Celeste Yarnall was a famous American actress who achieved great popularity during the 1960s and 1970s. Born Celeste Jeanne Yarnall on the 26th of July 1944, she was a resident of Long Beach in California. She was discovered by Ozzie Nelson and his son Ricky in the early 1960s.
The duo were a part of the American television sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Celeste appeared on this show and thus started her career in acting. In 1964, she was named ‘Miss Rheingold’ while she was modeling and acting in TV advertisements.
Film debut
Her first role as a movie actress was in the film The Nutty Professor, which came out in 1963. It was a science fiction comedy from writer-director Bill Richmond. After spotting her at the Cannes Film Festival, producer Harry Alan Towers was keen to cast her in his film. It was the 1968 thriller, Eve. This was her first role as a lead actress in a film.
The late 1960s and early 1970s
One of her memorable roles was in Star Trek: The Original Series. In this television series, she appeared as Yeoman Martha Landon in the episode The Apple. The following year, she was cast opposite Elvis Presley in a small role. The film was Live a Little, Love a Little.
Celeste played the role of a party-goer wearing a mini-dress and white fur coat. In the film, she catches the attention of Presley who then sings A Little Less Conversation. After she attended the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, she was named the ‘Most Promising New Star’ for 1968.
Celeste was named the ‘Most Photogenic Beauty of the Year’ by the Foreign Press Corps. In 1971, she appeared in the horror film Beast of Blood as a ‘Scream Queen’. In this movie, her character is terrorized by a headless monster.
During the same year, she made an appearance in the low budget film of Stephanie Rothman. The film was The Velvet Vampire and she played the titular role. Despite being a low-budget film, it received praise from the film critic, Dave Kehr.
Later years
By the late 1970s, her acting career was on the decline. This prompted Celeste to try her luck in real estate. When she was starting out in this arena, she was told that it had limited opportunities for success. However, during her first year with a real-estate firm, she earned a six-figure income. By 1982, she was the owner of one of the top office real-estate firms in Los Angeles.
In the year 1998, she got a doctorate in nutrition. This gave her the opportunity to teach nutrition at Pacific Western University. Celeste also came up with two books later on. One of them was titled Natural Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Dogs. The next book was about cats titled Natural Cat Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Care for Cats.
In the year 2006, she appeared in the fan-made movie Star Trek: Of Gods and Men.
During 2014, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Sadly Celeste Yarnall died four years later at the age of 74 in Westlake Village, California.