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About Peter Lawford: Wives, Children, Net Worth, Death Cause

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Who was Peter Lawford?

The late British-American actor Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford (ne Aylen) was born in London, England on 7 September 1923, meaning that Virgo was his zodiac sign. He appeared in 122 movies and TV series, and is probably still remembered best for playing Lord Lovat in the 1962 historical action movie “The Longest Day”, which co-starred Robert Ryan and John Wayne, and was directed by Ken Annakin and Andrew Marton. It follows the events of D-Day, told from both the German and the Allied points of view, and the film won eight of its 14 award nominations, including two Oscar wins for Best Special Effects and Best Cinematography.

Peter was 61 when he died from cardiac arrest on 24 December 1984, having suffered from liver and kidney failure because of constant substance abuse. Peter’s remains were cremated and his ashes kept at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery until scattered into the Pacific Ocean in 1988.

Education and early life

Peter was raised by his wealthy parents May Somerville Aylen and Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford in France, but not many details have been disclosed about his mother and father.

He wasn’t formally educated, instead being taught by tutors and governesses at his home; one of his teachers revealed that Peter studied English, German and Spanish, mostly read fairy stories and wasn’t allowed to read stories about crime. The teacher also stated that Peter was unfit to study algebra, Latin and high mathematics, and that he was only fit for a career in the arts.

He was seven when he made his debut film appearance, playing Horace in the 1931 romantic musical comedy “Poor Old Bill”, and the same year saw him appear in the crime movie “A Gentleman of Paris”; Peter didn’t have any roles in the following seven years.

He was 14 when he went through a glass door, severely injuring his right arm; this made him unable to join the Army, and most of his family was dissatisfied with his decision to become an actor, with one of his wealthy aunts deciding not to leave him her vast fortune, which she had previously planned for him to inherit.

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Roles in movies

In 1938, Peter played Benny Potter in the crime drama “Lord Jeff”, and some of his following roles were in the 1938 musical comedy “Ziegfeld Follies”, the 1942 romantic war drama “Mrs Miniver” and the 1942 war drama “Eagle Squadron”.

The year 1942 saw him appear in several other movies, including the hit romantic drama “Random Harvest”, which starred Greer Garson and Ronald Colman, and was directed by Mervyn LeRoy. It follows a World War I veteran who’s fallen for a music hall star, and the film won three of its 11 award nominations, including seven Oscar nominations, some of which for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Susan Peters). A couple of Peter’s following roles were in the 1943 romantic war drama “Assignment in Brittany”, the 1944 romantic war drama “The White Cliff of Dover”, and the 1944 romantic drama “Mrs Parkington”.

The year 1947 saw him play the lead character Tommy Marlowe in the musical comedy “Good News”, which also starred Patricia Marshall and June Allyson, and was directed by Charles Walters. It follows a football star who’s fallen for his French tutor, and the movie was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song. Some of Peter’s roles in the remainder of the ‘40s were in the 1948 romantic comedy “Julia Misbehaves”, the 1949 romantic family drama “Little Women” and the 1949 romantic war drama “The Red Danube”.

In 1954, he starred as Evan Adams III in the romantic musical comedy “It Should Happen to You”, which also starred Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon, and was directed by George Cukor. It follows a woman who’s rented a billboard to advertise herself, and the movie was nominated for two awards, including an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White. Peter had only a couple of other film roles in the ‘50s, including in the 1959 war drama “Never So Few”, then in 1960 the musical crime comedy “Ocean’s Eleven” and the war action “Exodus”.

The year 1964 saw him portray Tony Collins in the crime thriller “Dead Ringer”, which starred Karl Malden and Bette Davis, and was directed by Paul Henreid. The film follows a woman who has murdered her wealthy twin sister, and is now impersonating her. Some of Peter’s roles in the remainder of the ‘60s were in the drama “Sylvia” and the biographical romantic drama “Harlow” both in 1965, and the 1969 romantic comedy “The April Fools”.

What marked the ‘70s for Peter was perhaps playing Lord Carter in the 1975 action adventure “Rosebud”, which starred Richard Attenborough and Peter O’Toole, and was directed by Otto Preminger; it follows the kidnapping of five teenage girls from a yacht.

Peter’s three final film roles were in the 1979 adventure “Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women”, the 1981 sports drama “Body and Soul”, and the 1984 comedy “Where Is Parsifal?”

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Roles in TV series

Peter didn’t have many TV series roles, spending his career focused on appearing in movies.

His debut TV series appearance was in the 1953 episode “Woman’s World” of the comedy “General Electric Theatre”, and in 1954 and 1955, he starred as Bill Hastings in the comedy “Dear Phoebe”, which also starred Marcia Henderson and Charles Lane, and follows Bill who’s working for a daily newspaper. Some of Peter’s following roles were in an episode of the drama “Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre”, the crime comedy “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and the romantic comedy “Screen Directors Playhouse”.

From 1957 through 1959, he starred as Nick Charles in all 72 episodes of the mystery comedy “The Thin Man”, which also starred Phyllis Kirk and follows the lives of amateur detectives Nora and Nick Charles; the series was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Phyllis Kirk).

The ‘60s saw Peter appear in an episode of a couple of series, including the crime adventure comedy “Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre”, the drama “Run for Your Life”, and the action adventure western “The Wild Wild West”.

From 1968 through 1971, he appeared in 10 episodes of the popular musical comedy “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, which starred Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, and which Digby Wolfe created. It’s a ‘rapid fire sketch comedy show’, and won 11 of its 45 award nominations.

Peter’s final three TV series roles were in the 1980 episode “Rip Taylor” of “The Comedy Shop”, the 1981 episode “The House That George Built” of the comedy “The Jeffersons”, and four episodes of the family adventure “Fantasy Island” from 1979 through 1982.

Other credits

Peter produced the 1965 family musical comedy movie “Billie”, the 1968 crime thriller comedy film “Salt and Pepper”, and the 1970 thriller comedy movie “One More Time”.

Some of his final talk-show and game-show appearances were in “Shoot for the Stars”, “Highcliffe Manor”, and “The $10,000 Pyramid”.

Awards and accolades

Peter was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 8 February 1960.

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Wives and children

Peter was married four times and had four children. His first wife was American socialite Patricia Helen Kennedy, who was a sister of assassinated US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The two married in 1954, and Patricia gave birth to their son Christopher Kennedy Lawford on 29 March 1955; he was an author and actor, and passed away aged 63 on 4 September 2018. Patricia then gave birth to their daughters Sydney Maleia Lawford in 1956, Victoria Francis Lawford in 1958 and Robin Elizabeth Lawford in 1961; she and Peter divorced in 1966.

His second wife was the late American actor Daniel Hale ‘Dan’ Rowan’s daughter Mary Rowan; they married in October 1971, separated in 1973, and divorced in January 1975.

Peter and his third wife, American actress Deborah Gould married in June 1976, after having known each other for only three weeks; they separated after two months and divorced in 1977.

From July 1984 until his death, he was married to his fourth wife Patricia Seaton.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Peter was once good friends with the late American singer and actor Frank Sinatra, and was a member of Sinatra’s group of entertainers ‘Rat Pack’; after Peter failed to secure John F. Kennedy’s visit to Sinatra’s home, the two’s friendship ended and he was banished from the so-called Rat Pack.

He became a US citizen in the first half of 1960, so that he could vote for John F. Kennedy.

It’s believed that Peter was involved in covering up the death of Marilyn Monroe, and wasn’t allowed to attend her funeral.

It’s believed that he dated numerous celebrities, including Judy Holliday, Lana Turner and Dorothy Dandridge.

Peter was a fan of game-shows, and often competed in “Password”; he was the champion of the ‘lightning round’ thrice, once answering correctly all five questions in 12 seconds.

The late American actress Maureen O’Hara revealed in her 2004 autobiography “Tis Herself” that Peter was arrested in a gay brothel while shooting for the 1952 movie “Kangaroo” in Australia.

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Appearance and wealth

Peter’s hair and eyes were brown, he was 5ft 11ins (1.82m) tall and weighed around 170lbs (78kgs).

His net worth, at the time of his passing was estimated at over $3 million.

As the Managing Editor at The Legit, I direct a dynamic team dedicated to creating rich content that profiles the lives and accomplishments of influential figures. My commitment to detail and storytelling drives the production of biographies that truly engage our audience. I manage all aspects of the editorial process, from conducting thorough research to crafting vivid narratives, all while ensuring the accuracy and quality of our work. At The Legit, our goal is to offer our readers comprehensive profiles that provide deep insights into the realms of business, entertainment, and more. Through diligent research and engaging storytelling, we highlight the exceptional journeys and achievements of those who both inspire and intrigue us.

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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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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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