Dayle Haddon

Dayle Haddon (May 26, 1948 – December 27, 2024) was a Canadian model and actress, known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L'Oréal. Additionally, she was credited as the author of ''Ageless Beauty: A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being''. During the earlier part of her career as a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of many top fashion and beauty magazines, as well as the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue in 1973. Haddon also served as a wellness contributor to CBS News where she appeared regularly on ''The Early Show'' at the turn of the 21st century. Haddon married French businessman Glenn Souham, who was murdered because of his believed connections to the Iran-Contra affair. They had one daughter, journalist and producer Ryan Haddon. Haddon died at her daughter's property due to carbon monoxide poisoning in December 2024.

Early life and career

Dayle Pauline Haddon was born on May 26, 1948, to Eileen and Edward Haddon.
She was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As a child, she was enrolled in dancing classes to develop her physique, and she performed well enough to become a member of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at 13.
She started her modelling career partially to help finance her ballet career, as she wanted to study in France.

In January 1966, she had to decide between a career as a professional ballerina or as a model because she was offered a full-time job dancing.
She chose to be a model and was modelling in Montreal and Toronto for department stores such as Eaton's and Simpson's when featured in a 3 June 1966 ''Montreal Star'' article. After the ''Star'' article got her noticed by Eileen Ford, she was contracted to the Ford Modeling Agency in July 1966. She began modelling in New York City at this time, and made the cover of '' Seventeen Magazine''.

She competed in the Miss Montreal pageant and won at age 18 on 25 October 1966. She competed in the Miss Canada pageant in early November 1966, but finished as the fourth runner-up.

Modelling career 1970s – 1980s

As a model in the 1970s and 1980s, Haddon represented Max Factor, Revlon, and Estée Lauder. She appeared on the cover of the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue in 1973 (January 29).
She was twice named to ''Harper's Bazaar''s "Ten Most Beautiful Women" list. She also appeared nude in the April 1973 issue of ''Playboy''.

Acting career

Haddon worked as an actress, appearing in the Disney movie ''The World's Greatest Athlete'' (1973) with Jan-Michael Vincent. She moved to Europe, continued modeling and acting, and appeared in a number of film roles in French and English.
Her best known roles were in ''Madame Claude'' (1977), and ''North Dallas Forty'' (1979) opposite actor Nick Nolte.

Haddon was originally cast for the role of Dale Arden in the 1980 film version of ''Flash Gordon'', but producer Dino De Laurentiis replaced her with Melody Anderson just before filming commenced. She took a hiatus from acting in the mid-1980s and returned to the industry when she took the lead role in '' Cyborg'' (1989).

Later modelling career and writer

In her late 30s, Haddon returned to modelling after the death of her husband, which left her in financial trouble.
She became the main face for L'Oréal's cosmetic products aimed at older women. According to ''The New York Times'', Dayle had "shattered age taboos" with her multiyear contracts with L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, among other companies.
She also wrote books about aging gracefully, including ''Ageless Beauty, A Woman's Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being'' in 1999.
Haddon also served as a wellness contributor to CBS News where she appeared regularly on ''The Early Show''.

Personal life

Haddon was married to French businessman Glenn Souham, who died on 24 September 1986 in Paris, after he was gunned down, most likely by Soviet agents.
In the press reports of the time, he was suspected of being part of Colonel Oliver North's schemes to arm the Contras in Nicaragua, part of what became known as the Iran-Contra Scandal. Solidarity or Polish officials that were believed to be part of North’s arms stealing scheme.
Haddon was 38-years-old when she was widowed, and she never remarried.

Souham and Haddon had a daughter, Ryan Haddon, who works in the television industry.
From her first marriage, she had two children with Christian Slater.
Ryan remarried in 2009 to actor Marc Blucas and had two daughters with him.

In early 2008 Haddon was named a UNICEF ambassador. She was also the founder of a non-profit called WomenOne. The organization's motto is "changing the world one woman at a time."

Through WomenOne, Haddon had partnered with Free The Children, an international charity, to provide scholarships for girls’ education in Kenya. Through her organization, she had raised and donated more than $150,000 for one of Free The Children's all-girls secondary schools.

Haddon also appeared as the face of a line of socially and environmentally responsible accessories launched by Me to We, Free The Children's partner organization.

Death

On December 27, 2024, first responders found her unresponsive in a carriage house in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, which was a property owned by her daughter Ryan and son-in-law Marc Blucas.
She was declared dead at the scene, and the cause was determined to be an accidental carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a defective boiler. Haddon was 76.

Filmography

* '' Paperback Hero'' (1973) .... Joanna
* ''The World's Greatest Athlete'' (1973) .... Jane Douglas
* ''The Cousin'' (1974) .... Agata
* ''Gambling City'' (1975) .... Maria Luisa
* ''Substitute Teacher'' (1975) .... Sonia
* ''Spermula'' (1976) .... Spermula
* '' Sex with a Smile'' (1976) .... Marina (segment "The Bodyguard")
* ''Madame Claude'' (1977) .... Elizabeth
* ''Maschio latino cercasi'' (1977) .... The Lawyer
* ''Dernier amant romantique, Le'' (1978) .... Elisabeth
* ''North Dallas Forty'' (1979) .... Charlotte Caulder
* ''Disneyland'' aka '' Disney's Wonderful World''
* ' (1983) .... Suzy Thomson, alias D'Annunzio
* ''Paroles et Musique'' (1984) .... Corinne
* '' Bedroom Eyes'' (1984) .... Alex
* '' The Hitchhiker'' (1986) TV Episode .... Debby Hunt
* ''Roses de Matmata, Les'' (1986) .... Diane Collins
* ''Max Headroom'' (1987) TV Episode .... Vanna Smith
* '' Zwei Frauen'' (1989) .... Darlene Meyers
* ''Cyborg

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