The glamor of the Tinseltown is glossy enough to make people fall to their knees but have you ever thought about those who preferred god over it? There hasn’t been a concerning lack of it, just concerning unawareness but I’ll remedy that today. Back in the days of Hollywood’s golden age, Dolores Hart was the rising star H-town was buzzing about. She had it all—charm, talent, and that certain something that made her stand out in a sea of silver screen icons. Even when she stood beside the god of rock&roll Elvis Presley himself.
Now behind the scenes where she was wowing audiences with her charisma, Dolores was feeling a different kind of pull. This one was from the one true god. The calling became a profound awakening that led her down a path nobody saw coming. What did Dolores do then? That’s the holy is the part where Hollywood met the convent. She traded all the glitz and glamour for a life of devotion and let us tell you the tale of it. Let’s start from the beginning.
Related: 10 Hollywood Celebrities Who Quit Acting
Who Is Dolores Hart?
So Dolores Hart was born on October 20, 1938, right in the heart of Chicago, Illinois, and raised in good ol’ Connecticut. Her ascend to stardom kicked off when she was barely out of her teens.
In 1957, at just 19 years old, Dolores made her grand debut on the silver screen opposite none other than the King himself, Elvis Presley, in ‘Loving You.’ And they kissed! It was Elvis’s first on-screen kiss, and boy, did they make it count. The chemistry was so real that even Dolores and Elvis couldn’t help but blush during filming. Well if you want to be a bummer and take the romance out of romanticism go ahead.
In a 2021 interview with Fox News Hart opened up about the sweet moment. She said, “Hal (director) tells me, ‘Dolores, you’re blushing in your ears. They’re red. We need makeup.’ I was so embarrassed. After they fixed me up, we started again. And again, seconds later, he yells ‘Cut! Get some makeup for Mister Presley!’ When I looked, he was red! But that’s the way it was. We were just a couple of kids.”
After stealing hearts alongside Elvis, Dolores continued to wow audiences with standout performances in films like ‘King Creole’ (1958) and ‘Where the Boys Are’ (1960). Her talent and beauty earned her comparisons to Hollywood royalty like Grace Kelly—now, that’s high praise! Dolores Hart was on the fast track to Hollywood greatness, and the things with fast cars? They end the road trip pretty quickly.
In case you missed: How Old Was Priscilla When She Married Elvis Presley? How Did They Meet?
Why Did Dolores Hart Leave Hollywood?
A promising career riding on the high tide aimed at the moon and Hart leaves it all for a life away from the flashes. In 1963 she announced her plans to retire from acting and as if that wasn’t enough, she revealed her future plans. Dolaris was trading the red carpet for the quietude of monastery life, the revelations earned her both shock and awe from the fans.
Now you might wonder what terrible thing Hollywood could’ve done to drive her away from the dazzling heaven. But maybe for the first time, H-town was innocent. Hart was an unproblematic star of the 60s (like they could afford to be problematic). So her decision to step away from the spotlight wasn’t driven by any drama. It was a spiritual awakening she’d been feeling for quite some time during her retreat trips to the Abbey of Regina Laudis. With being engaged to architecture Don Robinson, Hart had a wedding fast approaching, and with the wedding came some pressing decisions. Noah of the 60s was building her a house while the fashion mags were picking out her wedding dresses. Everything was happening around her at the pace of dominos and she just couldn’t help but feel that the direction they were all falling in was wrong.
So Dolores did what she had to. She chose god. Hart broke off her engagement with Don who spent the rest of his life unmarried and in love with her. He made sure to visit Dolaris at Abbey of Regina Laudis, at least once a year until the year he passed away.
Life As Mother Dolores Hart
Life as Mother Dolores Hart has been quite a journey of devotion and discovery. The journey started with her permanent residence at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, tucked away in the tranquility of Bethlehem, Connecticut.
From Hollywood starlet to Mother Dolores Hart, she has now dedicated over five decades to her religious life within the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Her days revolve around prayer, community, and contemplation within the monastery walls. Despite the physical seclusion of monastery life, Mother Dolores remains connected to the world through the letters she receives from people across the country. These letters seek the map to god’s embrace and Dolares has one tip to give them all. To find god is to understand love.
You might also like to read:
