Pat Priest (actress)

Patricia Ann Priest (born August 15, 1936) is an American actress known for portraying the second Marilyn Munster on the television show The Munsters (1964–1966) after the original actress, Beverley Owen, left after 13 episodes.[1]

Pat Priest
Priest in 2013, interviewed by Count Gore de Vol
Born
Patricia Ann Priest

(1936-08-15) August 15, 1936
Bountiful, Utah, U.S.
EducationWashington-Lee High School
OccupationActress
Spouse(s)
Pierce Jensen Jr.
​
(
m. 1955; div. 1967)

Frederick Hansing
(
m. after 1981)
Children2
Parent(s)Ivy Baker Priest
Roy Fletcher Priest
Sidney Stevens (stepfather)

Early life

Priest was born and raised in Bountiful, Utah.[2][3] Her father was Roy Priest.[4] Her mother, Ivy Baker Priest, was the United States Treasurer[5] from January 28, 1953, to January 29, 1961, whose signature appeared on currency printed during her tenure. Priest resided in Washington, D.C. with her mother. She graduated in 1954 from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia.[6] She is also a graduate of Marjorie Webster Junior College.[7]

Priest was a page girl at the 1952 Republican National Convention.[4]

Show business career

Early in her career, Priest worked as a singer and actress on local television stations, including WTTG in Washington, D.C.[8] In the late 1950s, she acted in stage productions, including Bus Stop and The Tender Trap.[9]

Priest replaced actress Beverley Owen on the television sitcom The Munsters; Owen departed the series after the first 13 episodes in order to get married. The running gag of Marilyn's character was that this beautiful blonde woman was keenly aware she was the "ugly" or "plain" one in a family composed of a Frankenstein's monster for an uncle, a vampire for an aunt, a vampire for a grandfather, a werewolf for a cousin, and other equally odd members. Another tongue-in-cheek gag was that the character's name recalled sex symbol Marilyn Monroe.

In a move which angered many fans of the series, Universal Pictures decided to use starlet Debbie Watson (12 years Priest's junior) in the role of Marilyn Munster in the 1966 feature Munster, Go Home! (1966) instead of Priest, as Watson was under contract to the studio which had plans to make her a film star.

After the series ended, Priest appeared on episodes of television programs such as Bewitched, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show in which she played Sue Ann Nivens' (Betty White) unappreciated younger sister.

Her film roles were in Looking for Love (1964) with Connie Francis, Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) with Elvis Presley, the horror film The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971) with Bruce Dern, and Some Call It Loving (1973) starring Zalman King.

She retired from acting in the 1980s, but continues to attend some of the nostalgia conventions and "Munster" revivals around the country. She was restoring and selling homes in Idaho, where she has lived for over two decades, but is now retired.[3] Married twice, she has two sons.

In 2001, Priest was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.[10] She finished maintenance treatments at St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute and is now in remission.

Selected filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1964Looking for LoveWaitressUncredited
1964Quick, Before It MeltsStewardessUncredited
1967Easy Come, Easy GoDina Bishop
1970AirportMrs. Jerry Copeland - PassengerUncredited
1971The Incredible 2-Headed TransplantLinda
1973Some Call It LovingCarnival Nurse

References
  1. "Pat Priest - About This Person - Movies & TV". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  2. Rowan, Terry (2015). Who's Who In Hollywood!. Lulu.com. p. 287. ISBN 9781329074491. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. Pat Priest Interview by Joe Krein at Elvis2001.net
  4. "Page Girl". The Fresno Bee The Republican. California, Fresno. Newspaper Enterprise Association. July 6, 1952. p. 18. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Pescador, Katrina; Aldrich, Mark (2008). Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. Arcadia Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 9780738559384. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  6. "Washington-Lee High School -- Class of 1954<". wlhsalumni.org. Washington-Lee Alumni Association. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  7. "Actress Plans Comedy Debut". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. Associated Press. March 4, 1964. p. 69. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Songstress". Tampa Bay Times. Florida, St. Petersburg. February 27, 1955. p. Parade 15. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Pat Priest Bows In 'Bus Stop' Play". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. February 28, 1958. p. 27. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Dpriol.com". www.dpriol.com.
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