Donna Douglas

At the height of her fame in the mid-1960s, actress Donna Douglas received more fan mail than any of her castmates on the hit sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies" (CBS, 1962-1971), appeared on the cover of TV Guide nine times, and was paired with Elvis Presley in the musical "Frankie and Johnny" (1966). Douglas' casting as a critter-loving hayseed Elly Mae Clampett, transplanted by sudden wealth with her family to the well-manicured lawns of Beverly Hills, was pure typecasting, as the former Miss New Orleans had grown up a tomboy on a sprawling farm in the back country bayou of East Baton Rouge. A discovery of producer Hal Wallis, Douglas arrived in Hollywood as a divorcée with a child to support, biographical information withheld from the public by CBS until the series had established itself as a ratings contender following its premiere in the fall of 1962. Though she enjoyed international fame during the series' nine seasons, Douglas was a victim of typecasting after the cancellation of "Hillbillies" in 1971; additionally, her devout Christian beliefs prohibited her from moving on to roles in the steadily more mature and risqué fare that Hollywood had to offer. Effectively retired by 1980, the twice-divorced Douglas returned to private life as a successful Beverly Hills real estate agent, making occasional forays to the nostalgia convention circuit to celebrate the series that made her famous. Donna Douglas died at her Louisiana home on January 1, 2015 at the age of 81.