Cute little Louisiana farm girl Donna Douglas, born Dorothy Smith,was annointed with celebrity by one TV role: Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies." She is said to have beat out around 500 other girls for that juicy, profitable part.
She also was rather badly typecast by it.
Douglas, in her youth, had been a beauty contest winner: Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans. At age 17, she moved to New York City and worked as a toothpaste model in TV ads, then got modest parts in several movies.
"The Beverly Hillbillies" ran from 1962 until 1971, and Douglas rode its success the whole way.
In 1966, she co-starred with Elvis Presley in "Frankie and Johnny," which was her only big movie role. As she aged, she got into real estate and began singing gospel.
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