Patricia Ann Priest
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- Pat Priest redirects here. For the Texas judge, see Pat Priest (judge).
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| Born | Patricia Ann Priest August 15, 1936 Bountiful, Utah, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Frederick Hansing (1981-Present) Pierce Jensen Jr. (19?? -1967; divorced; two sons) |
Patricia Ann "Pat" Priest (b. August 15, 1936, Bountiful, Utah) is an American actress who is best known for portraying Marilyn Munster on the cult television show, The Munsters (1964—1966). Priest replaced actress Beverley Owen, who quit the series after the first thirteen episodes. The running gag of Marilyn's character was that this normal, beautiful blonde was keenly aware that she was the "ugly" or "plain" one in the family. The other characters, a Frankenstein's creature-look alike and several vampires, often pitied her for this reason.
After the series ended, Priest appeared on episodes of TV programs such as Bewitched, Perry Mason and Mary Tyler Moore (in which she played Betty White's character's unappreciated younger sister).
Her only film roles were in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) with Elvis Presley, and the horror film The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971) with Bruce Dern. In a move that angered many fans of the series, Universal Pictures decided to use starlet Debbie Watson 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 and they had plans to make her a film star.
Priest's mother was Ivy Baker Priest, a United States Treasurer whose signature was reproduced on paper money. Priest was once selected as one of Washington, D.C.'s most beautiful women when she resided there with her mother.[citation needed]
She retired from acting in the 1980s but still attends many of the nostalgic conventions and "Munster" revivals around the country. At last report, she was restoring and selling homes in Idaho, where she lives. Married twice, she has two sons.
Priest has been treated for lymphoma in recent years; her exact condition remains undisclosed.
