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Diana became involved in show business at a very early age, tap dancing at seven and winning a beauty contest three years later. This led to modeling sun suits for Sears Department Stores, and, eventually, to becoming a Conover model for the John Robert Powers Agency in New York. She also acquired plenty of acting practice during seven seasons of summer stock, playing assorted leads in classic plays like The Little Foxes, The Seven Year Itch (the role immortalized by Marilyn Monroe on screen!), Tobacco Road and Life With Father. From the mid-50s, she appeared on numerous live TV shows in New York and even enjoyed a second-billed leading role in a 1955 episode of Star Tonight (1955). This did not lead anywhere career-wise, so the blonde, comely-looking Diana took on further acting studies and got herself noticed with covers in popular contemporary magazines. Alas, it took a move to Hollywood for her career to really gain some traction, then, before long, she became a much-in-demand guest actress for prime-time TV shows. So much so, where by 1962, she was given the sobriquet 'Miss Emmy'.

Diana also appeared thrice on Broadway, culminating in a leading role in the comedy play Boeing-Boeing in 1962. That same year, she toured the U.S. and Canada in a National Theatre Company Production of The Seven Year Itch, opposite Eddie Bracken.

During her prolific TV appearances in the 60s, Diana accumulated screen credits on some of the most popular shows of the day, including Maverick (1957), Gunsmoke (1955), Route 66 (1960), Rawhide (1959), Perry Mason (1957), 77 Sunset Strip (1958), The Virginian (1962) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964).

However, her undoubted career highlight came near the end of her life as an actress when producer/creator Dan Curtis offered her the juicy role of Laura Collins (an immortal Phoenix-like entity) in his cult supernatural day time series Dark Shadows (1966). Between 1966 and 1969, Diana lived and breathed this character in 62 episodes and a subsequent spin-off movie release, Night of Dark Shadows (1971). After that, her acting career ended somewhat inconspicuously.

In later years, she moved back to New York where she reinvented herself as an author of several books, including "The Power of Halloween" (dealing with supernatural themes, such as witchcraft), "How to Create Good Luck" and "I'd Rather Eat Than Act".

Between 1966 and 1968, Diana Claire Millay was married to Geoffrey Montgomery Talbot Jones, a Broadway producer, Princeton alumnus and former wartime OSS officer. Sometime during the 1990s, she worked as a promoter for Microhydrin, an antioxidant and nutritional supplement.

Diana passed away in New York on 8 January 2021 at the age of 86.

In the mid-1940s, she modeled sun suits for the Sears Catalog.

She was married to Geoffrey Montgomery Talbot Jones in October 1966, but they separated after the birth of their son, <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm7227497/?ref_=nmtrv_trv">Kiley Jones</a>, in 1967.

She sold fine art and commercial real estate at one time.

She was the daughter of Claire Van Blarcom (Smith) and Frank H. Roberts. Her mother was of Dutch and German descent.

Debuted on &#39;The Steve Allen Show&#39; &amp; in March 1956 was heralded to be the new timekeeper on TV&#39;s &#39;Masquerade Party&#39;.

Started her career at age 7, when she tap danced her way to standing ovations in her 2nd grade class play. Won a beauty contest at age 10 &amp; was chosen to model sun suits for the Sears catalog. Had appeared in over 40 live New York television shows by the age of 15.

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Diana Millay

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