Donna Douglas grew up as a tomboy in Lousiana, but she quickly blossomed into a beautiful Southern belle and moved to New York City to pursue an acting career. She started out as a model for toothpaste commercials, but it wasn’t long before her good looks began to get her roles on variety shows like The Steve Allen Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. However, Donna’s talent really began to shine when she landed the role of Elly May Clampett in CBS’s The Beverly Hillbillies. Throughout her career, the actress also appeared in films like Frankie and Johnny, Lover Come Back and Career and TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Surfside 6. Sadly, Donna passed away in early 2015, but loyal fans will always remember her as Elly May!
Linda Gray spent many of her teenage years acting in school plays, and she had her first brush with fame as Mrs. Robinson’s body double in the 1967 film The Graduate. She went on to play the beautiful, adulterous Sue Ellen on Dallas, a role the actress described as ‘the original Desperate Housewife’. She’s appeared in a number of TV series since, including Models Inc. and 90210, but Gray’s real passion is the theater. She loved putting on neighborhood plays as a child, and she’s appeared in a huge number of theater productions since Dallas came to an end. Funnily enough, she’s even played the real Mrs. Robinson in several theater productions, including one on Broadway! Most recently, she played the role of the Fairy Godmother in the London production of Cinderella.
Born and raised in France, Jeanne Moreau made her debut as an actress in 1947. She originally performed on stage, specializing in French comedy, and she quickly established herself as a leading lady in the world of the theater. Jeanne transitioned to films in 1949, starting with small roles in French films like Meurtres? and Touchez Pas au Grisbi. She reached new levels of prominence in 1958, when she starred in a French crime film called Elevator to the Gallows. Though she was most well known in the 1960’s, Jeanne appeared on-screen as recently as in 2012. She’s been called the best French actress of her time, but her talent isn’t limited to the stage! She wrote and directed a film called Lumiere in 1976, was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from University of Lancaster, and sung in Carnegie Hall with Frank Sinatra!
An English actress known for her talent on film as well in the theater, Sarah Miles was active all throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. She began her acting career when she was only 15, which is an astonishing feat when you consider that she was unable to speak properly until the age of 9 because of a severe stutter! Throughout her career, Sarah has been nominated for a number of awards including 4 BAFTAs, 2 Golden Globes, and an Academy Award. Some of the actress’s more prominent films include The Servant, Blowup, Ryan’s Daughter, and The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing. Her last big role was in the 1987 film Hope and Glory, which earned her one of her 4 BAFTA nominations. Sarah has now been retired from acting for more than a decade, and these days she’s rarely seen in the public eye.
Dawn Elberta Wells is an American actress who is best known for her role as the alluring, innocent Mary Ann Summers on the CBS sitcom Gilligan’s Island. She appeared on a number of other television shows as well, including Surfside 6, The Wild Wild West, and Roseanne. Dawn experimented with horror films as well, most notably starring in The Town That Dreaded Sundown, the film that inspired the horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Currently in her late 70s. Dawn still contributes to the acting community by mentoring young actors, running an acting camp that she founded in Idaho, and traveling all over the States to teach acting classes. Of course, she hasn’t given up on the work she loves so much either, and her most recent on-screen appearance was in the CBS show The Bold and the Beautiful.
