Sandra Dee, 1942 - 2005.

Actress Sandra Dee, the blonde beauty who attracted a large teen audience in the 1960s... died Sunday. She was 62.

Bob Thomas for the AP.

Ms Dee was probably best remembered for her portrayal of Gidget, a tomboyish California teenager who discovered the joys of surfing and boys in Paul Wendkos's 1959 film of the same name. The bright, chirpy Ms Dee defined a new kind of natural, sun-soaked innocence that America, and much of the rest of the world, quickly embraced as the radiantly healthy, outdoorsy essence of Southern California living.

In 1960 she married the singer Bobby Darin, her costar in the 1961 romantic comedy Come September, after a whirlwind courtship. The story of her marriage to Darin, whom she divorced in 1967 and who himself died in 1973 at the age of 37, was chronicled in Kevin Spacey's recent theatrical film Beyond the Sea, in which Mr Spacey played Darin and Ms Dee was played by Kate Bosworth.

Dave Kehr in the New York Times.

Posted by dwhudson at February 21, 2005 4:33 AM