Oregon-born Elaine Miles, whose people were Nez Perce and Cayuse, grew up on an Oregon reservation as a Umatilla and was entirely innocent of acting experience when she took her mother to audition for a role in the innovative show "Northern Exposure." When the show's planners saw Elaine, they knew it would be she, not her mom, who would portray Marilyn Whirlwind on that program.
Her mother also joined the cast, as Ed Chigliak's aunt, but it was Elaine whose talent really shone. The Marilyn character was a woman of few words, but many insights. She provided a stark contrast to the show's main character, a manic, big-city physician new to Alaska and its laid-back ways.
The chunky, chubby-cheeked Marilyn gave the term "laid back' a whole new, expanded meaning. The TV audience liked her shy smile and wry observations.
Since "Northern Exposure" she has done stand-up comedy work and has had parts in a few less than important movies.
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