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From Hollywood Stardom To The Cloistered Life

Dolores Hart was a rising star in Hollywood during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

She made her film debut opposite Elvis Presley in 1957′s “Loving You,” was nominated for a Tony Award for “The Pleasure of His Company” and co-starred in the spring break classic “Where the Boys Are.”

But in 1963, she stunned the film world when she entered the Abbey of Regina Laudis to become a cloistered Benedictine nun.

“I just knew that when I went to Regina Laudis, I was in the place that I knew was where I was called,” Hart tells Here & Now’s Robin Young. “It’s like falling in love: you meet a certain person, and no matter who they are or what they are, if you love them, that way of life, that spirit of devotion, that person can affect you, and you will go ’round the world for them.”

Hart has now written about her life, with co-author Richard DeNeut, in the book “ The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows.”

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Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mother Dolores Hart at Here & Now studios. (Rachel Rohr/Here & Now)
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Mother Dolores Hart at Here & Now studios. (Rachel Rohr/Here & Now)