{{Short description|American actress (born 1933)}} {{Infobox person | name = Lita Milan | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Iris Maria Lia Menshall | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1933}} | birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1954–1959 | spouse = {{marriage|[[Ramfis Trujillo]]|1960|1969|end=died}} | children = 2 }}
'''Lita Milan''', also known as '''Lita Trujillo''' (born '''Iris Maria Lia Menshall''' in 1933) is a former American actress. Her film credits include ''[[The Violent Men]]'' (1955), ''[[Desert Sands]]'' (1955), ''[[Gun Brothers]]'' (1956), ''[[The Ride Back]]'' (1957), ''[[Bayou (film)|Bayou]]'' (1957), ''[[The Left Handed Gun]]'' (1958), ''[[Never Love a Stranger]]'' (1958) and ''[[I Mobster]]'' (1959).<ref name=x/>
==Early years== Iris Maria Lia Menshall was born in [[New York City]], the daughter of a salesman.<ref name="x">{{cite news|last1=Bond|first1=William|title=Descent into poverty of star, Lita Milan, who wed a playboy|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/404272/Descent-into-poverty-of-star-Lita-Milan-who-wed-a-playboy|accessdate=16 July 2017|work=Express|date=June 2, 2013|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20131129172300/http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/404272/Descent-into-poverty-of-star-Lita-Milan-who-wed-a-playboy|archivedate=29 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> She gave a memorable performance in S1 E33 of ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'', playing the [[chanteuse]] Mlle. Annette Vargas who inherits a mine in "The Silver Queen," which aired on May 3, 1958.
==Personal life== Milan married the son of former dictator of the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Ramfis Trujillo]], in 1960.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mizrachi|first1=Robert|title=Actress Lita Milan, In A Phone Booth, 1958|url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2007/nov/21/Actress-Lita-Milan/|accessdate=16 July 2017|work=San Diego Reader|date=November 21, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716202229/https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2007/nov/21/Actress-Lita-Milan/|archivedate=16 July 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> They had two sons.<ref name=x/> In 1969, Trujillo died of pneumonia, following hospitalization for a traffic accident. For years she had a sentimental relationship with the spanish bullfighter [[Jaime Ostos]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-14 |title=Lita Trujillo, expareja de Jaime Ostos, asegura que el torero le pidió matrimonio en 2020 |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/gente/20220114/7986647/lita-trujillo-expareja-jaime-ostos-asegura-torero-pidio-matrimonio-2020-mmn.html |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es}}</ref>
In a 2013 interview, Milan said of her marriage: "It was a gallant kidnapping. He [Trujillo] was a dark prince on a white horse. But at the same time it was my mistake because I could have gone much further as an actress." She also described herself as "a sad figure. I have a tragic sense of life, although I always try to disguise it with frivolity, a way to alleviate sadness."<ref name="x"/> In 2017 it was reported that Milan lives in Madrid, rarely makes public appearances, and has not appeared on television or film since 1959.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deutschmann |first1=Jennifer |title=Lita Milan: The Unusual Life Of A Hollywood Actress Who Is Now Living In Exile |url=https://www.inquisitr.com/4219285/lita-milan/ |website=Inquisitr |date=14 May 2017 |publisher=Inquisitr Ltd. |access-date=2022-09-07}}</ref>
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1954|| ''[[The Big Chase]]'' || Nurse || |- |1955|| ''[[The Violent Men]]'' || Elena || |- |1955|| ''[[Duel on the Mississippi]]'' || Yvette || Uncredited |- |1955|| ''[[Toughest Man Alive|The Toughest Man Alive]]'' || Lida Velasco || |- |1955|| ''[[Desert Sands]]'' || Alita || |- |1956|| ''[[Gun Brothers]]'' || Meeteetse || |- |1957|| ''[[The Ride Back]]'' || Elena || |- |1957|| ''[[Bayou (film)|Bayou]]'' || Marie Hebert || |- |1957|| ''[[Naked in the Sun]]'' || Chechotah || |- |1958|| ''[[Girls on the Loose]]'' || Marie Williams || |- |1958|| ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'' || Mlle. Annette Vargas|| S1E33 "The Siver Queen" |- |1958|| ''[[The Left Handed Gun]]'' || Celsa || |- |1958|| ''[[Never Love a Stranger]]'' || Julie Cabell || |- |1958|| ''[[Colgate Theatre (1958 TV series)|Colgate Theatre]]'' || Amelia || S1E3 "Tonight in Havana" |- |1959|| ''[[I Mobster]]'' || Teresa Porter || |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}} * {{TV Guide person |3030650417}} * {{TCMDb name |Lita-Milan}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Milan, Lita}} [[Category:1933 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century American actresses]] [[Category:Jewish American actresses]] [[Category:Actresses from Brooklyn]] [[Category:21st-century American women]]
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