From Hollywood sets to healing children’s lives, Yvonne Lime’s journey spanned fame, purpose and a legacy of deep compassion.
Yvonne Lime, the former teen screen star who later dedicated her life to protecting vulnerable children, has died peacefully at age 90.
Best known for her role opposite Michael Landon in I Was a Teenage Werewolf and her recurring appearances on Father Knows Best, Lime ultimately found her life’s calling far beyond the spotlight.
Born April 7, 1935, in Glendale, California, Lime came of age in Hollywood during the 1950s, quickly landing roles that made her a familiar face to moviegoers and TV audiences.
She appeared alongside Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn in The Rainmaker and became a regular presence on Father Knows Best, playing Dotty in more than a dozen episodes between 1956 and 1959.
Her film career peaked with a string of youth-driven movies that captured the era’s restless energy, including I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Dragstrip Riot, High School Hellcats and Speed Crazy.
She also had an uncredited role in Elvis Presley’s first starring film, Loving You. By the early 1960s, Lime transitioned almost entirely to television, guest-starring on beloved series such as The Andy Griffith Show, My Three Sons, Dragnet and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Yet Lime’s most enduring work began away from the camera. In 1959, she co-founded International Orphans Inc.—later renamed Childhelp—with Sara Buckner, whom she met while working on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.
What started as a small effort to help abused children grew into one of the world’s largest child abuse prevention and treatment organizations.
Childhelp announced Lime’s death, honoring her “generous spirit” and faith-driven compassion. For more than six decades, Lime remained deeply involved in the nonprofit’s mission, helping raise awareness, funds and hope for countless children and families.
In 2004, Lime and Buckner co-wrote Silence Broken, a book inspired by a child helped through their organization. The story later became the Lifetime movie For the Love of a Child, further amplifying their message of healing.
Lime married television producer Don Fedderson in 1969 and later ran Don Fedderson Productions. He died in 1994.
While her early fame introduced her to the world, Yvonne Lime will be remembered most for how she used that platform—to listen, to care and to protect children who needed a voice.
