Danica d'Hondt (born 29 May 1939) is an English-Canadian actress, writer, businesswoman and beauty pageant titleholder. She was a winner of the

Miss Canada Miss Canada is a beauty pageant for young women in Canada. It was founded in Hamilton in 1946. No title was awarded from 1993 through 2008. The trademark was purchased in 2009 by a Québec organization who produces the pageant under the name to ...

1960 and represented her country at

Miss World 1960 Miss World 1960 was the tenth Miss World pageant, held at the Lyceum Ballroom, London, United Kingdom on 8 November 1960. At the end of the event, racing driver Stirling Moss, one of the judges, crowned Norma Cappagli of Argentina as Miss Wo ...

where she placed Top 18. She has worked in American television and film, and theater productions in the San Francisco area.

Biography

d'Hondt was born in London, England, of an Irish mother and a Belgian father. She is the sister of Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist

Walter D'Hondt Walter Ignace d'Hondt (born September 11, 1936) was a Canadian Rowing (sport), rower and Olympic champion. Personal life He is the brother of Miss Canada 1959, Danica d'Hondt, who is a Canadian-American-British actress, restaurateur, ...

, the mother of actress

America Olivo America Athene Olivo (born January 5, 1978) is a Canadian-American actress and singer best known as a member of the band Soluna, for her roles in the films ''Bitch Slap'' (2009), ''Friday the 13th'' (2009) and ''Maniac'' (2012), as well as starr ...

, the aunt of athlete Gillian d'Hondt, and mother-in-law of actors

Christian Campbell Christian Campbell (born May 12, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Gabriel in the film '' Trick'' and Greg Ivey in the television series ''Big Love''. On stage, he has performed as Jimmy Harper in the musical ''Reefer Madn ...

and Jason Brooks. D'Hondt began her career at the age of nine by appearing in a movie at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

in England. She worked in radio, TV and on stage in Canada, where her family emigrated while she was still in school. She graduated from high school in Montreal, and returned to England after attending the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

in Vancouver. She worked as a stage actress in London, also performing in radio and TV dramas for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, and then relocated to Toronto, Canada, where she became a

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

-TV game show personality and a talk show host at an early age. She also appeared on TV shows out of New York City, and in summer stock theatre in New York and Illinois. She starred with comic

Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the ...

in ''Living Venus'' (1961), a film shot in Chicago in 1960. D'Hondt's Hollywood career spans the years from 1960 to 1990, during which time she starred in "B" movies, played supporting roles in major Hollywood movies, and performed guest-starring roles on TV shows of the time as ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents Napoleon Solo, played by Robert Vaughn, and Illya Kuryakin, p ...

'' (1964); ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

'' (1965); ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'' (1964); and ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

'' (1966). She turned down the role of "Ginger" in ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' (1964) because production stalled, which prevented her from doing other films. She left Hollywood from 1966 to 1971, during which time she worked as a theatre director in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, where she also wrote for a magazine, produced educational films and taught acting at her own school, "The Actor's Lab", on Sacramento Street. Upon her return to Hollywood in 1971, she directed several stage productions, worked as a writer and associate producer in film and television, and did a stint as a television journalist, becoming the Consumer and Financial Reporter to a syndicated daytime magazine show called "Breakaway". She relocated to Northern California in the 1990s, became active in real estate investing and had two non-fiction books published. D'Hondt is married to businessman and winemaker Nello Olivo, and they have six children together. The couple lives on a vineyard in the Sierra Foothills, where she writes, teaches, and helps tend their vineyard. The couple also owns a large restaurant and banquet facility in Placerville, California, named "Sequoia".

Filmography

*1971: '' A Step Out of Line'' ... Doreen *1966: '' Unkissed Bride'' ... Dr. Marilyn Richards *1966:''

'' ... Maggie Calloway *1965: ''

'' ... Lola Hale *1965: ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black a ...

(US pilot episode) ...'' Interior Designer *1965: ''

'' ... Roxanne *1965: ''

A Very Special Favor ''A Very Special Favor'' is a 1965 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Rock Hudson and Leslie Caron. The film was co-produced by Hudson's Gibraltar Productions and Shapiro's Lankershim Company. Plot Paul Chadwick (Hudso ...

'' ... Jacqueline *1965: ''

'' ... Lucia Nazarone *1965: ''

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

'' ... Donna *1964: ''

The Cara Williams Show ''The Cara Williams Show'' is an American sitcom starring Cara Williams which centers on a married couple who try to conceal their marriage from their employer. Original episodes aired from September 23, 1964, until April 21, 1965 on CBS.McNeil, A ...

'' ... Constance (episode "Cara, Girl Genius") *1964: '' A House Is Not a Home'' ... Vicki *1964: ''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...

'' ... Miss Knudsen *1964: ''

Wild and Wonderful Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildlife, an undomesticated organism * Wildness Wildness, in its literal sense, is the quality of being Wildlife, wild or Domestication, u ...

'' ... Monique *1964: ''

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ''Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United ...

'' ... Diana *1962: ''

I'm Dickens, He's Fenster ''I'm Dickens, He's Fenster'' is an American sitcom starring John Astin and Marty Ingels that ran on ABC from September 28, 1962, to May 10th, 1963. Synopsis The series starred John Astin and Marty Ingels as Harry Dickens and Arch Fenster, ...

'' ... Dianne *1961: ''

Living Venus ''Living Venus'' is a 1961 exploitation film loosely based on the life of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Marking the directorial debut of Herschell Gordon Lewis, the film stars frequent Lewis collaborators William Kerwin as unscrupulou ...

'' ... Peggy Brandon

References

Notes

Sources & further reading

External links

*
movies.yahoo.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:d'Hondt, Danica 1939 births Living people Actresses from London British businesspeople in real estate Canadian beauty pageant winners Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian people of Belgian descent Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian businesspeople in real estate Canadian restaurateurs Women restaurateurs Canadian theatre directors Canadian women theatre directors Canadian winemakers English beauty pageant winners English film actresses English non-fiction writers English people of Belgian descent English people of Irish descent English restaurateurs British stage actresses English theatre directors British women theatre directors British winemakers British emigrants to Canada English expatriate actresses in the United States Miss Canada winners Miss World 1960 delegates University of British Columbia alumni 20th-century English women 20th-century English people