Domino Harvey was a British-born bounty hunter who became famous for her unconventional and adventurous life. She was the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey and model Paulene Stone, who had a high-profile affair while Laurence was still married to another woman. Domino grew up in a wealthy and glamorous environment, but she rebelled against her privileged background and pursued a career as a bounty hunter in the United States. She was known for her fearless and daring attitude, as well as her drug and alcohol addiction. She died of an accidental overdose in 2005, at the age of 35. Her life inspired the 2005 film Domino, starring Keira Knightley as Domino.
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Early Life and Career
Domino Harvey was born on August 7, 1969, in London, England. Her father, Laurence Harvey, was a famous actor who starred in films such as The Manchurian Candidate and Darling. Her mother, Paulene Stone, was a fashion model who worked for Vogue and other magazines. Domino was their only child together, but Laurence had two other children from his previous marriages. Laurence and Paulene married in 1972, after Laurence divorced his second wife, Joan Cohn. Laurence died of stomach cancer in 1973, when Domino was four years old.
Domino was raised by her mother in Belgravia, a posh area of London. She attended several boarding schools, but she was expelled from some of them for her rebellious behavior. She was a tomboy who enjoyed playing with action figures and fighting with other children. She also learned martial arts and became interested in firearms. She dropped out of school as a teenager and tried to follow her mother’s footsteps as a model. She claimed to have worked for the Ford Modeling Agency and attended the Lee Strasberg Institute, but these claims were never verified. She also worked as a DJ at several clubs in London and designed and sold T-shirts at Kensington Market.
At the age of 19, Domino moved to Southern California, where her mother had relocated after marrying Peter Morton, an American businessman and co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe chain. Domino initially worked as a DJ in Los Angeles, but she soon became bored with the club scene. She then worked on a ranch near San Diego and served as a volunteer firefighter in Boulevard, California. She also trained as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and took courses in fire science. In 1993, she applied to join the Los Angeles Fire Department, but she was rejected. She then enrolled in a short course to become a bail recovery agent, or bounty hunter.
Bounty Hunting
A bounty hunter is someone who tracks down fugitives who have skipped bail or violated their parole conditions. They work for bail bondsmen, who pay them a percentage of the bail amount if they capture the fugitive and return them to custody. Bounty hunting is legal in most states in the United States, but it is regulated by different laws and rules depending on the jurisdiction.
Domino completed her bounty hunter training course and began working with Ed Martinez, her instructor, at a bail bond agency in South Los Angeles run by Celes King III. She was one of the few women working as bounty hunters in the country, and she quickly gained a reputation for her courage and skill. She mostly hunted down drug dealers and thieves, but she also chased murderers and rapists. She often wore disguises and used aliases to infiltrate criminal networks and locate her targets. She also carried various weapons, such as guns, knives, pepper spray, handcuffs, and stun guns.
Domino enjoyed the thrill and danger of bounty hunting, as well as the sense of justice and freedom it gave her. She said that she felt more alive when she was hunting than when she was doing anything else. She also said that she did not care about money or fame; she only cared about catching bad guys. She claimed that she never killed anyone during her bounty hunting career, but she admitted that she had been shot at, stabbed, beaten up, and arrested several times.
Drug Addiction and Legal Troubles
Despite her success as a bounty hunter, Domino struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout her life. She started using drugs when she was 16 years old, experimenting with cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, LSD, and other substances. She also drank heavily and smoked cigarettes. She said that she used drugs to cope with the stress and trauma of her job, as well as the pain of losing her father at a young age.
Domino’s drug habit eventually led to serious legal problems for her. In 2003, she was arrested for possession of methamphetamine after police raided her home in West Hollywood. She pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to probation and drug counseling. In 2004, she was arrested again, along with Martinez and another bounty hunter, for their involvement in a drug trafficking ring. They were accused of stealing more than 700 pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine from a drug cartel and selling it to undercover agents. They were charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Domino pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on $1.3 million bail. She was placed under house arrest and had to wear an electronic ankle monitor. She was also required to have round-the-clock supervision by “sober guardians”, who were hired by her mother to keep her away from drugs and alcohol. She was awaiting trial when she died in 2005.
Death and Legacy
On June 27, 2005, Domino was found unresponsive in the bathtub of her home by one of her sober guardians. She was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. She was 35 years old. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled her death as an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is often used as a painkiller or mixed with other drugs. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and can cause respiratory failure and death in small doses.
Domino’s death shocked and saddened her family, friends, and colleagues. They remembered her as a brave, generous, and loyal person who had a zest for life and a sense of humor. They also acknowledged her flaws and struggles, but said that she was trying to overcome them. They said that she was misunderstood by the media and the public, who often portrayed her as a spoiled rich girl who turned to crime and drugs for fun.
Domino’s life inspired the film Domino, which was released in October 2005, four months after her death. The film was directed by Tony Scott, who had befriended Domino in 1994 and bought the rights to make a movie about her life. The film starred Keira Knightley as Domino, Mickey Rourke as Martinez, Edgar Ramirez as another bounty hunter, and Jacqueline Bisset as Paulene Stone. The film was loosely based on Domino’s life and career, and it featured many fictional elements and exaggerations. The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, who praised Knightley’s performance but criticized the film’s style, tone, and accuracy.
Domino Harvey remains one of the most famous and controversial bounty hunters in history. She was a woman who defied conventions and expectations, who lived on the edge and chased her own dreams. She was also a woman who suffered from addiction and depression, who faced legal troubles and personal tragedies. She was a complex and contradictory figure, who left behind a legacy of adventure and mystery.
