Yvette Mimieux, star of the Sixties films The Time Machine and Where the Boys Are, has died aged 80.
The American actor was found dead on Tuesday morning (18 January), a representative for her family confirmed. She died in her sleep of natural causes at her home in Bel Air.
Mimieux was best known for starring opposite Rod Taylor in the 1960 film adaptation of the HG Wells novel The Time Machine. Later that year, she starred in the romantic comedy Where the Boys Are.
Her other biggest film credits include Platinum High School, Mr Lucky, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Light in the Piazza, Toys in the Attic, The Reward and The Picasso Summer.
In her role as a surfer on the series Dr Kildare in 1964, she became the first woman on American television to show her navel.
Her other notable TV roles included a lead part in The Most Deadly Game and The Hit Lady, which she wrote and starred in.
She was vocal about the lack of diverse roles for women. “They are all one-dimensional,” she said. “They have no complexity in their lives. It’s all surface. There’s nothing to play. They’re either sex objects or vanilla pudding.”
Mimieux retired from acting in 1992 after starring in the TV movie Lady Boss.
She is survived by Howard F Ruby, her husband of 36 years.
