You Know The Faces...But What About The Names?
Their faces are beautiful and familiar to anyone who watched television or went to the movies in the 1960s (even if you didn’t, you might still recognize them). Their names, however...well, that is a very different story. Pretty sure most people cannot name even five of these actresses. Can you?
Yvonne Craig
You absolutely remember the purple costume, motorcycle and mask. Yvonne Craig joined Batman as Barbara Gordon, better known as Batgirl, in its final season. She also appeared opposite Elvis Presley and turned green for a memorable episode of Star Trek. But did you remember her name?
Screenshot from Batman, Warner Bros. Television (1966-1968)
Shirley Eaton
Even people who have never watched an entire James Bond movie recognize Shirley Eaton. She played Jill Masterson, the woman famously covered in gold paint in 1964’s Goldfinger. It became one of the most unforgettable images of the entire Bond franchise.
Screenshot from Goldfinger, MGM (1964)
Donna Douglas
Elly May Clampett was sweet, beautiful, animal-loving and seemingly oblivious to how much attention she attracted on The Beverly Hillbillies. Donna Douglas played her for nine seasons and became one of television’s most recognizable faces. The character stayed famous, but the actress’s name gradually slipped away.
Screenshot from The Beverly Hillbillies, CBS (1962-1971)
Barbara Feldon
Agent 99 was usually smarter, calmer and considerably more competent than Maxwell Smart. Barbara Feldon played the stylish secret agent throughout Get Smart and earned two Emmy nominations along the way. Millions remember 99 perfectly. Far fewer seem to remember the woman who played her.
Screenshot from Get Smart, NBC (1965-1970)
Linda Harrison
Linda Harrison barely needed dialogue to become unforgettable. She played Nova, the beautiful human who accompanies Charlton Heston through Planet of the Apes. Harrison returned for the first sequel and appeared decades later in Tim Burton’s 2001 remake. Most viewers still know Nova better than Linda.
Screenshot from Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Studios (1968)
Carolyn Jones
With her long black dress, perfectly straight hair and wonderfully calm delivery, Carolyn Jones created the original television version of Morticia Addams. She had already earned an Academy Award nomination before The Addams Family, but Morticia became the role audiences remembered long after they forgot Jones’s name.
Screenshot from The Addams Family, MGM (1964-1966)
Marta Kristen
Every member of the Robinson family had to compete for attention with a talking robot, but Marta Kristen still stood out as Judy Robinson on Lost in Space. The Norwegian-born actress remained with the series throughout its three-season run. Her face is familiar to millions of science-fiction fans.
Screenshot from Lost in Space, CBS (1965-1968)
Lee Meriwether
Julie Newmar may be the Catwoman most closely associated with the Batman television series, but Lee Meriwether wore the costume in the colorful 1966 movie. A former Miss America, Meriwether later became a familiar television guest star and joined the cast of Barnaby Jones.
Screenshot from Batman: The Movie, 20th Century Studios (1966)
Michele Carey
That wild hair probably gave her away before anything else. Michele Carey played the spirited Joey MacDonald opposite John Wayne in El Dorado, then appeared with Elvis Presley in Live a Little, Love a Little. She was difficult to miss on screen, even if her name never quite stuck.
Screenshot from Live a Little, Love a Little, Warner Bros. (1968)
Susan Oliver
Susan Oliver appeared without green makeup in dozens of movies and television programs, but it was the moment her character Vina appeared as a green Orion woman in the original Star Trek pilot that made her unforgettable. Footage from the pilot later appeared in the two-part episode “The Menagerie.”
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount Television (1966-1969)
Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss stood out immediately in Where the Boys Are, then appeared in Man’s Favorite Sport?, What’s New Pussycat? and the clever sitcom He & She. Her wonderfully unusual voice made her even more recognizable. Yet somehow, plenty of viewers still struggle to put a name to her face.
Screenshot from Man's Favorite Sport?, Universal Pictures (1964)
Pat Priest
Marilyn Munster was supposedly the unattractive member of the Munster family, which was the entire joke. Pat Priest replaced Beverley Owen in the role during the first season of The Munsters and stayed through the show’s conclusion. She later appeared with Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go.
Daniela Bianchi
Daniela Bianchi played Soviet clerk Tatiana Romanova opposite Sean Connery in From Russia with Love. The Italian actress had been the first runner-up at the 1960 Miss Universe pageant, but Bond made her internationally recognizable. She largely stepped away from acting around the end of the decade.
Screenshot from From Russia with Love, MGM (1963)
Inger Stevens
Swedish-born Inger Stevens became a television star as Katy Holstrum in The Farmer’s Daughter, winning a Golden Globe and earning an Emmy nomination. Movie audiences also saw her opposite Clint Eastwood in Hang ’Em High. She was enormously famous in the 60s, but her name is rarely mentioned today.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
Nancy Kovack
You may recognize Nancy Kovack as the high priestess Medea in Jason and the Argonauts. If not, try Bewitched, Batman, Star Trek or Elvis Presley’s Frankie and Johnny. Kovack appeared practically everywhere during the decade, usually making quite an impression without becoming a household name.
Screenshot from Jason and the Argonauts, Sony Pictures (1963)
Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Mimieux played Weena, the beautiful Eloi woman discovered far in the future, in the 1960 film The Time Machine. She followed it with movies including Light in the Piazza and Toys in the Attic. Her delicate, almost dreamlike appearance made her one of the decade’s most recognizable leading ladies.
Screenshot from The Time Machine, MGM (1960)
Joanna Barnes
Remember the glamorous Vicky Robinson, who nearly sent the twins off to boarding school in the original The Parent Trap? That was Joanna Barnes. In a clever bit of casting, she returned in the 1998 remake as the mother of Meredith Blake, the updated version of her original character.
Screenshot from The Parent Trap, Buena Vista Distribution (1961)
Anne Francis
Long before television detectives became common, Anne Francis was solving cases as the stylish private investigator Honey West. The role won her a Golden Globe and earned her an Emmy nomination. Movie fans may also recognize her as Altaira from Forbidden Planet, released a few years before the decade began.
Screenshot from Forbidden Planet, MGM (1956)
Francine York
Francine York was one of those actresses who seemed to turn up on every popular show. She appeared in Bewitched, Lost in Space, The Wild Wild West and I Dream of Jeannie. Batman fans may remember her best as Lydia Limpet, the Bookworm’s glamorous partner.
Screenshot from I Dream of Jeannie, Sony Pictures Television (1965-1970)
Claudine Auger
French actress Claudine Auger played Domino opposite Sean Connery in Thunderball. She had previously represented France at the Miss World competition, where she finished as first runner-up. Although she continued acting for decades in Europe, American audiences generally remember her face from that one enormous Bond movie.
Screenshot from Thunderball, MGM (1965)
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar brought a graceful, playful quality to Catwoman that audiences never forgot. She appeared in 13 episodes of Batman and also played the robot Rhoda on My Living Doll. Her version of Catwoman remains iconic, even among viewers who cannot remember which actress was inside the costume.
Screenshot from Batman, Warner Bros. (1966-1968)
Sherry Jackson
Some viewers remember Sherry Jackson as Terry Williams from Make Room for Daddy. Others remember the unforgettable android Andrea from the Star Trek episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Jackson successfully moved from child performer to adult actress, appearing across television throughout the 60s and 70s.
Screenshot from Star Trek: The Original Series, Paramount (1966-1969)
Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins became one of television’s most talked-about women as Betty Anderson on Peyton Place, then played Anne Welles in Valley of the Dolls. Both were enormous 60s hits, and her face appeared everywhere. Yet her name rarely carries the same recognition today.
Screenshot from Valley of the Dolls, 20th Century Studios (1967)
Pamela Tiffin
Pamela Tiffin looked like she was about to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. She earned two Golden Globe nominations early in her career and appeared in One, Two, Three, State Fair and Harper. Instead, she moved to Italy and gradually left Hollywood behind.
Screenshot from State Fair, 20th Century Studios (1962)
Luciana Paluzzi
Luciana Paluzzi nearly played the leading woman in Thunderball, but the producers cast her as Fiona Volpe instead. It worked out rather well. The glamorous antagonist became one of the film’s most memorable characters, and Paluzzi frequently stole scenes from actors who were much more famous.
Screenshot from Thunderball, MGM (1965)
Diane McBain
Diane McBain became known for playing wealthy, stylish and occasionally troublesome women. She starred as socialite Daphne Dutton on Surfside 6, appeared with Elvis Presley in Spinout and visited Batman as Pinkie Pinkston. Warner Bros. signed her to a seven-year contract on her 18th birthday.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
France Nuyen
France Nuyen made a striking film debut as Liat in South Pacific. During the 60s, she appeared in Diamond Head, I Spy and the Star Trek episode “Elaan of Troyius.” Years later, she changed direction completely and earned a master’s degree before working as a psychological counselor.
Screenshot from South Pacific, 20th Century Studios (1958)
Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley spent the 60s starring in Return to Peyton Place, The Cardinal, Harlow and Bunny Lake Is Missing. She later became even more recognizable in The Poseidon Adventure. Many viewers know exactly who she is when they see her but still cannot produce her name.
Screenshot from The Poseidon Adventure, 20th Century Studios (1972)
Elke Sommer
German actress Elke Sommer spent the 60s appearing opposite Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, James Garner, Dean Martin and Bob Hope. Her movies included The Prize, A Shot in the Dark and The Wrecking Crew. She was a major international star whose name has strangely faded with time.
Screenshot from The Wrecking Crew, Columbia Pictures (1968)
Diane Baker
Diane Baker appeared in Marnie, The Prize, Strait-Jacket and the hugely watched finale of The Fugitive. Decades later, she played Senator Ruth Martin in The Silence of the Lambs. That gave her an unusually recognizable face across generations, although relatively few viewers remember her name.
Screenshot from The Silence of the Lambs, MGM (1991)
So...How Many Did You Actually Name?
Recognizing the faces was probably easy. Remembering the names was another matter entirely. If you knew more than five, your knowledge of 1960s television and movies is pretty good. If you knew all 30, we are super impressed.
Screenshot from My Living Doll, CBS (1964-1965)
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