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Anton Lesser (The Crown) – Wife, Net Worth, Height. Jewish?

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• Anton Lesser is an English actor known for roles in "Game of Thrones" and "The Crown"
• He is Jewish and studied at the University of Liverpool and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
• His notable roles in theatre plays include in "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "The Plantagenets", and "Julius Caesar"
• He has appeared in over 130 movies and TV series, with notable roles in "Vanity Fair", "Endeavour", "The Man Who Crossed Hitler", and "Allied"
• He is married with two children, enjoys collecting vintage cars, reading, travelling, and his favorite TV series is "The Simpsons".

Who is Anton Lesser (The Crown)?

Anton Lesser was born in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, on 14 February 1952 – his zodiac sign is Aquarius and he holds British nationality. He is an actor who is probably best known for his portrayal of Qyburn in the action adventure drama series “Game of Thrones” which aired from 2011 to 2019, and starred Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage and Kit Harington. The story is closely based on two books written by George R. R. Martin, and follows nine noble families who are fighting to control Westeros – the series won 375 awards including one Golden Globe, and was nominated for 607 others.

Anton is also known for his portrayal of Harold MacMillan in the historical drama series “The Crown”, which has been airing since 2016 and is about Queen Elizabeth II and her reign – it is a huge hit and has won 63 awards including three Golden Globes, while it has been nominated for 161 others.

Is he Jewish?

Anton played a Jewish character in a Charles Dickens’ play in 2017, and then stated in an interview that he is Jewish in real life as well.

Childhood and education

Anton was raised as an only child in Birmingham by his father who was an architect, and his mother who was a housewife. Urged by his father, Anton focused on his education, and studied at Moseley Grammar School at which he preferred to read books and watch movies rather than to play sports with his peers. He matriculated in 1970, and then enrolled at the University of Liverpool from which he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1974. It was during his second year there that he became interested in acting, and so in 1975 Anton enrolled at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), and graduated with a Master’s degree in theatre in 1977, and also received a Bancroft Gold Medal as the most promising actor of his year.

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Roles in theatre plays

Anton is best known for his roles in Shakespearean plays – his first performance in a theatre was in 1980 in “Romeo and Juliet”, starring as Romeo, and two years later he played the titular character in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, performed at Donmar Warehouse in London.

He went on to star in the Shakespeare’s tragedy “Troilus and Cressida” in 1985, and was then cast as Richard III in “The Plantagenets”, which follows the House of Plantagenet that ruled England between 1154 and 1485. Anton also portrayed the lead character, Henry Billingbrook in another Shakespeare play “Richard II”, and a few of his following roles on stage were in “The Taming of the Shrew” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” both in 1992, and “Art” in 1997.

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The year 1999 saw him play Elyot in the comedy “Private Lives”, and later appear as Iachimo in “Cymbeline” – amongst his most notable performances is his portrayal of Marcus Brutus in the tragedy “Julius Caesar”.

Three of Anton’s most recent roles in stage plays have been in “The Winter’s Tale” in 2006, “The Vertical Hour” in 2008, and “A Doll’s House” in 2009.

Roles in TV series

Anton has been credited with appearing in roughly 130 movies and TV series, and we are about to mention some of his most notable performances in this article.

He made his debut TV series appearance in 1979, when he portrayed Philip Wakem in two episodes of the drama “The Mill on the Floss” based on the eponymous novel written by George Eliot.

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In the same year he guest starred as Orestes in three episodes of the drama “Oresteia”, and subsequently appeared in a few episodes of many series, such as the courtroom drama “Crown Court” in 1982, the biographical series “Freud” in 1984 and the drama “Anna of the Five Towns” in 1985. He made a cameo appearance as The Robber in the episode “Monsignor Quixote” of the anthology series “Great Performances” in 1987 and was then invited to play Stanley Spencer in the drama “Screen Two”.

The year 1994 heard him voice Leontes in the episode “The Winter’s Tale” of the animated series “Shakespeare: The Animated Tales”, and in 1996 Anton voiced Joseph in the same-titled episode of the British-Russian animated series “Testament: The Bible in Animation”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Qx10IuKLs

He gained recognition in 1998 when invited to portray Mr. Pitt Crawley, one of the lead characters in the romantic mini-series “Vanity Fair”, starring Natasha Little, Frances Grey and Philip Glenister, and which is an adaption of William Makepeace Thackeray’s story about Becky Sharp.

A few of Anton’s following roles were in single episodes of both the drama “The Scarlet Pimpernel” in 2000 and the crime drama “Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes” in 2001, while the year 2002 saw him appear in three episodes of the docudrama “Dickens”, and two episodes of the police procedural crime drama “Waking the Dead”.

His next notable performance was in 2008, when he starred as Mr. Merdie in seven episodes of the mini-series “Little Dorrit”, starring Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen, and which follows Amy Dorrit as she is earning money to support her family.

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In 2013, Anton began portraying the lead character Chief Superintendent Bright in the detective drama “Endeavour”, while the following year saw him appear in the episode “The Mysteries of the Rosary” of the period drama “Father Brown”, and the episode “The Homecoming” of the period action drama “The Musketeers”.

Three of Anton’s most recent roles in TV series have been in the drama “Dickensian” in 2015, the historical web drama “The Crown” in 2017, and the drama “The Trial of Christine Keeler” in 2019.

Roles in movies

Anton made his debut film appearance in 1981, when cast to play Trofimov in the drama movie “The Cherry Orchard” while the same year also saw him play the lead character in the film adaption of the Shakespeare’s tragedy “Troilus & Cressida”.

In 1983 he staredr as Edgar in the movie “King Lear” based on Shakespeare’s eponymous play, and a few of his following roles in films were in the drama “Good and Bad at Games” in 1983, the American drama “Sakharov” in 1984 and the drama “The Assam Garden” in 1985. The year 1989 saw him play Karl, one of the lead characters in the biographical war drama “Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story”, which also starred Ben Kingsley, Renee Soutendijk and Craig T. Nelson, and is about Simon Wiesenthal who was a renowned Nazi hunter.

His following notable performance was in the romantic drama “Lorna Doone” as Counsellor Doone in 2000, and the following year saw him play two characters in the drama “Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story”. In 2002, Anton played Sir Gawain in the historical drama “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, based on the Middle English romance written in the late 14th century.

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In 2004, Anton appeared as Charles in the drama “Dirty Filthy Love” and he went on to play George in another drama “The Girl in the Café” in 2005. The year 2008 saw him portray Fritz Haber in the film “Einstein and Eddington”, and three years later, Anton guest starred in the historical movie “The Man Who Crossed Hitler”.

Three of his most recent roles in movies have been in the war thriller “Allied” in which he played Emanuel Lombard in 2016, the romantic war movie “The Exception” in which he portrayed General Falkenberg in 2016 as well and the romantic war drama “Disobedience” as Rav Kruschka in 2017.

Anton has recently been cast to appear in three movies: he will play Sid in the thriller drama “Gatecrash”, Dr. Richards in the horror mystery drama “Kindred”, and The Narrator in the short comedy “Seasonal Contract”.

Love life and wife

Anton exchanged wedding vows with his other half, Madeleine Lesser in his early 30s – the two have kept the exact date of their wedding a secret. According to the rumors circulating the internet, the two had known each other for over 10 years before marrying. Madeleine gave birth to their son Harry several months after the wedding, and their daughter Lily followed two years later – Lily has also become an actress, and appeared alongside Anton in two series, “Endeavour” and “Wolf Hall”.

Anton hasn’t talked about any other women he might have been with before Madeleine, and many people believe that she is his first love – as of September 2020, he is married and has two children.

Hobbies and other interests

Anton likes to read books in his spare time – reputedly over 500 – while his favorites are those based on true historical events such as “The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great” by Eva Stachniak, and “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank.

He is keen on collecting old timer cars, and has over 20 in his private collection.

One of Anton’s main hobbies is travelling and he has been all around Europe, and to many US states to shoot for movies and TV series – his dream travel destination is Miami in Florida.

Some of Anton’s favorite actors of today are Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Tom Hanks, and a few of his favorite movies are the trilogy “The Godfather”, “Pulp Fiction” and “Saving Private Ryan”. He also likes to watch animated comedy series – his favorite is “The Simpsons”.

New worth and height

Anton’s age is 68. He has short brown hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 5ins (1.66m) and he weighs around 130lbs (59kgs).

As of September 2020, his net worth has been estimated at over $10 million.

Started with TheLegit.org in April 2023. Previously, Executive Editor at Echoes Media. Holds a Journalism degree from New York University.

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Actors

Naked Truth Of Kathleen Kinmont – Where is she today? Wiki

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Kathleen Kinmont is an American actress and author, who became known through her roles in action and horror movies, as well as her work on the popular television series in the 1990’s, “The Renegade,” with her former husband, actor Lorenzo Lamas.

Early Life and Education

Kathleen Kinmont was born on 3 February 1965, in Los Angeles, California, USA, to parents Jack Smith, an electrical parts distributor, and Abby Dalton, an actress. She and her two brothers were raised in Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley, just 12 miles away from downtown Los Angeles.

Education

There is little information about her early years including her educational attainment, except that she matriculated from Our Lady of Corvallis High School, a Catholic school in Studio City, California in 1982.

Career

First Steps

In 1965, Kathleen debuted in the world of television when she was still a baby, along with her older brother, in the last season of “The Joey Bishop Show,” in which her mom was a series regular. By the time she finished high school, she had a brief modeling career and decided to pursue an acting career just like her mother. She debuted with a minor role in the movie called “Hardbodies,” a sex comedy released in 1984. One would think she would have it easy due to her mother’s connections, but she struggled through a few years, accepting minor roles. She even took part in movies that sometimes wouldn’t be released in theaters, but direct to video, such as “Nightforce” and “Winner Take All.”

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Her hard work paid off in 1988, when she was given a major role in “She-Wolves of the Wasteland,” also known as “Phoenix the Warrior.” She played the titular role of Phoenix with Peggy McIntaggart and Persis Khambatta, in which they battle for the last man on Earth during the post-apocalyptic era. It was followed in the same year by the horror movie “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers,” which was a commercial success.

Further Success

The following year she did an action movie, “Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster,” with Lorenzo Lamas, and the comedy-horror movie “Bride of Re-Animator,” and continued to make movies mostly in the action and horror-slasher genres.

A couple of them were with her husband Lorenzo Lamas, including “CIA Code Name: Alexa” and its sequel “CIA II: Target Alexa,” which were released in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

Their working relationship was successful, so that Lorenzo made her a regular in his television series “The Renegade,” which aired from September of 1992 up to April of 1997. She played the role of Cheyenne Phillips, who was part of the bounty hunter crew headed by Lorenzo’s character. While the series ran for five seasons, Kathleen was only part of the series until the fourth season – the official reason was that due to the separation of the couple, working together grew uncomfortable, not only for them but to the rest of the production crew as well.

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Kathleen also made numerous guest appearances, playing supporting roles in several TV series including favorite daytime series “Dallas” (1991), “Santa Barbara” (1992), and “Days of Our Lives” (2002). She was also seen in the popular lifeguard drama series, “Baywatch,” in 1994, and had the recurring role as Charlene Ballard in “Silk Stalkings” from 1997 to 1999. She was also part of Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, “That Thing You Do,” in 1996.

In the 2000’s, she was into making movies made for television, and also short movies; nothing significant that would make headlines, but her work as supporting cast was continuous.

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She also tried her hand in screenwriting for TV and movies, including for the short movie “Mrs. Sweeney,” and for the TV movie “BFF Ent Variety Comedy,” which she also co-produced, both released in 2013. Kathleen also wrote, co-produced and directed the pilot episode for “Fame Game” in 2014.

When web series became a new medium for entertainment, she accepted a recurring role in “Zoe Valentine” with Anna Cathcart, appearing in four episodes in 2019. She was also seen as a series regular in the TV series “Phoenix,” a sci-fi thriller aired in 2019 over at Amazon Prime Video.

This 2020, before the Covid19 pandemic happened, she was announced to be a part of the movie “The Whack Job,” with Richard Norton.

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Personal Life

Kathleen is currently single, living in Los Angeles with her daughter, Ayden Grace, and a dog named Bolt. She was previously married and divorced three times.

First Husband – Lorenzo Lamas

Her first husband was actor Lorenzo Lamas, whom she met through her mother when she was still a senior in high school. Abby was filming Falcon Crest with Lorenzo when he saw a picture of Kathleen in a swimsuit, and begged for an introduction. He was 25 and just divorced when they started to date. It didn’t work out as Lorenzo was a flirtatious ladies man who made a pass on one of her girlfriends during Kathleen’s 18th birthday, and during one Falcon Crest press tour Lorenzo had his publicist pregnant, whom he married before the birth of his son.

After a couple of years Lorenzo separated from his wife, and Kathleen started dating him again but he decided to reconcile with his estranged wife for his son’s sake, and Kathleen started dating other men. Lorenzo divorced his wife and tried winning Kathleen back, but she declined as she was engaged to another actor at that time. When they met again in 1987, he was engaged to another actress, but they made a vow that they wouldn’t marry anyone. Later that year, she broke off her engagement and reached out to Lorenzo, only to find out that he’d married his fiancée. After a while, he divorced his second wife and went back to Kathleen.

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This time he approached her parents and told them he couldn’t live without her, and on 25 January 1989, they were married at Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas with his children as best man and maid of honor. It was great for a time, but they filed for divorce after five years of marriage.

Second Husband – Jere Burns

In 1997 she married actor Jere Eugene Burns, who is best known for his villainous roles in the television series “Justified” and “Burn Notice.” The marriage lasted for about three years – they were divorced by 1999.

Third Husband – Doug Swander

She took the plunge again and married Doug Swander in 2006. There is no information about her third husband and about their marriage, but they divorced in 2011, since when she’s been officially single.

Interesting Facts

  • She wrote an illustrated book for children entitled “Magic and Beauty”, published on 4 November 2019 with April Ballantine providing the illustrations.
  • Among her three husbands, she remained close friends with Lorenzo Lamas and she would post about him on her Instagram account.
  • She has a penchant for getting engaged, as she’s said yes too many times to several marriage proposals from various men when she was younger, only to break them off after a few months. She claimed to be in love with love.
  • The real reason she was booted out from “The Renegade” was not solely because they were uncomfortable working as a former couple, but Kathleen said many bad things to the media about Lorenzo’s new girlfriend. Apparently, the new girl made a guest appearance in the TV series, and she didn’t like it.

Appearance

She stands 5ft 10ins. (1.78m) tall and weighs around 132lbs (60kgs). She maintains a fit body due to her love of Yoga and Meditation. She is Caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Net worth

Authoritative sources estimated Kathleen’s net worth to be over $3 million, as of June 2020.

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Actors

Danny Pintauro’s (Who’s the Boss?) Net Worth, Gay Wedding

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Danny Pintauro is an American actor born on 6 January 1976, in Milltown, New Jersey USA. He’s best known for this role in the 1984 TV series “Who’s The Boss”, and in the film “Cujo” from 1982.

Early Life

Daniel John Pintauro was born the son of John J. Pintauro, a manager of Italian and Polish origins, and Margaret L. Pintauro, who worked as an agent. There’s not much information about Danny’s early life, childhood and education, however, it’s known that in 1994 he took time away from his acting career to study in Middlesex County College in New Jersey, and then in Stanford University, from where he graduated with a Major in Drama and Theater in 1998. He also played in Leland Stanford University Marching Band, with the trumpet as his instrument.

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Career

Debut: 1982 – 1983

Danny started his career at the very young age of seven years old, when in 1982 he made his acting debut in the series “As the World Turns”, replacing actor Canaan Crouch in the role of Paul Ryan. He started this role on January 1983, and was eventually replaced by Elden Ratliff in February 1984.

His next role was Tad Trenton in the 1982 film “Cujo”, directed by Lewis Teague, an adaptation of the screenplay by Don Carlos Dunaway and Lauren Currier based on the novel by Stephen King of the same name.

“Cujo” is the story of a St. Bernard dog named Cujo. The dog struggles with the rabies disease caused by the bite of a bat, which provokes several changes in its behavior.

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After its owners get out of town to visit some relatives, Cujo becomes a blood-thirsty beast that kills everyone who comes close to the house. On the other side, Donna and her son Ted, who happened to arrive to Cujo’s owners’ house for a brief visit, are stuck in their car as they wait for an opportunity to escape Cujo.

The movie was released on 12 August 1983, and received poor reviews by critics, who described “Cujo” as ‘cliché’ and ‘a mess’. However, nowadays the movie is regarded as a horror movie classic, and has gathered appreciation from fans of Stephen King’s novel.

Who’s the Boss and Other Projects: 1984 – 1992

In 1984 Danny Pintauro started his most memorable role in the series “Who’s the Boss?” His role as Jonathan Bower would steal hearts around the US for the eight years the sitcom was on air on ABC, which lasted 196 episodes.

The show centers on the story of a former major league baseball player, Tony Micelli, and lawyer Angela Bower. Tony moves out to Connecticut along his daughter, Samantha to work as Angela’s housekeeper, who has a son named Jonathan. The show breaks gender stereotypes about domesticity, and portrays intellectual and sensitive characters.

When the show was aired for the first time in September 1984 Danny Pintauro was only eight years old, and when it finished after eight seasons in April 1992 he was 16 years old.

During that time Danny worked in several other productions, such as the film “The Beniker Gang” in 1984 and in the TV-Movie “Timestalkers” from 1987.

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The same year he was cast to appear in two episodes of the series “Highway to Hell” as Alex, then appeared as Kevin Worth in the TV-Movie “Jury Duty: The Comedy” in 1990. He also appeared in TV commercials for Liptons, Quacker Corn Brain and Lots-A-Noodles Cup-A-Soup. His constant work as an actor made him a present and memorable child-star in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Smaller Projects: 1992 – Present

After the end of “Who’s the Boss?” Danny didn’t receive many job offers as an actor, so he only participated in stage plays such as “The Velocity of Gary” and “Mommie Queerest”. In 1994 he took a break from acting to focus on his studies, and it wasn’t until 2001 that he made his TV comeback.

He appeared in the child-star edition of the TV-Show “The Weakest Link”, but was voted off it in the fourth round.

Five years later in 2006, he appeared in the film “The Still Life” directed by Joel Miller, a story about Julian Lamont, an artist who struggles to put his life together. Danny had the role of Stefan in this film.

In 2010, Danny participated in two TV series: “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”, and as Milton in “Laugh Track Mash-ups”. In 2017, Danny was cast in the role of Gary in the TV series “Unsure/Positive”, which tells the story of Kieran McCullay, who is diagnosed as HIV positive and tries to find the courage to tell his family and friends about it. Although the show started filming in 2017, it hasn’t been to air yet. In 2020 Danny appeared in “The Quarantine Bunch”, in which various former child-stars encourage people to stay home during the COVID-19 spread, by streaming various situations through Zoom.

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Other Jobs

As of 2020, Danny works in Las Vegas at Austin Pets Alive, an organization aiming to preserve animal life.

Personal Life

Sexuality

Danny Pintauro came out as homosexual in 1997, after the tabloid “National Enquirer” threatened to reveal it for him. He said: ‘I couldn’t deny it anymore. It was just the right time (post-Ellen) to come out… I’m proud to be gay’. Years later, Danny also said that he wanted to be a ‘beacon of light’ for the LGBT community.

Health

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2015, Danny reveled that he was diagnosed in March 2003 as HIV Positive. ‘I’m HIV positive’ he said to Winfrey. ‘And I have been for 12 years.’ ‘I went in for a regular checkup.

You know, as a responsible gay man, you’re getting an HIV test done every six months …. And you sort of waited two weeks on pins and needles, or at least I did, because I was just terrified of the idea of getting HIV.’

However, his diagnosis was relieving for Pintauro: ‘You’ve spent so much time terrified that you’re going to get it, and then you have it. You don’t have to be terrified anymore’.

Addiction

Danny also revealed to Oprah that at the time he got HIV, he was struggling with his addiction to Crystal meth. He revealed to People magazine that he started using drugs to explore his sexuality more deeply: ‘crystal meth takes away your inhibitions – you have no limits’. He continued ‘On crystal meth, you have no boundaries, you feel invincible. You feel incredibly heightened when it comes to your sexuality, and everything sounds and feels exciting to you’.

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He also revealed how his addiction was consuming his life: ‘It would make me so angry with myself that I had done it, and that I was now suffering through this three-day period of nonsense that I couldn’t even go to work or find a job or make something happen or even make myself some food. For me, that was so deeply upsetting, and it made me so angry that that was enough’.

Danny hasn’t consumed any drugs since quitting in 2005.

Marriage

Danny Pintauro married his boyfriend Wil Tabares on 3 April 2014, one year after their engagement, in a small and intimate beach ceremony. Pintauro told US Magazine: ‘The wedding was terrific and everyone was so happy to be there. We had fun!’.

Net Worth

Danny Pintauro has an estimated net worth of $600,000 as of early 2020, which is a result of his work as an actor, and as an Austin Pets Alive’s employee.

Appearance

Danny is a man of white ethnicity, with green eyes and blond hair. He’s 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall.

Interesting Facts

Danny Considers actress Judith Light as his ‘TV mom’, as she acted that role in the TV series “Who’s the Boss?”.

In 1997 after the National Enquirer threatened to reveal his sexuality, Danny asked Judith for advice on what he should do in such a situation. She encouraged him to say the truth: ‘as long as you give really responsible and mature answers, it can’t be a bad article’.

After Danny reveled himself as HIV positive, he has become an activist for HIV awareness.

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About Donna Douglas: Cause of Death, Spouses, Net Worth, Wiki

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Who was Donna Douglas?

The late American actress and singer Donna Douglas was born as Doris Ione Smith in Pride, Louisiana USA, on 26 September 1932, meaning that Libra was her zodiac sign. She appeared in 43 TV series and movies, and is perhaps still remembered best for starring as Elly May Clampett in all the 274 episodes of the family comedy series “The Beverly Hillbillies”, which Paul Henning created, and which also starred Buddy Ebsen and Irene Ryan. It follows a hillbilly family who’ve just become wealthy and have moved to Beverly Hills; the series aired from 1962 through 1971, and won three of its 21 award nominations.

Education and early life

Donna was raised in Pride alongside her one older sibling, by their mother Elma (nee Robinson) who was a housewife, and father Emmett Ratcliff Smith Sr. who worked at Standard Oil.

Donna became interested in acting while attending St. Gerard Catholic High School, while she was also into playing basketball and softball with her peers. She matriculated in 1951, and then found work to financially support herself, while she was named Miss Baton Rouge sometime in the mid-1950s, and Miss New Orleans in 1957, and then moved to New York City to pursue a career in the movie industry.

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Roles in TV series

Donna made her debut TV series appearance in the 1959 comedy “The Steve Allen Plymouth Show”, and the same year saw her play Nancy in the episode “The Casino” of the crime drama “Tightrope”; she could then have been seen appearing in an episode of the family comedy “Bachelor Father”, the adventure “Whirlybirds” and the critically acclaimed family comedy “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”.

She was mostly focused on shooting for “The Beverly Hillbillies” in the ‘60s, and only appeared in a couple of other TV series in the decade, such as the drama “Sam Benedict”, the crime drama “The Defenders” and the family fantasy comedy “Mister Ed”.

From 1970 through 1972, Donna played Annabelle and Gloria Gilchrest in the romantic comedy “Love, American Style”, which starred William Callaway, Barbara Minkus and Stuart Margolin, and is a collection of short love stories; the series won four of its nine award nominations. Donna also remains known for playing Mrs Ferrell in the science fiction “Project U. F. O.”, created by Harold Jack Bloom, and which starred Caskey Swaim and Edward Winter; it follows two men employed by the US government as they’re investigating UFO sightings.

Donna retired from acting in 1981, but returned to voice Ellie Mae in the 1989 episode “Mario Hillbillies” of the animated action adventure “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!”, and to play a supporting character in the 1999 episode “California, Here We Come” of the romantic family comedy “The Nanny”.

Roles in movies

Donna’s debut film role was playing Woman on Sidewalk in the critically acclaimed 1959 action adventure mystery “North by Northwest”, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and which starred Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. It follows an advertising executive who’s trying to hide from a group of foreign spies, as they believe him to be a government agent; the film won nine of its 22 award nominations, including three Oscar nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction – Set Direction, Color and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen.

Some of Donna’s following roles were in the drama “Career” and the family musical comedy “Li’l Abner” both in 1959, and the 1960 romantic musical comedy “Bells Are Ringing”.

In 1961, she portrayed Deborah, Peter’s Secretary in the romantic comedy “Lover Come Back”, directed by Delbert Mann, and which starred Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall. It follows a man who’s been left with a campaign for a product which is yet to be invented, and the film won two of its eight award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen.

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Donna had only two other film roles prior to retiring, playing Frankie in the 1966 romantic musical comedy “Frankie and Johnny” and Elly May Clampett in the 1981 comedy “The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies”, while she was later featured in the 2008 short family drama “Chronicles of Life Starfish” and the 2013 family drama “Chronicles of Life Trials”.

Other credits

Donna sang the song “Look Out Broadway” in the 1966 movie “Frankie and Johnny”, and the song “Real Love” in the 1999 video game “Grand Theft Auto 2”.

Some of her talk-show appearances were in “TV Land’s Top Ten”, “Biography” and “The Jim Bakker Show”.

Awards and nominations

Donna was named Miss Golden Globe in 1963, and won a 2004 TV Land Award for Favorite ‘Fish Out of Water’, for her and her colleagues performance in “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

Career after acting

Donna became a real estate agent upon retiring from acting, but only worked the job for two years as she then returned to the film industry, appearing in several TV series and movies, and helping friends with writing and producing their projects.

She became a motivational speaker, giving speeches at schools and churches across the USA, and was also a gospel singer. Donna published her first children’s book “Donna’s Critters and Kids: Children’s Stories with a Bible Touch” sometime in the 2000s, and it was followed by her second “Miss Donna’s Mulberry Acres Farm” in November 2011; she published her cookbook “Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood” in 2013.

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Love life and marriages

Donna was married twice. She and her first husband, non-celebrity American Roland Bourgeois Jr. exchanged vows in 1951, and Donna gave birth to their son Danny Bourgeois in 1954; she and Roland divorced in the same year, for unknown reasons.

Her second husband was the late American film editor and director Robert M. Leeds; they married in 1971 and divorced in 1980.

Donna didn’t speak about other men whom she had perhaps been with, she was single at the time of her death, had married twice and had a son with her first husband Roland Bourgeois Jr.

Interesting facts about Donna

She enrolled at Rhema Bible Training Center in 1982, graduating with a degree in children’s ministry in 1984.

Her closest friend was the late American actor and dancer Buddy Ebsen (born as Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr), who passed away aged 95 on 6 July 2003.

Donna and Curt Wilson filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company and some of its employees on 10 June 1993, claiming that their 1992 comedy movie “Sister Act” was plagiarized from the book “A Nun in the Closet”; The Walt Disney Company won the case. She also filed a federal lawsuit against CBS Consumer Products and Mattel on 4 May 2011, claiming that they used her appearance for a Barbie doll; the case was settled on 27 December 2011.

Donna spent the last years of her life answering her fan mail, being with her friends and family members, and gardening.

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Death, appearance and wealth

Donna was 82 when she died from pancreatic cancer on 1 January 2015, at Baton Rouge General Hospital, and so would’ve been 90 today. She had blue eyes and blonde hair, was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall and weighed around 150lbs (67kgs).

Donna’s net worth was estimated at over $500,000 at the time of her death.

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