Marilyn Van Derbur

My admiration for Marilyn Van Derbur lies entirely in her second act. Born in Denver in 1937 and crowned Miss America 1958, she was the picture of mid-century glamour, but that crown is not what moves me. What does is her later courage in speaking openly about a harrowing personal history and reinventing herself as a motivational speaker who helps others heal. Her 1996 induction into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame reads, to me, as recognition of spirit rather than beauty. To set down the tiara and turn pain into words is its own kind of grace, and I quietly applaud her for it.

Name (English)

Marilyn Van Derbur

Name (Japanese)

マリリン・ヴァン・ダーバー

Reading

まりりん・ゔぁん・だーばー

Born

June 6, 1937 (age 89)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Ox

Origin

Denver, Colorado, United States

Occupation

actor / model / motivational speaker / beauty pageant contestant / writer

University

University of Colorado Boulder

Awards & achievements

• 1996 Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC

Tags

• Colorado
• actor
• model
• motivational speaker

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.