By Cynthia Charlene Greason
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Dayle Haddon (May 26, 1948 – December 27, 2024) was a Canadian model and actress, known for promoting anti-aging products manufactured by L’Oréal. Additionally, she was credited as the author of Ageless Beauty: A Woman’s Guide to Lifelong Beauty and Well-Being.
During the earlier part of her career as a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of many top fashion and beauty magazines, as well as the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1973. Haddon also served as a wellness contributor to CBS News where she appeared regularly on The Early Show from 2005 to 2008.
Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Haddon spoke English and French. As a child, she was enrolled in dancing classes to develop her physique, and she performed well enough to become a member of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens at 13, and was chosen as Miss Montreal at 18.
As a model in the 1970s and 1980s, Haddon represented Max Factor, Revlon, Estée Lauder, and L’Oréal. She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1973 (January 29) and was twice named to Harper’s Bazaar‘s “Ten Most Beautiful Women.” She also appeared nude in the April 1973 issue of Playboy.
Haddon worked as an actress, appearing in the Disney movie The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973) with Jan-Michael Vincent. She moved to Europe, continued modeling and acting, and appeared in a number of film roles in French and English, as well as occasional small parts in American movies. Her best known roles were in Madame Claude (1977), and North Dallas Forty (1979) opposite actor Nick Nolte.
Haddon was originally cast for the role of Dale Arden in the 1980 film version of Flash Gordon, but producer Dino De Laurentiis replaced her with Melody Anderson just before filming commenced.
During Haddon’s tenure as a main face for L’Oréal, sales for the Age Perfect line had increased by 50%. According to The New York Times, Dayle had “shattered age taboos” with her multiyear contracts with L’Oréal and Estée Lauder, among other companies.
Clairol selected her as a spokesperson, and she later broke barriers for women over the age of 35 when she became the global face of a new anti-aging line for Estée Lauder, a first in the beauty industry. On the day that her Estée Lauder contract expired, L’Oréal signed her. She then had her own company, Dayle Haddon Concepts Inc. In early 2008 she was named a UNICEF ambassador.
Haddon was also the founder of a non-profit called WomenOne. The organization’s motto is “changing the world one woman at a time.”
On December 27, 2024, first responders found her unresponsive in a carriage house in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania just outside New Hope. She was declared dead at the scene, and the cause was announced as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a defective boiler.
