Actress Donna Douglas, who brought curves and verve to tomboy Elly May Clampett on the memorable 1960s TV hit The Beverly Hillbillies, died in Louisiana. She was 81. Douglas came from Pride, Louisiana and carried herself like someone who came from a place called Pride. She played Elly May for nine years. She added beauty and authentic southern glamour to the show. The Beverly Hillbillies was the most popular show on TV for a time, peaking in 1964. It made Douglas a star.
She acted in other TV shows afterwards, including The Nanny, The Twilight Zone/ Rod Serling, Love American Style, and McMillan & Wife according to her website. She also starred with Elvis Presley–seemingly a right of passage for any true Hollywood beauty at the time–in Frankie and Johnny in 1966. Before breaking into TV Douglas was a model.
