Cleo Moore (born Cleouna Moore; October 31, 1924 – October 25, 1973) was an American actress, usually seen in the role of a blonde bombshell in Hollywood films of the 1950s.

After being raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and moving to Hollywood in the late 1940s, Moore became a well-known pin-up girl. After breaking into minor films, Moore signed a brief contract with Warner Brothers in 1950. She then signed a two-year deal with RKO Radio Pictures (1950–52), before signing a longer contract with Columbia Pictures in 1952.

At Columbia, Moore was molded as the studio's next resident film star, with the studio hoping to make her "their Marilyn Monroe" or the "new Rita Hayworth". During her time at Columbia, Moore starred in One Girl's Confession (1953), The Other Woman (1954), and Women's Prison (1955). However, Moore's career began to decline when the studio signed Kim Novak to a contract and started focusing on capitalizing her instead of Moore. Moore retired from acting in 1957 after starring in Hit and Run.

Moore died in her sleep at the age of 48 in 1973. Despite the fact she never obtained true film stardom, Moore has become a cult fan favorite, with several of her films being considered cult classics.

Biography

Moore found success as a businesswoman in real estate after her screen career ended in the late 1950s. She married multi-millionaire real estate developer Herbert Heftler in 1961 and lived on an estate on Coldwater Canyon in Beverly Hills for the rest of her life.

She had been out of the limelight for many years when she died in her sleep at home, three days before her 49th birthday. She had three sisters: Mari, Voni, and Jonnie. Moore is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.