Patricia Ann Priest (born August 15, 1936) is an American actress known for being the second person to portray Marilyn Munster on the television show The Munsters (1964–1966) after the original actress, Beverley Owen, left after 13 episodes.[1]
She was crowned as the first International Azalea Festival Queen in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1954.[8]
Career
Show business
Early in her career, Priest worked as a singer and actress on local television stations, including WTTG in Washington, D.C.[9] In the late 1950s, she acted in stage productions, including Bus Stop and The Tender Trap.[10]
Priest replaced actress Beverley Owen on the television sitcomThe Munsters; Owen departed the series after the first 13 episodes in order to get married. Marilyn's character was a running gag, as she was a beautiful blonde treated as the ugly member of a family composed of a Frankenstein's monster for an uncle, a vampire for an aunt, a vampire for a grandfather, and a werewolf for a cousin.[11][12]
The studio replaced Priest with 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.[citation needed]
Priest retired from acting in the 1980s, but continues to attend some of the nostalgia conventions and Munsters revivals around the country.
She had previously restored and sold homes in Idaho, where she has lived for over two decades, before retiring.[3]
Personal life
Priest has been married twice and has two sons.[8]
In 2001, Priest was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.[13] She finished maintenance treatments at St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute and was later determined to be in remission.[14]
^ ab"Page Girl". The Fresno Bee The Republican. California, Fresno. Newspaper Enterprise Association. July 6, 1952. p. 18. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Songstress". Tampa Bay Times. Florida, St. Petersburg. February 27, 1955. p. Parade 15. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Pat Priest Bows In 'Bus Stop' Play". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. February 28, 1958. p. 27. Retrieved 27 December 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^https://bestlifeonline.com/pat-priest-marilyn-munsters-news/: "Marilyn was a normal, attractive young woman surrounded by a family of actual monsters, which made her the unlikely black sheep. Of course, with her aunt and uncle being Frankenstein's monster and a vampire, Marilyn's family thought the pretty blond was unfortunately hideous."
