Actors

All About ‘Bonanza’ Star – Pernell Roberts – Spouse, Death

Published

3 months ago

February 11, 2024

Pernell Roberts:
• American actor and singer who was best known for his roles in "Bonanza" and "Trapper John, M.D."
• Served two years in the United States Marine Corps Band
• Received Drama Desk Award in 1955 for his performance in off-Broadway play "Macbeth"
• Landed title role in medical drama series "Trapper John, M.D." in 1979
• Had estimated net worth of $10 million at time of death in 2010.

Pernell Roberts was an American actor and singer, who was best known for his role as Adam Cartwright on NBC’s hit Western television series, “Bonanza,” and for his title character role on CBS’ medical drama series, “Trapper John, M.D.” He died in 2010 at age 81.

Contents

1 Early life and family
2 Educational Background
3 Career
- 3.1 First steps
- 3.2 Further success
4 Personal life
5 Interesting facts and rumors
6 Appearance
7 Net Worth

Early life and family

Pernell Elven Roberts Jr. was born on 18 May 1928, in Waycross, Georgia, USA to Pernell Elven Roberts Sr. (1907-1980) and Minnie “Betty” Myrtle Morgan Roberts (1910-1988). His father was a Dr. Pepper salesman while his mother’s occupation, if any, was not revealed. There is no other information available regarding his parents and childhood years.

Educational Background

He matriculated from Waycross High School, and he actively participated in school and church plays during this time. He was cast in tragedies such as William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and Sophocles’ “Antigone.”

He also sang at events such as the local United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) shows, which is a nonprofit and charitable corporation providing live entertainment for the United States Armed Forces members and families. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology but did not graduate. In 1946, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served for two years wherein he played the horn and tuba in the Marine Corps Band. He attended the University of Maryland but still wasn’t able to graduate because he left for work to perform in summer stock theatre.

Career

First steps

Roberts worked as a forest ranger, railroad riveter, tombstone maker, and butcher to support himself as he pursued his career in theatre.

He made his debut as a professional stage actor in 1949 with the three‑act comedy by George S. Kaufman and Hart Moss, “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” at the Olney Theatre in Maryland. It was followed by various stage plays including Emlyn Williams’ psychological thriller, “Night Must Fall,” and Bernard Shaw’s most popular play, “Pygmalion.”

He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1950 and for two years, he performed with the Arena Stage, a non-profit regional theater company, and was cast in many of William Shakespeare’s plays such as the comedy, “The Taming of the Shrew,” romantic comedy, “Twelfth Night,” and tragedy, “Julius Caesar” as well as Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” He also performed with other productions after that.

Further success

In 1952, he moved to New York and performed in a variety of off-Broadway and Broadway plays, and most notable was his performance in the off-Broadway play, “Macbeth,” which won him the Drama Desk Award in 1955.

Pernell made his television debut in 1956 in NBC’s anthology drama television series, “Kraft Television Theater,” which also starred popular actors such as Paul Newman, Grace Kelly, and James Dean. He appeared in one of its episodes entitled, “Shadow of Suspicion.” He was cast for guest-starring roles in several western television series after that including ABCs “Cheyenne” and “Sugarfoot” as well as NBC’s “Cimarron City” and “Gunsmoke.”

In 1957, he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and made his film debut in 1958 in the American movie version of Eugene O’Neill’s 1929 play, “Desire Under the Elms.”

The movie, which starred Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, and Burl Ives, competed for the Palme d’Or award at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Pernell was cast in a small role that of Peter, one of the sons of Ephraim Cabot played by Burl Ives. That same year, he played the character role of a professional gunman named Chocktaw Neal in the western movie, “The Sheepman,” directed by George Marshall and starred Glenn Ford and Shirley MacLaine.

He accepted a lot of television work such as in the children’s anthology series, “Shirley Temple Storybook Theater,” and in NBC’s anthology series “Matinee Theater” and “General Electric Theater.”

“Bonanza”

He landed the role of Adam Cartwright in NBC’s American western television series, “Bonanza,” which was set in the 1860s during and after the American Civil War.

Pernell Roberts

It revolved around his wealthy family, the Cartwrights, who live at the 2,600-sq. km Ponderosa Ranch near the silver ore mines in Virginia City, Nevada. Pernell’s character was the eldest son of the widowed Ben Cartwright played by Lorne Greene, and he had two step-siblings, both from different mothers, namely Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon).

Departure from the show

The show was a huge hit and enjoyed high ratings, but it did not stop Pernell from quitting after 202 episodes in 1965 when his five-year contract ended. His decision came after having disagreements over the scripts and his character with the writers and producers. It was said that he became frustrated and dissatisfied with the way his character continued to defer to his father’s wishes despite being a man in his 30s.

He also reportedly said that he didn’t like the series and called it junk although he later denied making such a statement in an interview. However, he did ask the reporter during a 1963 interview ‘Isn’t it a bit silly for three adult males to have to ask father’s permission for everything they do?’ In the “Mike Douglas Show” in 1966, he said he wanted the storyline to be ‘a little more grown-up’ and have more social relevance. He also realized he was not suited to the ‘confining aspect’ of a series that limited his acting range as well. The “Bonanza” producer, David Dortort, said he regretted not having Pernell continue on the show even if only as a semi-regular. He further added that he was too hard on the actor, whom he described as outspoken and rebellious, and that he did not appreciate how much good of an actor he really was.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_jaK4EJT5h/

“Bonanza” was one of the first television series filmed and broadcast in color. It ran from 12 September 1959 to 16 January 1973 for 14 seasons with 431 episodes making it the longest-running western series at NBC and second in the U.S. The series was ranked 43^rd on “TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.” It received numerous nominations from various award-giving bodies such as the Primetime Emmy Award, which gave them the Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Color Consultant award in 1965 and Individual Achievements in Film Editing award in 1966.

After Bonanza

He went back to performing in stock summer theatre and regional theatres. He also toured with musicals such as “Camelot,” which was based on the legend of King Arthur, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I.”

He received good reviews in 1969 for his performance in “Mata Hari.” In 1972, he played the title role and was praised for his performance in the Broadway play, “Captain Brassbound’s Conversion,” by George Bernard Shaw, which also starred the Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ingrid Bergman. Also worth mentioning were his performances as Rhett Butler in the play, “Gone with the wind” and as Captain von Trapp in the musical, “The Sound of Music.” From time to time, he accepted guest-starring roles in television series and leading roles in television movies.

“Trapper John, M.D.”

It was in 1979 when he landed the title role in the medical drama television series, “Trapper John, M.D.” This CBS show was a spin-off of the black comedy war film, “MASH,” released in 1970.

The story revolved around Dr. “Trapper” John McIntyre, the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital, nearly three decades after he was discharged from the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) in the Korean War. It first aired on 23 September 1979 and ran for seven seasons with 151 episodes, and the last one was aired on 4 September 1986.

His last regular TV work was as the host of the ABC police anthology, “FBI: The Untold Stories,” in 1991. Roberts appeared in more than 60 films, TV movies, and television series.

Personal life

Pernell was married four times. His first wife was Vera Mowry, who was a professor of theatre history at Washington State University. He first met her when he joined the Arena Stage in 1950. She was one of its founding members and technical director at that time.

Pernell Roberts

According to Vera, Pernell had this purity that you couldn’t help but feel the truth in his acting. They were married in 1951 and had a son named Jonathan Christopher “Chris” Roberts, who was born in October of that year. In 1952, the family moved to New York where Pernell continued to pursue his career in theater as well as ventured into acting in television and film. Vera, on the other hand, taught acting classes at Hunter College, which is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York. The couple had a cordial divorce in 1959. There is not much information about his son except that he attended Franconia College in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. In 1989, Chris was killed in a motorcycle crash.

His second wife was Judith LeBreque whom he met at a bar in Hollywood.

He married her before a judge in Hollywood in 1962 on a lunch break during the shooting of “Bonanza.” It was said that he had to pick up Judith first then go to the judge. However, he had to run to the nearest gas station because his car ran out of gas along the way. Luckily, they made it in time and were able to marry. He then rushed back to his set to continue shooting. After nine years of marriage, they divorced in 1971.

Pernell’s third wife was Kara Knack, and they tied the knot in 1972 and divorced in 1996 after 24 years. Kara said they had a code they used when she was revealing too many of his secrets and he had to stop her, and that was PMB – “Protect My Balls.”

He married Eleanor Criswell before a judge in his breakfast room in 1997. Their paths first crossed while he was filming “Trapper John, M.D.” He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007 and died at age 81 on 24 January 2010, in his Malibu home with his wife by his side.

Remembering #PernellRoberts (RIP), "Adam Cartwright" on the western series #Bonanza and the title role on the medical drama #TrapperJohnMD, born this day in 1928. pic.twitter.com/24buIEUHM7

— Silver Age Television 📺 (@SilverAgeTV) May 18, 2020

Interesting facts and rumors

According to his family, Pernell joined the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama and walked alongside Martin Luther King.
Pernell recorded “Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies,” which was folk music and included in the album released by RCA Victor that was on the fourth disc of the “Bonanza” 4-CD boxed set; he sang more than a dozen songs in the album.
It was said that on the set of “Bonanza,” he protested the use of all-white crews and guest actors.
A Ponderosa theme park near Lake Tahoe used Pernell’s image on billboards without his permission so he filed a lawsuit in the 80s and won.
Eleanor said that Pernell never exercised his right to vote.
He loved trees and spent some time pruning them, even bringing red-handled clippers when he traveled.
Pernell learned Gullah, the language spoken by slaves of coastal Georgia and South Carolina. He bought the Gullah Bible and read a few pages to Eleanor in 2007.
At the celebration of Pernell Roberts’ life on 28 February 2010 in Santa Monica, California, those who gave eulogies were not just his wife and friends but also his ex-wives, Judith and Kara. Richard Stone, his lawyer of 50 years was the master of ceremonies.

Appearance

He was 6 ft. 2ins. (1.8m) and weighed 198lbs (89kg).

Net Worth

He had been working in theatre, films, and television for more than half his life for guest-starring roles as well as major roles such as in “Bonanza” and “Trapper John, M.D.” His income was not disclosed, but according to sources, his estimated net worth was $10 million.

Actors

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

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2024

Olivia Clarke

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.

Contents

1 Early Life and Education
2 Education
3 Career
- 3.1 First Steps
- 3.2 Further Success
4 Personal Life
5 Interesting Facts
6 Appearance
7 Net worth

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.”

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.

Kathleen Kinmont

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.

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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDBy06qlc0I/

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.

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 18^th 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.

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.

Actors

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

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Olivia Clarke

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.

Contents

1 Early Life
2 Career
3 Personal Life
4 Net Worth
5 Appearance
6 Interesting Facts

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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAYMLU5BmFE/

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.

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.

Danny Pintauro

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.

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.

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’.

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.

Actors

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

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2024

Daniel Wanburg

Contents

1 Who was Donna Douglas?
2 Education and early life
3 Roles in TV series
4 Roles in movies
5 Other credits
6 Awards and nominations
7 Career after acting
8 Love life and marriages
9 Interesting facts about Donna
10 Death, appearance and wealth

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.

Image source

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.