Hollywood is full of stories of former child stars who grew up much too fast, but arguably Tuesday Weld’s Tinsel Town tale might just be the ultimate one. Her penchant for scandal made people incredibly uneasy, but she still somehow managed to become a star in her own right. Before that happened, however, you wouldn’t be wrong to describe Weld as a certifiable hot mess.
Weld is one of the few child stars that was able to survive growing up in Hollywood. As an adult, she progressed to mature roles in the late ’50s. She ended up winning a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960, and throughout the proceeding decade, she established herself as a major player in dramatic film roles.
Weld frequently portrayed reckless and impulsive women who would act out sexually. Some of her best-received performances were featured in films like 1972s Play It as It Lays, 1977s Looking for Mr. Goodbar, 1983s The Winter of Our Discontent, and 1984s Once Upon a Time in America.
Since the late ’80s, the 79-year-old actress has made fewer and fewer acting appearances. In fact, she hasn’t appeared in anything since 2001. But that doesn’t stop us from looking back at her incredible career with awe, wonder, and just a dash of morbid curiousity.
Join us as we sink our teeth into the alarming facts about Tuesday Weld’s provocative life story. In the process, we’ll be sharing some steamy hot photographs of her that few of you have likely seen.
Facts Verse Presents : Rare Photos of Tuesday Weld For Adult Eyes Only
She Came From Money – But Still Struggled
Weld Was born Susan Ker Weld in New York City on the 27th of August, 1943. Her father was a man named Lathrop Motley Weld of the revered Weld Family of Massachusetts, while her mother, Yosene Balfour Ker, was the daughter of Canadian-born artist and Life magazine illustrator William Balfour Ker.
Clearly, Weld’s family wasn’t hard-up for money, and they no doubt lived a very privileged and luxurious lifestyle – that is, however, until Lathrop died in 1947 at the age of 49, leaving his family high and dry. Left with financial problems following her husband’s death, Yosene put young Weld to work as a model in order to help support the family.
Around this time, Weld adopted the name Tuesday which apparently was an extension of her childhood nickname ‘Tu-Tu’. She legally changed her name in October 1959.
Tuesday Carried Her Father’s Baggage
While the Weld family was quite wealthy and powerful – especially up in New England – Lathrop had been the black sheep of the family. As such, he had some pretty serious baggage. Not only did he have a history of addiction, but he also had a scandalous romantic history.
Yosene had been his fourth wife, so you can probably do the math and determine just how all of that must of played out.
Anyway, one of the only things that ol’ Lathrop had going for him was his ability to access his parent’s money, but after that dried up following his death, Tuesday’s family could hardly put food on the table. Not only did her mother have her hands full, trying her best to raise three kids on her own in a very perilous financial situation, but the elder Weld’s weren’t willing to do a thing to help her out.
Tuesday, her siblings, and mother soon found themselves living in a shabby, cold-water apartment in a Manhattan slum. Even that setup nearly proved to be too much for them to afford. Fortunately, Tuesday’s modeling helped save the day.
Before she did, however, the wealthy Welds made Yosene an outrageous offer that she almost ended up taking. They suggested taking in the children and providing them with everything they needed to thrive. They even offered to pay for their continued education. While this proposal sounded glorious on paper, it came with one massive stipulation. If Yosene took the offer, she would have to vow to never see her children again.
You see, the Weld’s never much cared for Yosene. Although her father was a successful illustrator, she had been orphaned at birth and never knew who her biological family was. Instead of being empathetic to this hardship, the Weld’s basically viewed Yosene as having come from the gutter.
Obviously, being the devoted mother that she was, Tuesday’s mom couldn’t even consider such a cruel deal – even if it would mean giving her children a head start in life. Fortunately, Tuesday stepped up to the plate and saved the day with her undeniably beauteous looks.
Yosene’s Modeling Saved Her Family – But With Dire Consequences
Young Tuesday’s life quickly became filled with endless auditions. The fact that she was working to feed and support her family must have been quite challenging for her. After all, this all happened before she was even 10. As you’ll soon see, the consequences of this would be nothing short of chilling.
At 9, the pressures of essentially being the replacement father to her family became too much for Tuesday to bear. She ended up having a nervous breakdown – something a little girl should never have to face.
Yosene took Tuesday’s breakdown as an opportunity to move the family of four to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was there that Tuesday was finally able to attend school regularly. Back in New York, her life had been completely dominated by modeling and the pursuit of success, but for the first time in her life, she could experience a little taste of normalcy. Sadly, by then, it was much too late for Tuesday to have the normal childhood she likely always wanted.
Weld was forced to grow up virtually overnight after her father passed away. To cope with her tangled web of feelings, she turned to a very grown-up solution, alcohol. By 10, Tuesday was already an alcoholic, but that didn’t mean that she was no longer expected to take care of her family’s needs. In fact, just the opposite. So, before she knew it, Tuesday had to start working again. This time around, Yosene left her other kids with a family friend and returned to the Big Apple with just Tuesday.
Tuesday’s Early Acting Career
Using her modeling resume, Weld’s mom was eventually able to secure her an agent. She went on to make her acting debut on TV at 12 and her feature film debut that same year in Hitchcock’s 1956 crime drama The Wrong Man.
Later that year, Weld played the female lead in Rock, Rock, Rock, which featured singers Frankie Lymon, Johnny Burnette, and Chuck Berry, as well as record promoter, Alan Freed.
On television, Weld appeared in a highly-rated episode of Goodyear Playhouse entitled ‘Backwoods Cinderella’. She then understudied on Broadway in a production of The Dark at the Top of the Stairs.
In 1958, Weld was cast in the supporting role in the Joanne Woodward-Paul Newman comedy Rally Around the Flag Boys which was produced by 20th Century Fox. With Paramount Pictures, Weld appeared in films like 1959s The Five Pennies. She also guest-starred in a few episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1959, she also shared the screen with Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in an episode of 77 Sunset Strip titled Secret Island.
After appearing in a few movies and television shows, Weld still had some serious emotional problems to deal with. Perhaps she was never really cut out for acting, but it was too late to turn back now. These pressures eventually Led Tuesday down a very troubling and dangerous path. Not only was she hooked on the bottle, but she now was also dealing with a fairly intense pill habit.
She Was No Stranger To Scandal
In the early 60s, Tuesday signed a multi-picture deal with 20th Century Fox, and guest starred in several hit television shows, but it wasn’t until she appeared in The Cincinnati Kid in 1965 that she rose to stardom. Weld went on to star in films such as 1966s Lord Love A Duck, 1967s The Crucible, and 1968s Pretty Poison. During this time, she became famous for turning down roles in movies that would go on to become wildly successful. A few of these films include Rosemary’s Baby, True Git, and Bonnie & Clyde.
Tuesday’s peak years were between 1974 and 1988. During this time, she appeared in films like 1975s F. Scott Fitzgerald In Hollywood, 1978s Who’ll Stop The Rain, 1981s Madame X, 1982s Author! Author!, and 1984s Once Upon A Time In America.
Behind the scenes, Tuesday continued to battle her addictions while struggling to maintain her relationships. The media often depicted her as a nymphomaniac, and to be fair, this might have been true, as you’ll soon see.
Later in her acting career, Weld appeared in films such as 1998s Feeling Minnesota and 2001s Investigating Sex and Chelsea Walls. Fortunately, by this chapter of her life, she was beginning to find some stability. While she hasn’t been active since then, Tuesday is believed to be enjoying her retirement at her $1.8 million home in the Hollywood Hills.
Her Love Life Was Toxic From The Get-Go
Tuesday claims that she had her first affair when she was 11 and when she was 12 she tried to take her life for a very adult reason. She had apparently fallen head over heels in love with a gay man who obviously wasn’t going to reciprocate her love for a number of reasons, his sexuality being just one.
Because of her suicide attempt, Weld ended up in a coma and temporarily lost her sense of hearing and vision. When she finally woke up, she begged her mother for psychological help, but Yosene’s response was nothing short of dumbfounding.
Not only did she refuse to get Tuesday the help she needed, but she instead pushed her into the spotlight even further. No doubt, this only further fueled Tuesday’s troubles with addiction. It just might have also sent her down a road that led her to many troubled romantic relationships.
Years later, Tuesday would marry her first of three husbands, screenwriter Claude Harz, in 1965. While together they had a daughter named Natasha who was born in 1966. After splitting with Harz in 1965, Weld Married comedian, actor, and musician Dudley Moore in 1975. They, too, ended up having a child together, a son named Patrick, before divorcing in 1980.
Weld’s third husband was Israeli concert violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman, whom she married in 1985. 13 years later, the couple divorced. According to court papers, Tuesday hated her husband’s chosen career and was tired of having to sit through his performances.
Between marriages, Weld dated stars like David Steinberg, Al Pacino, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Richard Gere, and Omar Sharif.
Tuesday Weld was one of the few former child stars who was able to transition into a serious adult acting career. However, the path she had to take to get there was full of hardship and heartbreak.
It’s nice to see that she has finally found some peace in her life. At 79, she’s earned her right to take it easy and enjoy her golden years.
On that note, we’ll go ahead and wrap up this video, but before you move on to watching another one of our facts-packed videos, take a moment to drop us a line in the comments.
Did you know that Tuesday Weld was an alcoholic by age ten and that she had her first affair when she was 11? Let us know, and as always, thanks for watching!
