"Carolyn Lee" was her modeling name -- a name that was already registered with Actors' Equity, so she changed it to use the homophone "Carol Lynley".
Although in later years she claimed to have sung "The Morning After" in The Poseidon Adventure (1972), her voice was in fact dubbed by studio singer Renée Armand.
Although she was hired to play Diane in "Twin Peaks" (1990) and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), she was never seen on screen.
Daughter, Jill Victoria, born [1962]
Her father's name was Cyril Jones, and her mother's name was Frances Peltch.
Is a fan of Cameron Diaz, one of her favorite films being There's Something About Mary (1998).
Lynley owned the boots and pendant she wears in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). She complained during production that the boots were shrinking due to constant immersion in water, making them extremely uncomfortable.
She had an affair off and on with David Frost for 18 years.
She was featured on the April 22, 1957 cover of LIFE Magazine. Walt Disney saw her photo and article, and decided to cast her in his 1958 release The Light in the Forest (1958). It was Carol's debut (she received "and introducing" credit in the opening title), but it was also her swan song for Disney's studio. Opposite James MacArthur, a Broadway actor, both gave convincing performances, receiving mixed critical reaction, mostly because of the entrenched polarized "pro" and "anti" Disney factions.
Was close friends with actor/dancer Fred Astaire. In the 1970s, it was rumored in the press that they might even marry; however 81-year old Astaire wed the much-younger Robyn Smith in 1980. Carol is quoted extensively in the book "Fred Astaire: His Friends Talk" (1988), by Sarah Giles.
With her friend, entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen, Lynley appeared in several interstitial showbiz segments covering a variety of topics. For Australia's #1 morning show "Sunrise" (2003), she reflected on the remake of The Poseidon Adventure (1972). On "TV Guide Television" (1999), she discussed her long career in TV, film and on Broadway. For "New with Nelson," she revealed some of her Oscar picks for that year and named her all time favorite Oscar winner as Frank Sinatra.