Back From the Brink

In “Cyborg,” actress Dayle Haddon portrays the title character, part human, part machine, who carries the antidote to overcome a world plague. It’s her first American feature in almost a decade.

“I just moved to L.A. from Paris last year,” she explained. “I did it because I wanted to concentrate on my acting career and put behind the personal tragedy in my life.”

Haddon’s best remembered as the face in Max Factor, Revlon and other major beauty company ads.

“I started out as a dancer and modeling paid for classes. But it was always something temporary. When I moved to New York, I also studied acting. So, I’ve juggled the three things and tried to remember that my personal life and happiness was the most important thing.”

Born in Montreal, Haddon was hired by the Eileen Ford Agency as a teen-ager. However, she realized as a non-blonde that her career options were limited in America and went to France where she worked with everyone from Cecil Beaton to Avedon, Snowden and Helmut Newton. “Most people find modeling boring, but when you work with the best, you’re challenged. You must deliver, so it’s emotionally draining.”

Although she’d appeared in several films, it was not until “North Dallas 40” in 1979 that she was offered major roles. Still, recently married, she opted for staying close to home. Then in 1984, her husband, Glenn Souhnam, was murdered. The owner of a security firm, his killing was linked in news reports to several international intelligence agencies.

“There’s a lot I can’t say and there’s a lot I don’t know,” said Haddon. “No one’s ever been charged, and the FBI maintains an ongoing investigation. I don’t want to sound dopey, but I’ve been very lucky. I’ve received a great deal but not everything in life is going to be positive. Things happen and how you deal with them is how you grow.”

Since “Cyborg,” she completed “Silence Like Glass” with Jami Gertz and Martha Plimpton, in which she portrays a psychiatrist in a cancer ward. “I find it ironic that I’m always cast in strong roles, but at least this part is a departure.”