June Elizabeth Millarde (July 6, 1922 – May 21, 1991), better known as Toni Seven, was an American

cover girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a maga ...

and

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early life

Millarde was born in July 1922 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the only child of actress

June Caprice June Caprice (born Helen Elizabeth Lawson, November 19, 1895 – November 9, 1936) was an American silent film actress. Early life and career Born Helen Elizabeth Lawson in Arlington, Massachusetts, Caprice was educated in Boston. She began ...

and film director Harry F. Millarde. She was eight years old when her father died and fourteen when her mother died. She was latterly raised by her grandparents, the Peter Lawsons, in Long Island, New York. The June 17, 1949 issue of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' magazine reported she was the heiress to an estimated $3,000,000 fortune.

Actress

In the early 1940s she appeared in minor roles in three films. Her screen debut came in ''Miss Seventeen'', a production of

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

. With the advent of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she was one of the many volunteers at the

Hollywood Canteen The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for serv ...

. She changed her name to Toni Seven in June 1944 so that she could sign her name ''Toni 7''. Publicity man Russ Birdwell conceived the ''Seven'' name. Seven was accompanied to Los Angeles Superior Court by attorney

Jerry Giesler Harold Lee Giesler, known professionally as Jerry Giesler (November 2, 1886 – January 1, 1962) was an American trial attorney. Giesler was the defense attorney of record for many of the highest-profile litigations, both criminal and civil, in t ...

, when she petitioned that her name be changed. Seven was tested for a contract by film producer

Hunt Stromberg Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career beginning in 1921, Stromberg produced, wrote, and directed some of Hollywood's most profitable and enduring films, ...

and received a large buildup in military service publications. In August 1944 Seven was receiving five hundred letters weekly from fans.

Model

Seven was part of the first

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

exhibition ever held in the United States. She was joined by screen stars

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

and

Martha Tilton Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of " And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born ...

in an event which included life-size photos of the actresses. The show, which included autograph sessions and personal appearances, began on November 26, 1944. The locale was the Hollywood

U.S.O. The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

at 1531 North Cahuenga Boulevard,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The Society of Photographic Illustrators voted Seven's ''legs'' the best among actresses' anatomical features, which when combined, would compose ''the perfect model''. Actresses who were selected in the poll included

Miriam Hopkins Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an American actress known for her versatility. She first signed with Paramount Pictures in 1930. Her best-known roles included a pickpocket in Ernst Lubitsch's romantic comedy '' T ...

(lips),

Paulette Goddard Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy; June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) was an American actress notable for her film career in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born in Manhattan and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Goddard initially began her career ...

(bust), and

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

(hips). The cameramen announced their choices in May 1946.

Theater

In 1946,

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

producer W. Horace Schmidlapp planned a revival of ''Accent On Youth'' by

Samson Raphaelson Samson Raphaelson (March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was a leading American playwright, screenwriter and fiction writer. While working as an advertising executive in New York, he wrote a short story based on the early life of Al Jolson, called ' ...

. The theatrical presentation was to feature Seven in a leading role. In 1947, Seven sold her

Benedict Canyon Benedict Canyon is an area in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California. To the north of the Benedict Canyon neighborhood is the neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, to the west is the neighborhood of Beverly Glen, to the east are Beverly P ...

home and moved to

Personal life

In January 1949, newspapers linked her romantically with U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson. The

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

senator was forty-three years old and described as the most eligible bachelor in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. Seven was pursued in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

by Peruvian playboy Alfredo Carreo, in 1949. She reassumed the name June Millarde in 1959. That year she planned a June wedding to Eric Stanley of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Seven died on May 21, 1991 at the age of 68.June Elizabeth Millarde Stanley - LifeStory
/ref>

References

Sources

*''Coshocton Tribune'', Dorothy Kilgallen, May 11, 1959, Page 4. *''Kingsport News'', "On Broadway", September 13, 1949, Page 4. *''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', Edwin Schallert column, June 19, 1944, Page 10. *''Los Angeles Times'', Edwin Schallert column, August 26, 1944, Page 5. *''Los Angeles Times'', "First Pin-Up Exhibit Opens in Hollywood", November 27, 1944, Page A1. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Perfect Model Described By Cameramen", May 22, 1946, Page 2. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Missing Senator Hunt Shifts To Hollywood", January 7, 1949, Page 2. *''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', "Of Local Origin", February 21, 1945, Page 12. *''New York Times'', "News And Gossip Of The Rialto", March 3, 1946, Page 11. *''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'', "June Millarde Flees From Parental Patronage To Launch Own Film Career", July 20, 1944, Page 14. *''Trenton Evening Times'', "Daughter Arrives At Home of Film Actress, Director", July 10, 1922

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seven, Toni 1922 births 1991 deaths Actresses from New York City American female models American film actresses People from Long Island 20th-century American actresses American expatriates in France