This lovely, long-haired, fresh-faced and most promising product of the late 1950s was born Diane Marie Antonia Varsi in San Mateo, California, on February 23, 1938, the elder of two daughters of Russell Varsi, a florist, and wife Beatrice DeMerchant. A troubling childhood led to her dropping out of high school, toiling instead in a number of nowhere jobs -- waitress, dress shop model, fruit picker, candle dipper, etc. An intended spiritual sojourn in the mid-1950s from San Francisco to Mexico ended when she got as far as Los Angeles. A sensitive soul, Diane settled there and became interested in the fine arts, including folk singing, dancing, acting, writing poetry and music. She enrolled in actor 'Jeff Corey' , Diane again dropped out of sight--this time for good. Little was heard although it was said she had returned to her poetry and took up photography. The newspapers reported her death on November 19, 1992, in Los Angeles at age 54, from respiratory problems due to complications from Lyme disease, which she had contracted back in 1977.
Survived by two children, Shawn Hausman and Willo Clare Hausman. Willo continues to work in the production end of filmmaking and is a director.
Suffered from Lyme disease, an inflammation of the joints that can affect the heart and nervous system.
Began her career as a folk singer and drummer.
Son Shawn was born in 1956.
On August 29, 1958, Varsi won an uncontested divorce from her husband at the time, John Dickson, after testifying that Dickson criticized her until she had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized. The following March, she boarded a plane along with their son for a retreat in Vermont, having announced shortly before that she was quitting films forever. In 1960, she returned to her hometown of San Mateo and remarried the following year but did not return to acting for another six years.
