Page 200 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

Dani Crayne

2nd Cousin

Common Ancestor

Father: Amond H. Hanson
Huvenes, Vinger, Hedmark, Norway

1850 - 1921 Born: Residence:

Mother: Julie Kristine Amundsdatter 25 December 1934 Hollywood, California
Stamtavlekart, Norway Minneapolis, Minnesota
1871-1945 Darlyne Danielle Goldman is known less as a

Hollywood star and more as the ex-wife of Hollywood
glitterati, and as a Hollywood socialite and intimate of
the “A list” of the Rich and Famous. Described as “A
stunning blonde from Minnesota”, she was offered
a Universal stock contract in 1955. After performing
the usual starlet duties of leg art and bit parts, she
landed the role of Helen of Troy in The Story of
Mankind (1957). Unfortunately, the star-studded
but low budget "epic" became a notorious failure
and Crayne spent the remainder of her brief career
in television Westerns.

She was married the first time at 16 to Donalde
Crayne, who she referred to as a “Crazy Frenchman”,
and her only child, Deborah was born when she was
17. When she didn't achieve stardom, she became
the sort of woman who made it a career to assist the
talent of others. Husband No. 2 was singer Buddy
Greco, whom she met at a club in Chicago when she was 20. "I looked at him performing at the
piano and knew I was going to marry him." The marriage ended after 10 years.

Almost immediately, she moved in with actor
David Janssen. They lived together for five
years, were married for five more, and even
survived a serious extramarital affair on his
part, she says.

They thought they'd stay together forever, she
adds, but then the hard- drinking, hard-
smoking, hard-living Hollywood veteran died

unexpectedly on Feb. 13, 1980.
David and Dani Janssen
After mourning for 10 months, she married director Hal Needham (Smokey and the Bandit,
Cannonball Run I and II). The couple divorced in 1987.

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