Veronica Lake (1922-1973) gained fame as an actress in the 1940s, particularly known for her roles in film noir. She became a major box office attraction and a fashion icon, especially recognized for her unique one-eye hairstyle. Her career included significant roles in movies like I Wanted Wings, which solidified her status in Hollywood. According to Messy Nessy, Lake's influence extended beyond the screen, as seen in her hairstyle's popularity during World War II, leading to a request from the U.S. government for her to modify it due to its impracticality for women working in factories.
Messy Nessy reports that Lake ended up working in a dive bar due to a combination of personal struggles and a decline in her acting career. After reaching the peak of her fame, Lake faced several challenges, including a growing reputation for being difficult to work with, personal tragedies like the loss of her child, and divorce. These factors, compounded by heavy drinking, derailed her career. Paramount Pictures eventually chose not to renew her contract, leading to financial difficulties. Her subsequent marriages also ended in divorce, and she faced issues such as bankruptcy and tax problems. These circumstances eventually led her to drift between cheap hotels and take on jobs like working in a bar.
In media interviews from the 1960s, Lake said that she enjoyed her job working in a bar because it allowed her to interact with people, as quoted in the article, "I like people. I like to talk to them."
The same article also looks at the life of actress Louise Brooks, who experienced a similar meteoric rise and fall as Lake. Messy Nessy says, "When asked by a journalist in her last years why she thought she never got on in Hollywood, she shrugged and said, 'I liked to fuck and drink too much.'"
