Helene Stanley (born Dolores Diane Freymouth; July 17, 1929 – December 27, 1990) was an American actress who was the live model for Cinderella, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and Anita Radcliffe in One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Early life Stanley was born in Gary, Indiana. Her parents were Michael Freymouth, who was an acrobat who worked in Europe, and Gerty Freymouth (née Seigert). She spent most of her childhood in southern California. https://web.archive.org/web/20250618214753/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/06/22/potempa-helene-stanley-actress-from-gary-found-walt-disney-film-fame/
At the age of four, she won the World’s Fair Contests of Contests in Chicago as an acrobatic dancer, winning a $25 prize. https://web.archive.org/web/20250618214753/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/06/22/potempa-helene-stanley-actress-from-gary-found-walt-disney-film-fame/
Career Stanley used the stage name "Dolores Diane." In 1946, she received a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began to use the stage name "Helene Stanley," with one of her most notable appearances being a brief role in John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (1950).
Her collaboration with Disney started around 1948. She became the live-action model for both the main character and one of the stepsisters Anastasia Tremaine in Cinderella, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and Anita Radcliffe in One Hundred and One Dalmatians. In the season three episode of Walt Disney's Disneyland (1957), Tricks of Our Trade, Stanley appears as herself performing a ballet routine for several studio animation directors animating scenes from the Dance of the Hours segment of Fantasia.
Personal life Helene Stanley was married to Johnny Stompanato on January 17, 1953, with their divorce dated February 10, 1955.
After Stompanato, Stanley married a physician from Beverly Hills, David Niemetz. They had a son, David Niemetz Jr., in 1961. After they were married, Stanley formally retired from show business in 1962, one year after the birth of her son.
Death Stanley died on December 27, 1990, in Los Angeles of ovarian cancer.
Filmography
1942: Girls' Town - Sally 1943: Hi, Buddy - Specialty 1943: Moonlight in Vermont - A Jivin' Jill 1945: Patrick the Great - Member, Jivin' Jills (uncredited) 1945: Thrill of a Romance - Susan 1946: Holiday in Mexico - Yvette Baranga 1947: Brick Bradford - Carol Preston 1948: My Dear Secretary - Miss 'Clay' Pidgeon (uncredited) 1949: Mr. Soft Touch - Donna (uncredited) 1949: Bandit King of Texas - Cynthia Turner 1949: All the King's Men - Helene Hale (uncredited) 1950: Cinderella (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) (Cinderella and Anastasia Tremaine) 1950: A Woman of Distinction - Minor Role (uncredited) 1950: The Asphalt Jungle - Jeannie - Girl in Diner (uncredited) 1952: Diplomatic Courier - Airline Stewardess 1952: Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie - Eadie Jordan 1952: We're Not Married! - Mary (uncredited) 1952: Dreamboat - Mimi 1952: The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Connie 1953: Roar of the Crowd - Marcy Parker 1953: Once I Will Return - Gloria 1954: Carnival Story - Peggy 1954: Circus of Love - Lore 1955: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier - Polly Crockett (archive footage) 1955: Dial Red O - Connie Wyatt 1957: Walt Disney's Disneyland Tricks of Our Trade - Herself 1959: Sleeping Beauty (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) - Aurora 1959: Perry Mason The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll" - Fran Driscoll 1961: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (As live-action model for Disney animators to use as a guide) - Anita
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