Lee Meriwether – 85

Lee Meriweather is a Phoenix-native actress who relocated to San Francisco with her family when she was growing up. It was during her high school years that Meriweather started an interest in acting. When she went to college, the actress pursued a degree in Radio and TV/ Theatre Arts. Because she has a charismatic beauty that no one can deny, Meriweather also entered pageants as a beauty queen. This has opened many opportunities for her such as modeling which supported her lifestyle while pursuing a career in acting. Meriweather used her salaries from gigs to pay off her money loans and bills on the side. She was hailed as Miss America in 1955 which further boosted her fame.

The beauty queen landed a role as the first on-air woman editor for The Today Show. She eventually entered Hollywood and became famous for her role in the 1970 crime drama Barnaby Jones. She played as Buddy Ebsen’s secretary and daughter-in-law Betty Jones.