Patricia Ann Priest
- Pat Priest redirects here. For the Texas judge, see Pat Priest (judge).
| Pat Priest | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patricia Ann Priest August 15, 1936 Bountiful, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | Frederick Hansing (1981—present) Pierce Jensen Jr. (1955–1967; divorced; two sons) |
Patricia Ann Priest (born August 15, 1936), mainly credited as Pat Priest, is an American actress who is best known for portraying Marilyn Munster on the television show, The Munsters (1964–1966).[1]
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[edit] Show business career
Priest replaced actress Beverley Owen on the the television sitcom, The Munsters, who quit the series after the first 13 episodes. The running gag of Marilyn's character was that this normal, beautiful blond woman was keenly aware that she was the "ugly" or "plain" one in a family composed of a Frankenstein's monster for an uncle, a vampire for a grandfather, a werewolf for a cousin, and other equally odd members.
After the series ended, Priest appeared on episodes of TV programs such as Bewitched, Perry Mason, and Mary Tyler Moore, (in which she played Betty White's character's unappreciated younger sister).
Her only film roles were in Looking for Love (1964), with Connie Francis, Easy Come, Easy Go (1967), with Elvis Presley, and the horror film The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971), with Bruce Dern. In a move that angered many fans of the series, Universal Pictures decided to use starlet Debbie Watson in the role of Marilyn Munster in the 1966 feature Munster, Go Home! (1966), instead of Priest, as Watson was under contract to the studio and it had plans to make her a film star.
[edit] Personal life
Priest was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah.[2] Her mother was Ivy Baker Priest, the United States Treasurer from January 28, 1953 to January 29, 1961, whose signature was reproduced on paper money printed during her tenure. Priest was once selected as one of Washington, D.C.'s most beautiful women, when she resided there with her mother.[citation needed]
She retired from acting in the 1980s, but continues to attend some of the nostalgia conventions and "Munster" revivals around the country. She was restoring and selling homes in Idaho, where she has lived for over two decades, but she is now retired.[2] Married twice, she has two sons.
Priest has been treated for lymphoma in recent years;[3] her exact condition remains undisclosed. In 2001, Priest was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She finished maintenance treatments at St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute and is now in remission.
On August 31, 2009, Priest called into The Howard Stern Show as the first celebrity for the 'What Would You Do To Out Produce Baba Booey?' contest.
[edit] References
- ^ "The New York Times". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/57821/Pat-Priest. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ^ a b Pat Priest Interview by Joe Krein at Elvis2001.net
- ^ Interview
