Lee Meriwether

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Lee Meriwether in The Time Tunnel.

Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress who was Miss America 1955. She remains one of the most popular Miss Americas.

A relative of Meriwether Lewis, she grew up in San Francisco, California after the family moved there from Phoenix, Arizona. She attended George Washington High School where one of her classmates was Johnny Mathis. She later attended San Francisco City College, where one of her classmates was fellow actor Bill Bixby.

Winning Miss San Francisco, Meriwether won Miss California, then Miss America with her recital of a John Millington Synge monologue. After her reign, she joined The Today Show. An August 1, 1956 International News wire photo of Meriwether and Joe DiMaggio announced their engagement. According to DiMaggio biographer Richard Ben Cramer, it was a rumor started by Walter Winchell.

Her feature film debut was as Linda Davis in 1959's The 4D Man starring Robert Lansing. She portrayed Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie. She co-starred as scientist Dr. Ann MacGregor in the 1966–1967 television series The Time Tunnel. She had a long co-starring role as private detective Betty Jones in the 1973–1980 series Barnaby Jones opposite Buddy Ebsen.

In the 1970s and 1980s, she appeared on Circus of the Stars four times. She also served as a panelist on the game show Match Game. Her daughters by her first marriage, Kyle and Lesley Aletter, also appeared on the series. In 1986-87, she had a four year run reprising Lilly Munster opposite John Schuck's Herman in, "The Munsters Today". Meriwether has been married to current husband, Marshall Borden (Ryan's Hope, Luke Jackson #1 on One Life to Live, since 1987.

In 1988, Meriwether was one of the 10 Miss Americas used for audience poll questions during a week of shows on Card Sharks. In 1996, Meriwether briefly took over for Mary Fickett in the role of Ruth Martin on the soap opera All My Children. She also appeared Off-Broadway in the interactive comedy, Grandma Sylvia's Funeral.

On the heels of the 2004 Catwoman motion picture, TV Land had all the 1960s Catwomen appear on their TV Land Awards program; sharing the stage with Meriwhether were Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt.