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Real Name: Doris Smith
Born: September 26, 1939, in Pride, Louisiana.
Husbands: Roland Bourgeois, Robert Leeds


An honest to goodness Southern Belle (similar to her most famous role as "Elly May" on the Beverly Hillbillies, Donna Douglas grew up in Louisiana loving "critters." She got married soon after high school, she had a son, divorced and won a couple of beauty contests (Miss Baton Rouge, also Miss New Orleans), all within the span of a few years. She moved to New York, and soon was getting acting gigs on television shows including a guest shot on the Twilight Zone, in one of the more famous episodes "Eye of the Beholder" in which she plays a woman who tries to undergo a series of surgeries to make her beautiful, only for the operations to fail. The twist was she was beautiful (at least to the viewers) but considered hideous to the "pig people" of her planet. Soon after, she got the role of "Elly May" on one of the greatest situation comedies of all time, The Beverly Hillbillies.

 

Trivia

In 1965, she and Elvis began filming Frankie And Johnny, based on the story of the folk-song. In this case, Elvis abandons all pretense of rock n roll (well, ok, so he abandons it even more than usual!), and attempts to make a standard Hollywood musical in the old tradition, which makes for some wierd moments, like "Look Out Broadway", "Chesay" and "Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter". Although the different versions of the title song throughout the film are pretty interesting, and of course there's the unabashedly-chauvinistic "What Every Woman Lives For". Although Donna's a fine singer in her own right, for some reason her singing in the film was dubbed by Eileen Wilson. Elvis was an avid reader of books on philosophy and religion,and the two stars found that they had a common interest. Between takes, they would discuss Christianity and talk about the different books they had read She has recorded a few gospel albums. Donna is also on the board of the Country Legends Association, which promotes traditional country music. Donna has also written a couple of childrens' books, and occasionally makes herself available for personal appearances, but is otherwise pretty much retired from show business. Ever since Beverly Hillbillies, she's been pretty scarce on TV and in the movies.
Was a self-described "Tomboy" as a girl, and like her character "Elly May," she has a large love of animals.
Spent hours autographing photos and personally responding to fan mail -- even though she received far more than anyone else in the cast of "The Beverly Hillbillies."
Was Miss New Orleans, 1957

Filmography

• Return of the Beverly Hillbillies, The (1981) (TV) .... Elly May Clampett
• Frankie and Johnny (1966) .... Frankie
• The Beverly Hillbillies, (1962) TV Series .... Elly May Clampett (1962-1971)
• Lover Come Back (1961) .... Deborah, Peter's Secretary
• Career (1959) .... Marjorie Burke
• Li'l Abner (1959) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
• The Steve Allen Show,(1956) TV Series .... Billboard Girl
... aka "Steve Allen Plymouth Show, The" (1959) (USA: new title)
• The Perry Como Show, (1948) TV Series .... Letters Girl, 1957
... aka "Chesterfield Supper Club, The" (1948)
... aka "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall" (1959) (USA: new title)
• Beverly Hillbillies: The E! True Hollywood Story, The (2001) (TV)
• Legend of the Beverly Hillbillies, The (1993) (TV)

Notable TV Guest Appearances
• The Nanny, 93) playing "Herself" in episode: "California, Here We Come" (episode # 6.14) 31 March 1999
• Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, (1989) playing "Ellie Mae" in episode: "Mario Hillbillies" (episode # 1.23) 4 October 1989
• Our Time(1985) playing "Herself" (episode # 1.3) 10 August 1985
• "Project U.F.O.(1978) playing "Mrs. Ferrell" in episode: "The Sighting 4026: Atlantic Queen Incident" (episode # 1.26) 5 July 1979
• Project U.F.O." (1978) playing "Wendy" in episode: "The Sighting 4006: Nevada Desert Incident" (episode # 1.6) 2 April 1978
• McMillan and Wife(1971) playing "Betty Jane Morris" in episode: "The Man Without a Face" (episode # 3.4) 6 January 1974
• Adam-12(1968) playing "Nina Draper" in episode: "The Beast" (episode # 5.18) 31 January 1973
• Love, American Style (1969) in episode: "Love and the Love Kit" (episode # 4.15c) 12 January 1973
• Night Gallery (1970) playing "Mildred McVane" in episode: "Last Rites for a Dead Druid" (episode # 2.52) 26 January 1972
• Love, American Style (1969) in episode: "Love and the Other Guy" (episode # 1.22b) 6 March 1970
• Password (1961) playing "Herself/Panelist" 30 May 1967
• Password (1961) playing "Herself/Panelist" 29 May 1967
• Password (1961) playing "Herself/Special Guest Contestant" 11 October 1966
• Password (1961) playing "Herself/Special Guest Contestant" 10 October 1966
• Password (1961) playing "Herself/Panelist" 15 September 1966
• Sam Benedict (1962) playing "Francine" in episode: "Hannigan" (episode # 1.1) 15 September 1962
• Twilight Zone, (1959) playing "Woman" in episode: • Cavender Is Coming (episode # 3.36) 25 May 1962
• Mister Ed (1961) playing "Clint Eastwood's Girl" in episode: "Clint Eastwood Meets Mister Ed" (episode # 2.25) 22 April
1962 • Jack Benny Program,(1950) in episode: "Jack Takes in a Boarder" (episode # 12.26) 22 April 1962
• Surfside 6 (1960) playing "Amy" in episode: "Jonathan Wembley Is Missing" (episode # 2.9) 13 November 1961
• Cain's Hundred (1961) in episode: "Penitent" (episode # 1.7) 31 October 1961
• Mister Ed(1961) playing "Blanche Dickenson" in episode: "Ed the Jumper" (episode # 2.5) 29 October 1961
• The Aquanauts, (1960) in episode: "The Stakeout Adventure" (episode # 1.30) 24 May 1961
• Hennesey (1959) in episode: "His Honor, Dr. Blair" 22 May 1961
• Pete and Gladys (1960) in episode: "Mannequin Story" 22 May 1961
• Surfside 6 (1960) playing "Paula Creston" in episode: "An Overdose of Justice" (episode # 1.34) 22 May 1961
• 77 Sunset Strip (1958/I) playing "Rhoda Sheridan" in episode: "The Celluloid Cowboy" (episode # 3.33) 28 April 1961
• Mister Ed (1961) playing "Jane Parker, the model" in episode: "Busy Wife" (episode # 1.3) 18 January 1961
• Thriller (1960) playing "Laura Bellman, the girl in the mirror" in episode: "The Hungry Glass" (episode # 1.16) 3 January 1961
• The Aquanauts (1960) in episode: "The Big Swim" (episode # 1.11) 14 December 1960
•  The Twilight Zone, (1959) playing "Janet Tyler" in episode: "The Eye of the Beholder" (episode # 2.6) 11 November 1960
• The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, (1959) in episode: "Alibis" (episode # 2.4) 7 October 1960
• Bachelor Father (1957) in episode: "Kelly's Idol" (episode # 3.5) 15 October 1959
• Lock Up(1959) in episode: "The Case of Dan Gray"
• Toast of the Town(1948) playing "Herself/Ms. Byline"

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