| Donyale Luna Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 62 kg |
| Date of Birth | August 31, 1945 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Hair Color | Black |
Donyale Luna was an American supermodel and actress who is credited as “the first black supermodel” and became the first African-American model to appear on the cover of the British edition of Vogue in March 1966. Gaining popularity in Western Europe during the late 1960s, she also appeared in films like Salomé, Fellini Satyricon, Skidoo, Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?, and Camp.
Born Name
Peggy Ann Freeman
Nick Name
Donyale Luna, Little Peggy, Donyale George Luna
Age
She was born on August 31, 1945.
Died
On May 17, 1979, Donyale Luna died of a heroin overdose in a clinic in Rome, Italy at the age of 33.
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Nationality
Education
She got enrolled at Detroit High School of Commerce and studied data processing and typing. She also studied journalism, performing arts, and languages at Cass Technical High School.
Occupation
Model, Actress
Family
- Father – Nathaniel Freeman (Worked in production at the Ford plant)
- Mother – Peggy Freeman (née Hertzog) (Worked as a secretary for the Young Women’s Christian Association)
- Siblings – Lillian (Sister), Josephine (Sister)
Manager
She was managed by Richard Avedon.
Build
Slim
Height
6 ft 2 in or 188 cm
Weight
62 kg or 136.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Donyale Luna had dated –
- Maximilian Schell – She was romantically involved with Austrian-born Swiss film and stage actor Maximilian Schell. The duo even got engaged before separating.
- Georg Willing – She also went out with Georg Willing, a German actor who appeared in European horror films.
- David Mccabe – British fashion photographer David Mccabe was the one who discovered her and it is speculated that they were also romantically involved.
- Richard Avedon – Luna dated fashion and portrait photographer Richard Avedon and they had also worked together.
- Terence Stamp – It was RUMORed that she had an affair with English actor Terence Stamp during her time in London.
- Prince – It is speculated that she had also dated singer-songwriter Prince at some point in time.
- David Bailey (1966) – She hooked up with English fashion and portrait photographer David Bailey in the year 1966.
- Brian Jones (1968) – She dated Brian Jones of the English rock band, The Rolling Stones in 1968.
- Klaus Kinski (1969) – In 1969, she had a short-termed romance with German actor Klaus Kinski and their relationship ended when Kinski asked her entourage to leave his house in Rome concerned that their drug use could damage his career.
- Federico Fellini (1970) – She had a fling with Italian film director and screenwriter Federico Fellini in 1970.
- Carmelo Bene (1972) – In 1972, she had a fling with Carmelo Bene, an Italian actor, poet, film director, and screenwriter. They worked together in the 1972 Italian drama film, Salome, which was Luna’s last film.
- Juan Fernandez (1972) – It was RUMORed by the Italian press that she had an affair with the Dominican actor and her Salome co-star, Juan Fernandez, in 1972.
- Luigi Cazzaniga (1975-1979) – After meeting him at a party in Italy, she married Italian photographer Luigi Cazzaniga in 1976 in California. For the initial 2 months of their relationship, they were unable to talk to each other as Cazzaniga only knew how to speak Italian. Their daughter named Dream Cazzaniga, a name inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.‘s famous “I have a dream” speech, was born in 1977. The couple eventually separated but they were still married at the time of her death.
Race / Ethnicity
Mixed (White and Black)
She was of African-American and South American (Quechuan) descent on her father’s side and had African-American and European roots on her maternal side.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Towering height
Donyale Luna Facts
- Her mother fatally shot her father in self-defense in January 1965.
- Luna was friends with Mick Jagger, Julie Christie, Micheal Caine, Iain Quarrier, and Yul Brynner.
- She had also worked with photographers like David Bailey, William Klein, Helmut Newton, Charlotte March, and William Claxton.
- She has been described as “the first black model who really began to change things; to enable more diverse beauty paradigms to break through”.
