Elaine Giftos

Elaine Giftos is a retired American model, actress, and dancer.

Elaine Giftos
Giftos with Mike Farrell, 1970
Born
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationActress/Dancer
Years active1969–2001
Spouse(s)Herbert Wright (1973-2005) (his death)
Parent(s)Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Giftos

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Giftos,[1] she attended Pittsfield High School.[2]

While working as a fashion model in New York, Giftos was selected by the Clairol company as Miss Ultra Smooth in 1964. In that role, she traveled around the United States promoting the company's soothing lotion for shaving women's legs.[3] Her work as a photographer's model resulted in photographs of her being used in Ingenue, Redbook, and Seventeen magazines.[4]

Trained by George Balanchine as a member of the New York City Ballet, Giftos performed on the Broadway stage in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968 and Pousse-Café[5] before moving to California to pursue a career in movies and television.

Giftos' first television appearance was in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie the Matchmaker") as a dating service clerk named Laverne Sadelko, who sets herself up with Roger Healy. Other shows in which she appeared were Bonanza, My Three Sons, The Interns, Ironside, Adam-12, Streets of San Francisco, The Paul Lynde Show, Love, American Style, The Partridge Family in a recurring role as Reuben Kinkcaid's girlfriend Bonnie Kleinschmidt, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Bob Newhart Show, The Six Million Dollar Man, Otherworld, Barney Miller, Three's Company, Hawaii Five-O, Quincy, M.E., Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., Murder, She Wrote, Tales of the Unexpected, the cult classic War of the Worlds, Ally McBeal, Mars and Beyond, and Family Law.[6]

Her movie credits include roles in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), The Student Nurses (1970),[6] Gas-s-s-s (1970, as the female lead, Cilla), No Drums, No Bugles (1972), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972), The Wrestler (1974), Paternity (1981, starring Burt Reynolds), Angel (1984), and The Trouble with Dick (1987).

Giftos was married to writer/producer Herbert Wright until his death in 2005.

Since 1989, Giftos Wright has provided feng shui consulting services under the name The Wright Way of Feng Shui.[7][8]

References
  1. "First Holroyd School Graduates". The Berkshire Eagle. Massachusetts, Pittsfield. June 14, 1960. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Bagpipers To Play in 'Brigadoon'". The Berkshire Eagle. Massachusetts, Pittsfield. April 25, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Merrill, Judith (October 26, 1964). "Smoothly Legging It to Success". The San Francisco Examiner. California, San Francisco. p. 32. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Woo, William F. (November 1, 1964). "Beautiful Legs Can Take a Girl Far". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. p. 117. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Elaine Giftos". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  6. "Elaine Giftos". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  7. Way2FengShui.com
  8. LinkedIn profile
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