Who is Lee Meriwether? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Lee Ann Meriwether

Age: 87 Years, 87 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Marshall Borden (m. 1986), Frank Aletter (m. 1958–1974)

father: Claudius Gregg Meriwether (October 13, 1904 – July 15, 1954)

mother: 1903 – May 21, 1996, Ethel Eve Mulligan (March 25, Los Angeles)

siblings: 1938), Don Brett Meriwether (born May 14

children: Kyle Aletter, Lesley Aletter

Born Country: United States

Actresses American Women

Height: 1.74 m

Grouping of People: Beauty Pageant Winners

U.S. State: California

City: Los Angeles

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Childhood & Early Life

Lee Meriwether was born on May 27, 1935, in Los Angeles, California, USA, to Claudius Gregg Meriwether and Ethel Eve Mulligan. She has one brother named Don Brett Meriwether.

She studied at George Washington High School and later graduated from City College of San Francisco where one of her colleagues was fellow actor Bill Bixby.

She took part in beauty pageants as a young girl. After winning Miss San Francisco, she won the title of Miss California 1954. A year later, Meriwether was crowned Miss America.

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Career

Lee Meriwether began her entertainment career with NBC's ‘The Today Show’ in the mid-1950s. Her film debut came in the year 1959 when she was cast as Linda Davis in the sci-fi film ‘4D Man’.

In 1961, she made a guest appearance on her then-husband Frank Aletter’s sitcom ‘Bringing Up Buddy’. This was followed by her guest roles in ‘The Lloyd Bridges Show’ and ‘I'm Dickens, He's Fenster’.

From 1963 to 1965, the actress played various characters in eight episodes of NBC’s medical drama series ‘Dr. Kildare’. During this time, she also guest-starred in the drama series ‘Route 66’, ‘12 O'Clock High’ and ‘Man from U.N.C.L.E.’

Meriwether played The Catwoman in the ‘Batman’ movie. She ended the decade with appearances in a number of television programs including ‘Mannix’, ‘The Fugitive’, ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Perry Mason’.

During the 1970s, she featured in the television films ‘Cruise Into Terror’ and ‘True Grit: A Further Adventure,’ and also appeared as a regular panelist on the popular game show ‘Match Game’.

The next decade saw her in the revival of the 1960s sitcom ‘The Munsters,’ titled ‘The Munsters Today’. Meriwether also had guest appearances in the drama series ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘The Love Boat’.

In 1993, she appeared in an episode of ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ titled "Ship of Thieves". Three years later, the actress replaced Mary Fickett in the role of Ruth Martin in the sitcom ‘All My Children’.

In 2002, she starred in the documentary ‘Miss America’. The following year, she had a role in the TV film ‘Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt’.

Following a voice role in a video game titled ‘Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots’, Meriwether joined Bill Cobbs, Abigail Breslin, James Garner and others in the drama film ‘The Ultimate Gift,’ which released in 2006. She later reprised her role in the movie’s 2013 sequel 'The Ultimate Life'.

The actress reunited with Cobbs onscreen in the direct-to-video ‘No Limit Kids: Much Ado About Middle School’ in 2010.

She continues to act in films, television shows, and stage productions. Recently, she starred in Chloë Sevigny’s short fantasy-drama movie ‘Kitty’ which was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Major Works

From 1973 to 1980, Lee Meriwether starred alongside Buddy Ebsen in the television detective series ‘Barnaby Jones’. In the series, she played Betty Jones who runs a private detective firm alongside her father-in-law (who played the titular role).

Family & Personal Life

From 1958 to 1974, Lee Meriwether was married to Frank Aletter. They have two daughters, Kyle Aletter-Oldham and Lesley A. Aletter (both actresses).

Several years after her divorce from Aletter, Meriwether married Marshall Borden.

Lee Meriwether Biography