Cherie Latimer(1943-2026)

Leggy, brunette American supporting actress and model who enjoyed a brief run in Hollywood from the mid-60s to the late 70s. The daughter of Dr. Frank Earl Kunker (1893-1953) and Huldah Latimer Kunker (1903-94), Cherie initially studied art, architecture and interior design at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Stage struck since childhood, she was, however, determined to make it as an actress. Landing in Hollywood in 1965, her looks soon got her guest spots on several popular TV shows. The majority of these were little more than walk-ons, one of few exceptions being a role as a Ute chief’s daughter in an episode of Bonanza (1959). In March 1971, she was featured in an article in Playboy magazine entitled ‘The Curious Story of Cherie in Wonderland’. This likely paved the way to a handful of roles in low budget B-movies, including co-starring in Curtis Hanson’s directorial debut, the slasher film Sweet Kill (1972) (opposite a badly miscast Tab Hunter). It flopped at the box office, as did Cherie’s next picture, The Four Deuces (1975), a cheesy and decidedly unfunny Prohibition-era crime comedy. Following a bit part in The Rose (1979), Cherie checked out of the film business and devoted herself to family life. Her second husband (for less than a year) was the oft-married producer Freddie Fields.