Frances Dade

A cool-looking blonde, Frances Dade became known as Dracula's most memorable victim and an image of Bela Lugosi lustfully hovering over her prostrate body remains an indelible part of popular culture. A 1931 Wampas Baby Star, Dade arrived in Los Angeles in 1930 as Lorelei Lee in a touring company of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Apart from the role of Dracula's ill-fated Lucy Weston, however, Hollywood had little to offer and she returned to the legitimate stage. Retiring after a short-lived Broadway play, Collision (1932), to marry socialite Brock Van Avery, Dade returned to her hometown of Philadelphia and may later have become a nurse. - Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide