald André Dupont. The storyline concerned a school for rich troubled girls. Norma later married French actor Claude Dauphin in 1955. Norma went on to appear in many more television roles, like Whirlybirds (1957), Telephone Time (1956), Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion (1955). Then, in 1957, she got a role in the cult exploitation classic, Live Fast, Die Young (1958) with Mary Murphy and Mike Connors.

Earlier, when Norma first arrived in Hollywood, she roomed at The Studio Club For Women, where Mary Murphy also roomed. It was Norma's next film for which she would be always be remembered by horror film aficionados, as "Rachel" in The Return of Dracula (1958)! Released in (1958) by United Artists and written by Pat Fielder and directed by Paul Landres.