Yvonne De Carlo was one of many great and lovely actresses from the past.

A sad catastrophe ended her career after she rose to stardom in The Munsters on CBS.

Yvonne De Carlo was a beautiful, talented actress with a 60-year film career. One of Vancouver’s most recognized stars, she was born in 1922.

Her father departed when she was young, and her mother reared her in poverty. De Carlo always wanted to be an actress and started composing plays at 13.

The blue-eyed brunette proved her talent in Hollywood. Her remarkable beauty and engaging attitude made her relatable.

Her film and TV roles demonstrate her strength and determination. She played Moses’ wife in The Ten Commandments, although she is best known for The Munsters.

Yvonne De Carlo was ideal for Lily Munster in the humorous monster sitcom, bringing the vampire to life. Fans still recall her saying, “I’ve never heard of anything so outrageous in all my LIVES!” when Lily, the monster family leader, shouts.

Yvonne De Carlo’s career took off thanks to the show, which introduced her to new followers. The Munsters revitalized De Carlo’s career. Many in Hollywood called her the most beautiful girl in the world before the concert, and they loved her.

However, De Carlo’s stardom was fading before she earned the sitcom role. She was cast as Lily at 42, and no one could have imagined that The Munsters would be a TV classic.

“It meant security,” De Carlo said. “It introduced me to a young audience. I became ‘hot’ again after a while.”

I had no idea it would be so enormous. To look like that required two hours of makeup! After two successful seasons, CBS fought the creators over reruns and canceled the show. The 1966 film ‘Munster, Go Home!’ showcased my odd face colors. Honestly, I looked bad.

De Carlo continued acting in TV and theater after The Munsters. She was revered by admirers of all ages and always found fresh and intriguing jobs.


Unfortunately, De Carlo’s latter years were difficult. This began in 1955 when she met stuntman Robert “Bob” Morgan on set. There was chemistry, but Morgan was married and Yvonne didn’t want to get involved. She said “no intention of breaking up that marriage.”

Her leg-lost husband
Morgan reconnected with De Carlo in Egypt while filming The Ten Commandments after his wife died. The couple married and had two kids, Bruce Ross and Michael.

Getting married to a stuntman and thrill-seeker was difficult. Their marriage was difficult, until Morgan was hit by a log train while filming How the West Was Won in 1962.

Morgan lost a leg in the crash. He nearly died attempting the stunt, which scared the whole family. After what happened, medical bills mounted, and De Carlo had to work hard to support her family. After primarily stopping acting, Yvonne had to work to pay the bills.

Before the accident, we were about to break up, but as they carried me to the hospital, I choked up and thought, “I don’t want my husband to die,” she said.

The Hollywood couple dated until 1973.

After losing her son, De Carlo faced another challenging time. Her 39-year-old son Michael died in 1997. Michael’s brother said a stroke caused brain damage and death.

De Carlo suffered greatly after losing her son. After Michael died, she never acted again after finishing her last picture in 1995. She also had a mild stroke in 1998.

The stroke was caused by De Carlo’s stress and grief over Michael’s death, according to her other son, Bob Ross.

“It just preyed on her mind to the point that she had a stroke the following year,” said former Toronto Star TV journalist James Bawden.

“All she talked about was her son.”

Death of Yvonne De Carlo
84-year-old Yvonne De Carlo died in January 2007. She spent her later years in a semi-retirement facility near Solvang, north of Santa Barbara.

Heart failure killed her.

Her longtime friend and TV producer Kevin Burns said, “I think she will be remembered as the ultimate Lily Munster. She was legendary as baby boomers’ vampire mom.”

He said, “But it would be unfortunate if that’s how people remember her. She was a top beauty queen of the 1940s and 1950s and one of the world’s most attractive ladies. She was one of Hollywood’s last glamor queens.”

Yvonne De Carlo is renowned! She embodies acting and constantly reinvents herself.

She was flawless in every part and represented her character elegantly and convincingly. Peaceful Rest!