Deborah Walley
Deborah Walley | |
---|---|
Born | Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. | August 12, 1941
Died | May 10, 2001 Sedona, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 59)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1960–1999 |
Known for | Gidget Goes Hawaiian Spinout Beach Blanket Bingo |
Spouses |
Chet McCracken
(m. 1968; div. 1975) |
Children | 2 |
Deborah Walley (August 12, 1941 – May 10, 2001) was an American actress noted for playing the title role in Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and appearing in several beach party films.
Early years
Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ice Capades skating stars and choreographers Nathan and Edith Walley.[1] When she was three years old, she made her first public appearance at Madison Square Garden.[2]
Walley attended
During her sophomore year, Walley attended Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, where she was cast as Cinderella in a musical production at the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. She studied acting at New York City's American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[2]
Career
Walley appeared on television in episodes of Naked City ("To Walk in Silence ") and Route 66 ("Ten Drops of Water").
Early film career
Walley was discovered by agent
Disney hired Walley to play an ingenue in two comedies, Bon Voyage! (1962) and Summer Magic (1963), and she sang in the latter.[6]
She appeared in The Young Lovers (1964) for MGM.
Walley signed a contract with
Walley had a cameo role in
She next appeared in the Elvis Presley film Spinout,[7] followed by the lead role in the science-fiction film The Bubble (1966).
Television
Walley guest-starred on
In 1967, with her film career in decline, Walley portrayed Suzie Hubbard Buell in the comedy series The Mothers-in-Law.[8] Actress Kay Cole had played Suzie in the original pilot, but Walley replaced her for the series' two seasons on the air.[citation needed]
Walley worked as an art director on
Later career
Walley's later film appearances included Drag Racer (1971), The Severed Arm (1973) and Benji (1974).
She continued to guest-star on shows such as The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries ("Mystery on the Avalanche Express") and Simon & Simon ("The Last Big Break"). She wrote and produced the short film The Legend of Seeks-To-Hunt-Great (1989), which won several awards including the National Cine Golden Eagle, the American Indian Film Festival's best short-subject award, the Oklahoma Tribal Council Award for best fiction film and the 1991 Algrave International Video Festival's best-of-festival award.[9]
Walley moved to Sedona, Arizona in 1991 to focus on raising her family while writing and producing. She cofounded Pied Piper Productions, a nonprofit theater company for children, and was a cofounder of the Sedona Children's Theater.[10]
She published her first book, Grandfather's Good Medicine, in 1993, which was based on the plot of The Legend of Seeks-To-Hunt-Great. She also wrote scripts and taught acting and production techniques to American Indians through her Swiftwind Productions company, and she continued to produce and appear in plays.[11][3]
Walley returned to Hollywood in 1999, where she pursued acting as a "hobby." She appeared on Baywatch and the daytime soap opera Passions. She continued to work with children through her Imagination Playshops, acting workshops for children in the U.S. and Australia. She also worked with the Educational Theater Company, a multiethnic organization based in Los Angeles.[12]
Personal life and death
Walley's first marriage was to John Reynolds, with whom she had a son named Justin. From 1962 to 1966,[note 1][2] Walley was married to actor John Ashley and had another son, Anthony.[note 2][2] Two years after divorcing Ashley, she married Chet McCracken, with whom she remained until divorcing him in 1975.
In May 2001, Walley died of esophageal cancer at her home in Sedona, Arizona, at age 59.[13][14]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1961 | Gidget Goes Hawaiian | Gidget | |
1962 | Bon Voyage! | Amy Willard | |
1963 | Summer Magic | Julia Carey | |
1964 | The Young Lovers | Debbie | |
1965 | Beach Blanket Bingo | Bonnie Graham | |
1965 | Ski Party | Linda Hughes | |
1965 | Sergeant Deadhead | Airman Lucy Turner | |
1965 | Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine | Craig's Cafeteria Date | |
1966 | The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini | Lili Morton | |
1966 | Spinout | Les | |
1966 | The Bubble | Catherine | |
1967 | It's a Bikini World | Delilah Dawes | |
1971 | Drag Racer | Chris | |
1973 | The Severed Arm | Teddy Rogers | |
1974 | Benji | Linda Sue |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | Naked City | Heather Weston | "To Walk in Silence" |
1960 | Route 66 | Helen Paige | "Ten Drops of Water" |
1964 | Burke's Law | Gwenny Trent | "Who Killed Andy Zygmunt?" |
1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Anne | "This Train Don't Stop Till It Gets There" |
1964 | Wagon Train | Nancy Styles | "The Nancy Styles Story" |
1966 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Tina Tracy | "Lies, Lies, Lies" |
1967 | Off to See the Wizard | Elizabeth | "Rhino" |
1967–1969 | The Mothers-in-Law | Suzie Hubbard Buell | 56 episodes |
1970 | The Virginian | Corey Ann Skeet | "With Love, Bullets and Valentines" |
1971 | Love, American Style | Helen | "Love and the Guilty Conscience" |
1972 | Love, American Style | Nina | "Love and the Anxious Mama" |
1978 | The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries | Gina Bartelli | "Mystery on the Avalanche Express" |
1986 | Simon & Simon | Gigi Dolores | "The Last Big Break" |
1989–1990 | Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers | Foxglove / Lahwhinie / Buffy Ratskiwatski | voice, 3 episodes |
1999 | Baywatch | Ethel | "Baywatch Grand Prix" |
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e "Deborah Walley". The Telegraph. May 17, 2001. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Deborah Walley, 57". Chicago Tribune. Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2001. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9781476601168. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Deborah Walley at Central High School, Bridgeport CT". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (August 10, 1961). "'Gidgets' Deborah Signed by Disney: Oboler Adding Two to Five; 'World by Night' Fascinating". Los Angeles Times. p. B13.
- ^ Eleanor Quin. "Spinout (1966)". Turner Classic Movies.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
- ^ "Deborah Walley, 57". Chicago Tribune. May 15, 2001.
- ProQuest 431755157.
- ProQuest 421801648.
- ProQuest 236347152.
- ISBN 9780786452064. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Deborah Walley; Actress, 59 (obituary)". New York Times. May 15, 2001.
External links
- Deborah Walley at IMDb
- Deborah Walley at Brian's Drive-in Theatre