Lee Meriwether

Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935) is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She is known for her role as Betty Jones, Buddy Ebsen's secretary and daughter-in-law in the 1970s crime drama Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in 1975 and 1976, and an Emmy Award nomination in 1977. She is also known for her portrayal of Catwoman, replacing Julie Newmar in the film version of Batman (1966), and for a co-starring role on the science fiction series The Time Tunnel. Meriwether had a recurring role as Ruth Martin on the daytime soap opera All My Children until the end of the series in September 2011.

Lee Meriwether
Meriwether at the Miss America 2008 pageant
Born	Lee Ann Meriwether May 27, 1935 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	City College of San Francisco
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1954–present
Known for	Catwoman in Batman (1966) Dr. Ann MacGregor on The Time Tunnel (1966) Betty Jones on Barnaby Jones (1973) Ruth Martin on All My Children
Title	Miss San Francisco 1954 Miss California 1954 Miss America 1955
Predecessor	Evelyn Margaret Ay
Successor	Sharon Ritchie
Spouse(s)	Frank Aletter ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1974)​ Marshall Borden ​ (m. 1986)​
Children	2
Website	leemeriwether.com

Early life

Meriwether was born in Los Angeles, California, to Claudius Gregg Meriwether and Ethel Eve Mulligan. She has one brother, Don Brett Meriwether. She grew up in San Francisco after the family moved there from Phoenix, Arizona. She attended George Washington High School, where one of her classmates was Johnny Mathis. She later attended City College of San Francisco, where one of her classmates was fellow actor Bill Bixby.[1]

After winning Miss San Francisco, Meriwether won Miss California 1954,[2] then was crowned Miss America in 1955 with her recital of a John Millington Synge monologue. She then appeared that Sunday on What's My Line?, hosted by John Charles Daly (who also emceed the pageant that year). Following her reign as Miss America, she joined the Today show.[3]

An August 1, 1956, international news wirephoto of Meriwether and Joe DiMaggio announced their engagement. According to DiMaggio biographer Richard Ben Cramer, however, it was a rumor started by Walter Winchell.[4]

Career

1950s

Meriwether was a "Today Girl" on NBC's The Today Show from 1955 to 1956. Her feature film debut came in 1959 as Linda Davis in 4D Man, starring Robert Lansing. She appears in The Phil Silvers Show episode, "Cyrano de Bilko".

1960s

Meriwether in a publicity photo for The Time Tunnel (1966)

In 1961, Meriwether guest starred once as Gloria in the episode "Buddy and the Amazon" on her first husband's (Frank Aletter) one-season CBS sitcom, Bringing Up Buddy. She also appeared in Leave It To Beaver episode "Community Chest" in season four. In 1962, she was cast as Martha Elweiss in the episode "My Child Is Yet a Stranger" on the CBS anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show. She played Nurse Dickens in a 1962 episode of the ABC sitcom, I'm Dickens, He's Fenster. From 1963 to 1965, she was cast in different roles in eight episodes of the NBC medical drama, Dr. Kildare. In 1964, she played the character Jeanelle in "This Is Going to Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You" on the CBS adventure series, Route 66. In 1965, she appeared in an episode on The Jack Benny Program as The Secretary. In a 1965 episode of 12 O'Clock High, "Mutiny at Ten Thousand Feet", she played Lieutenant Amy Patterson, and in the episodes "The Idolator" (also 1965) and "The Outsider" (1966), she played Captain Phyllis Vincent. She also guest starred in the season 2 episode "Big Brother".

Meriwether as Catwoman in the film Batman (1966) replacing Julie Newmar, the usual actress in the television series.

Meriwether appeared as Dr. Egret on the NBC series, Man from U.N.C.L.E. ("The Mad, Mad Tea Party", 1965) and in an episode of Hazel ("How to Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Minutes", also 1965) she played Miss Wilson, the owner of an exercise studio. Meriwether portrayed The Catwoman for the Batman movie (1966), and also appeared in two episodes of the Batman TV series in 1967 as Lisa Carson, a love interest to Bruce Wayne in the episodes "King Tut's Coup" and "Batman's Waterloo". She also co-starred as scientist Dr. Ann MacGregor in the 1966–1967 television series The Time Tunnel. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she had guest starring roles in numerous TV series, including The Fugitive, The Lloyd Bridges Show, Mannix, Star Trek episode "That Which Survives" (1969), Mission: Impossible episodes 19 and 20 "The Bunker" parts I and II (1969), Perry Mason episode #245 "The Case of the Cheating Chancellor" 1965 and Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Frustrated Folksinger" 1965, and the F Troop episode "O'Rourke vs. O'Reilly".

In films, she joined John Wayne and Rock Hudson for The Undefeated,[5] and Andy Griffith in Angel in My Pocket (both 1969).[6] In the same year as those two films, she played IMF spy Tracey in six Mission: Impossible episodes during season four after Barbara Bain's departure.

1970s

Publicity photo with Andy Griffith and Meriwether, as wife Lee, for The New Andy Griffith Show (1971). The series was short-lived.

Meriwether began her award-nominated role as secretary and daughter-in-law Betty Jones in the 1973–1980 CBS series Barnaby Jones, opposite Buddy Ebsen.[7] During the series' eight-year run she enjoyed an on- and off-screen chemistry with the elder Ebsen.[5] During the series' run, she was reunited with her former classmate and best friend Bill Bixby during one episode. After her stint on Barnaby Jones, Meriwether became best friends with Ebsen, keeping in touch for many years until his death on July 6, 2003. She starred in the 1978 television movies True Grit: A Further Adventure with Warren Oates and Cruise Into Terror, appeared on Circus of the Stars four times, and was a regular panelist on the game show Match Game.

1980s

Meriwether portrayed Lily Munster in the 1988-1991 revival of the 1960s television sitcom The Munsters, titled The Munsters Today, in which she starred alongside Jason Marsden, John Schuck, Howard Morton and Hilary Van Dyke.[5] She also made several guest star appearances on the television series The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.

1990s

In the 1990s, she appeared as herself on an episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast. She had a memorable exchange with Zorak in which she said, "For my money, Eartha Kitt was the best Catwoman." Zorak, portraying the evil Batmantis, replied, "Give me your money," which was followed by a Batman-esque sound effect. In 1993, she guest starred on Murder, She Wrote, episode "Ship of Thieves". In 1996, Meriwether took over for Mary Fickett in the role of Ruth Martin on the soap opera All My Children, Fickett having played the role since its inception in 1970.[8] After twenty-six years, Fickett wanted to go into semi-retirement as a recurring cast member. Negotiations with the network broke down and Meriwether was cast as Ruth Martin. In 1998, ABC deemed that they were at an impasse with Meriwether's agents and Mary Fickett was brought back as a recurring cast member. Fickett retired again, this time for good in December 2000. ABC decided to bring back the character of Ruth Martin in 2002, but Fickett remained in retirement. Meriwether was hence brought back and remained a featured recurring performer on the show until it ended.

2000s

Meriwether in 2005

In 2002, she appeared in the documentary film Miss America. In 2003, Meriwether appeared in the TV-Movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt. She also appeared off-Broadway in the interactive comedy, Grandma Sylvia's Funeral. She voiced Big Mama in the video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3. She also appears in one of the game's opening videos as a talkshow host having an interview with David Hayter, who voices Solid Snake in the game.[9] In 2006, she joined James Garner, Abigail Breslin, Bill Cobbs and others in The Ultimate Gift. In 2008, Meriwether had a brief cameo as comic book character Battle Diva in the episode "Harper Knows" of the Disney Channel original series Wizards of Waverly Place. In 2010, she was once again reunited on screen with Hollywood veteran Bill Cobbs in No Limit Kids: Much Ado About Middle School; additionally, she voices President Winters in the video game Vanquish by PlatinumGames.[10]

2010s

Meriwether continues to work on stage, television, game voice-overs, and feature films. She has made guest appearances on Desperate Housewives, Hawaii Five-0, The League, and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. Most recently, she revisited her role as Miss Hastings in the sequel/prequel to The Ultimate Gift, The Ultimate Life (2013), directed by Michael Landon Jr.[11] She is also starring in the short film Kitty.

She also makes appearances at Comic Cons where she speaks about her roles in Batman, Star Trek, and Time Tunnel.[12]

Personal life

Meriwether was married on April 20, 1958 to Frank Aletter. The couple had two daughters, actresses Kyle Aletter-Oldham (born 1960) and Lesley A. Aletter (born 1963). The union ended in divorce in 1974. Meriwether remarried September 21, 1986 to Marshall Borden (Ryan's Hope, One Life to Live).[13][14]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	4D Man	Linda Davis
1963	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Lee, Tom's Receptionist	Uncredited
1966	Batman	The Catwoman / Kitka
1966	Namu, the Killer Whale	Kate Rand
1968	The Legend of Lylah Clare	Young Girl
1969	Angel in My Pocket	Mary Elizabeth Whitehead
1969	The Undefeated	Margaret Langdon
1973	The Brothers O'Toole	Paloma Littleberry
2005	Gone Postal	Fran	Short film
2006	The Ultimate Gift	Miss Hastings
2007	Say It in Russian	Party guest
2008	Touching Home	Grandma Eleanor
2008	Twisted Faith	Mother Clare	Short film
2010	No Limit Kids: Much Ado About Middle School	Katie	Direct-to-video
2011	Secret Identity	Faye Florence	Short film
2012	Sunset Stories	Marie
2012	Silent But Deadly	Vivian
2013	Remember to Breathe	Alice	Short film
2013	Birthday Cake	Opal Hunt
2013	The Ultimate Life	Miss Hastings
2013	The Curse of the Un-Kissable Kid	Gypsy	Short film
2014	Waiting in the Wings: The Musical	Ethel
2014	Abaddon	Old Ana
2014	Heaven Help Us	Helen	Short film
2015	A Horse for Summer	Patsy
2015	Sunny in the Dark	Dorothy
2015	In Memory	Beth Sawyer	Short film
2016	Kitty	Mrs. Tinsley	Short film
2016	A Christmas in New York	Irene Burgess
2017	Diary of a Lunatic	Trew's Mother
2017	Breaking Legs	GG
2017	Batman vs. Two-Face	Lucilee Diamond (voice)	Direct-to-video
2018	Hell's Kitty	Grandma Kyle
2018	Still Waiting In The Wings	Ethel
2018	Love & Debt	Mrs. Markson

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954–1955	The Philco Television Playhouse	Diane	3 episodes
1956	Matinee Theatre		Episode: "Sincerely Yours, Charlie Fisher"
1957	The Alcoa Hour	Girl in the Sketch	Episode: "Protege"
1957	Men of Annapolis	The Girl	Episode: "The Challenge"
1958	The Millionaire	Nancy McKuehn	Episode: "The Rod Matthews Story"
1958	The Phil Silvers Show	Natalie Rumplemeyer	Episode: "Cyrano De Bilko"
1958	Dragnet	Vicki Tearson	Episode: "The Big Rip"
1958	Omnibus	Beautiful Witch	Episode: "Mrs. McThing"
1960–1962	The Clear Horizon	Enid Ross
1961	Bringing Up Buddy	Gloria Arnold	Episode: "Buddy and the Amazon"
1961	Leave It to Beaver	Young Woman Neighbor	Episode: "Community Chest"
1962	The Lloyd Bridges Show	Martha Elweiss	Episode: "My Child Is Yet a Stranger"
1962	I'm Dickens, He's Fenster	2nd Hospital Receptionist	Episode: "Nurse Dickens"
1962	Alcoa Premiere	Kerry	Episode: "Whatever Happened to Miss Illinois?"
1963–1965	Dr. Kildare	Nurse Bonnie Tynes / Nurse Angela Springer / Nurse Harper / Nurse Adams / Nurse Betty Johnson	8 episodes
1964	Route 66	Jeanelle	Episode: "This Is Going to Hurt Me More Than It Hurts You"
1964	The Young Marrieds	Ann Reynolds #1	4 episodes
1964–1965	The Jack Benny Program	Secretary / Mother With Baby	2 episodes
1965	Perry Mason	Evelyn Wilcox / Natalie Graham	2 episodes
1965	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	Piper's Secretary	Episode: "Double Jeopardy"
1965	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	Dr. Egret	Episode: "The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair"
1965	Hazel	Miss Wilson	Episode: "How to Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Minutes"
1965	F Troop	Lily O'Reilly	Episode: "O'Rourke vs. O'Reilly"
1965–1966	Twelve O'Clock High	Capt. Phyllis Vincent / Lt. Amy Patterson	3 episodes
1965–1971	The F.B.I.	Joanna Lauren / Liz / Marian Converse / Joanna Laurens	5 episodes
1966	The Fugitive	Willis Hempstead	Episode: "Not with a Whimper"
1966	My Three Sons	Phyllis Allen	Episode: "What About Harry?"
1966	Vacation Playhouse	Doris	Episode: "My Son, the Doctor"
1966–1967	The Time Tunnel	Dr. Ann MacGregor	30 episodes
1967	Batman	Lisa Carson	2 episodes
1967	Iron Horse	Anne Daugherty	Episode: "Dealer's Choice"
1967–1970	Family Affair	Claudia Wells / Lise Lowell	2 episodes
1969	Star Trek: The Original Series	Losira	Episode: "That Which Survives"
1969	Land of the Giants	Mother - Mrs. Bara	Episode: "Rescue"
1969	Mannix	Reva Daniels	S3-Episode 05: "A Question of Midnight"
1969–1970	Mission: Impossible	Tracey / Anna Rojak	8 episodes
1970	The Name of the Game	Bridget	Episode: "Island of Gold and Precious Stones"
1970	My World and Welcome to It	Mrs. Bessinger	Episode: "The Middle Years"
1970	Insight	Miriam	Episode: "The 7 Minute Life of James Houseworthy"
1970	Nanny and the Professor	Marrijane Finley	Episode: "An Element of Risk"
1970	The Immortal	Sigrid Bergen	Episode: "The Queen's Gambit"
1971	The New Andy Griffith Show	Lee Sawyer	10 episodes
1971	Dan August	Miranda Lewis	Episode: "The Law"
1971	Love, American Style		Segment: "Love and the Sweet Sixteen"
1972	Longstreet	Miss Cooper	Episode: "Through Shattering Glass"
1973	The Doris Day Show	Lois Frazier	Episode: "Hospital Benefit"
1973–1980	Barnaby Jones	Betty Jones	178 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (1975–1976) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1977)
1975	Cannon	Betty Jones	Episode: "The Deadly Conspiracy: Part 1"
1977	Having Babies II	Martha Cooper	Television film
1978	Cruise Into Terror	Lil Mather	Television film
1978	True Grit: A Further Adventure	Annie Sumner	Television film
1979	Time Express	Vanessa Cartwright	Episode: "The Copy-Writer/The Figure Skater"
1979	Mirror, Mirror	Vanessa Wagner	Television film
1979–1980	CHiPs		2 episodes
1980	Tourist	Lulu Flemington	Television film
1981–1984	The Love Boat	Jessica Elliott / Barbara Braden / Ann Marshall	3 episodes
1983	Fantasy Island	Leslie Darnell	Episode: "The Butler's Affair/Roarke's Sacrifice"
1984	Finder of Lost Loves	Julia Bennett Parsons	Episode: "Portraits"
1985	Hotel	Addie Meredith	Episode: "Cry Wolf"
1985	Glitter		Episode: "The Runaway"
1985	True Confessions		Episode: "He's So Young"
1985–1995	Murder, She Wrote	Vanessa Thorpe / Leslie Hunter / Grace Overholtz	3 episodes
1986	Mr. Belvedere	Donna Flannagan	Episode: "Reunion"
1987	You Are the Jury	Marjorie Forrest	Episode: "The State of Oregon vs. Stanley Manning"
1987	Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge		Television film
1988–1991	The Munsters Today	Lily Munster	73 episodes
1991	Jake and the Fatman	Ellen Kurtin	Episode: "Nevertheless"
1992	Dark Justice	Lee Marshall	Episode: "Happy Mothers Day"
1996	Duckman	Widow Liebner (voice)	Episode: "Pig Amok"
1996–2011	All My Children	Ruth Martin	52 episodes
2000	Touched by an Angel	Karla	Episode: "The Face on the Bar Room Floor"
2003	Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt	Waitress in Diner	Television film
2008	Wizards of Waverly Place	Battle Diva	Episode: "Harper Knows"
2012	Desperate Housewives	Doris	Episode: "What's to Discuss, Old Friend"
2012	Hell's Kitty	Grandma Kyle	Episode: "Catwoman vs. Hell's Kitty"
2012	Hawaii Five-0	Helen Tilton	Episode: "Mohai"
2012	Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23	Marjorie Meyers	Episode: "Sexy People..."
2012	The League	Gumma Eve	Episode: "Bro-Lo El Cordero"
2012–2014	Project: Phoenix	Birdie Spencer	6 episodes
2015	The Ultimate Legacy	Miss Hastings	Television film
2017	Suspense	Ellen Kirk	Episode: "'Keepers of the Twilight'"
2018	Rise of the Catwoman	Nana	Episode: "The Night Shift"
2018	Kaplan's Korner	Auditioner	Episode: "He's Gone"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots	Big Mama (EVA)	Also has a live-action cameo playing a host.
2010	Vanquish	President Elizabeth Winters

Awards

• 1975 Golden Globe Award nomination, Best TV Actress (Drama)
• 1976 Golden Globe Award nomination, Best TV Actress (Drama)
• 1977 Emmy Award nomination, Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

References

1. Bergman, Julia; Mathes, Valerie Sherer; White, Austin (2010). City College of San Francisco: The Campus History Series. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. x. ISBN 9781439625262.
2. "Miss California History". Miss California. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
3. "Lee Meriwether Biography". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
4. Cramer, Richard Ben (May 2000). Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life. New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 376–378. ISBN 0-684-85391-4.
5. King, Susan (August 19, 2013). "There she is .... Lee Meriwether". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
6. Michalski, Jennifer (December 13, 2013). "WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The 22 Most Influential Former Beauty Queens". Business Insider. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
7. Fakuda, Eiko; Gritten, David (September 22, 1980). "Lee Meriwether Lost 'Barnaby' but Gained a Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze". People. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
8. Noland, Claire (September 12, 2011). "Mary Fickett dies at 83; longtime actress on 'All My Children'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
9. Hanson, Ben (February 28, 2014). "Channeling Creativity: The Story Behind Metal Gear Solid 4's Intro". Game Informer. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
10. Kellams, JP (October 25, 2010). "Narrative Design in Vanquish". PlatinumGames Blog. PlatinumGames. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
11. Scheck, Frank (September 5, 2013). "The Ultimate Life: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
12. Costello, Alex (May 24, 2017). "Eternal Con Returns July 1 And 2, This Time At The Nassau Coliseum". Patch. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
13. "Lee Meriwether Biography". Actor Database. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
14. "Photo Flash: Lee Meriwether Honored By Theatre West". BroadwayWorld. February 14, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.

External links

• Lee Meriwether official website
• Miss America entry on Lee Meriwether
• Lee Meriwether as Catwoman
• Lee Meriwether in "Jean Boone - Interview with Cast of Batman, The Movie (1966)" from the TexasSharon Archive of the Moving Image
• Lee Meriwether at IMDb
• Lee Meriwether at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Lee Meriwether at the TCM Movie Database
• Lee Meriwether at AllMovie