Donyale Luna

She was gorgeous. 6’2”! According to Wikipedia’s sources, she claimed multiple ethnic identities throughout her life. Died of a heroin overdose.

She dated Maximilian Schell at one point

R1 Yes, at 33. She left behind a daughter who is apparently a research scientist now.

This is her daughter, Dream.

Dream? She named her daughter DREAM?

Her daughter didn't get any of her looks.

She has the prettiest name ever.

R4 hope it isn't a case of Like mother like daughter.

Wasn't Luna in Fellini's Satyricon?

Donyale appeared on the covers of Harpers Bazaar, Vogue & Elle. It's very odd how she is rarely included in the discussion of black models of the 60's and 70s. She definitely had "it."

I was doing some Google image browsing, and I think that in certain shots, mostly 3/4, she looks a bit like Loren.

She and Diana Ross went to the same high school at the same time!

Real name: Peggy Freeman, iirc And, per wiki, had a brief affair with Klaus Kinski. Whoa!

After her discussions with Berry Gordy to bring her life to the big screen fell through, Donyale was shocked to find out Diana Ross had been cast as the lead in Mahogany, with a script that eerily resembled her pitch.

R12, you had to ruin the fantasy didn't you? Peggy fucking Freeman?!

Is that pronounced

don - YALE?

doh - nyah - LAY?

DON - knee - ale?

I've always just assumed it's A.

Considering it's not her real name, you can pronounce it anyway you want. I prefer pronouncing it Peggy Freeman.

Apparently she hated being black- contoured her nose, said she was of Native American x Mexican ancestry, and later, Mulatto. At the end of her life, she was wearing light contacts and pale makeup.

She was stunning.

She's ethereally stunning and almost otherworldly-looking in OP's pic, but I did a GIS and the other pics I saw of her were a lot less compelling. She was beautiful, but still couldn't hold a candle against Naomi Campbell (in her prime) imo.

Now this is a POSE!!

And I kind of agree with R19, she rarely looks as stunning as she does in the OP's pic. I think that's because she used extremely harsh makeup too often.

This was a naturally beautiful woman, who used so damn much makeup that she no longer looks beautiful.

Too bad. And that's major contouring on the nose.

Imagine all the racist shit she would have had to deal with back then. Poor thing, it's no wonder she checked out so early.

It can't have been easy being 6'2" either. She probably was that tall early on.

From Wiki:

[quote] Luna's sister later described her as being "a very weird child, even from birth, living in a wonderland, a dream". She would routinely create fantasies about her background and herself.

Why do I find this endearing?

Because it is?

r15, it's pronounced "don- yal - AY". I know, tricky name.

She adopted the last name Luna for two reasons: 1) She wanted something Mexican sounding to go along with her story that she was part Mexican, and 2) People found her eccentric so she would say she was from the moon, and the name Luna is similar to lunar, which means "resembling the moon"