Dolores Hart

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born 1938

Dolores Hart was a natural for the film industry. For her Hollywood debut, she landed a coveted romantic lead opposite Elvis, becoming famous for sharing an on-screen kiss.

However, when the sought-after young starlet visited the Abbey of Regina Laudis, it quickly became her refuge and calling. In 1963, Dolores stepped out of her fairy tale life to enter the Benedictine monastery, where she eventually became Prioress.

Mother Dolores remains a voting member of the Academy, but her theatrical talents are strictly for service of others through the convent's The Gary-The Olivia Theater, which she co-founded with fellow Hollywood legend Patricia Neal.

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all quotes by Dolores Hart (6)

"If that's in the script, then why not?"
Mother Dolores Hart: The Nun Who Kissed Elvis Presley | february 2011

"Monastic life is impossible for most people to understand. People think that it is a life that is shut off, or you're gone from the world, but it's exactly opposite. You are more embedded into the world. It's a way of love that includes everyone that you've ever loved."
Mother Dolores Hart: The Nun Who Kissed Elvis Presley | february 2011

"I adored Hollywood. I didn't leave it because it was a place of sin."
Nun who co-starred with Elvis will return to the Oscars | february 2012

"Our daily schedule is never interrupted. Work has to be done. Animals have to be fed. We have to stay here and pray and believe that we can help by doing so. It requires discipline and clarity about what your mission is and where your body needs to be, where it can do the most good."
The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey From Hollywood to Holy Vows | may 2013