Lee Meriwether
Pine Valley Presence
Ruth Martin (July 10th, 1996 to 1999; December 24th, 2002; March 24th, 2003; May 2003 to Present)
At a Glance
Archivists will continually remind you that Lee Meriwether was successively
Miss San Francisco, Miss California, and Miss America. And though most know
Lee as Betty in the highly successful series, "Barnaby Jones," where she
co-starred opposite Buddy Ebsen for eight years, and was nominated for both
the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, Lee has had starring or recurring roles in
nine different series, ranging from the first women's editor with Dave
Garroway on the original "Today Show" to her three-year run as Lily on "The
Munsters Today." Some of Lee's successful series include "Time Tunnel," "The
New Andy Griffith Show," "Mission: Impossible," "The F.B.I.," "12 O'Clock
High" and "Dr. Kildare."
Lee was born in Los Angeles. Shortly after her brother Don was born three
years later, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. As she was about to enter
the fifth grade, her father was transferred to San Francisco. She was
encouraged to pursue acting, while attending George Washington High School
along with another young and talented student that fame would touch -- Johnny
Mathis. Johnny fondly remembers Lee as the girl he never saw without her
hair in rollers.
Lee won the pageant titles while attending City College of San Francisco as a
radio and TV/theater arts major. She had been nominated by a fraternity
there -- "I never would have entered on my own." Ironically, she almost
didn't make it to Atlantic City. A short time before the competition, her
father passed away, and she felt as though "the whole world had dropped out
from under me." But her mother reminded her of the lost scholarships, her
father's personal excitement over the pageant and his eagerness for her
participation. The rest is history.
Lee's mother has remained a very important part of her life. As she says, "I
have always looked to her for guidance and support and she has always given
it unselfishly. Heavens, she practically raised my daughters while I was
doing 'Barnaby Jones.'"
Following her reign as Miss America, Lee joined "The Today Show." This
experience afforded her the opportunity to use her pageant scholarships to
study acting with the famed teacher Lee Strasberg, as well as dancing,
singing, and fencing with some of the top coaches in New York. Lee's
beginnings in the entertainment industry include her first TV role, on "The
Philco Television Playhouse" with Mary Astor; her first motion picture lead,
"The 4-D Man" with Robert Lansing; and her first professional stage
appearance, in "Hatful of Rain," with William Smithers and Lou Antonio.
Her noteworthy film roles include Catwoman in the original "Batman" movie.
She also portrayed Andy Griffith's pregnant wife in "Angel in My Pocket," as
well as Rock Hudson's southern wife in "The Undefeated." Lee "swam" with
"Namu, The Killer Whale" and likes to remind film buffs that she played the
"man" killed by Kim Kovak in "The Legend of Lylah Clare."
Live theater, however, continues to be Lee's first love. Attesting to that
fact is her long association with Theater West, a professional actors'
workshop in Hollywood. Of the countless appearances she made at T.W., three
stand out in her memory: "Spoon River Anthology" with Betty Garret, "Aesop
in Central Park" with Richard Dreyfuss and "Ladies of Hanover Towers" with
Carroll O'Connor.
An assortment of her recent national stage credits includes the female
version of "The Odd Couple" (two productions), "Last Summer at Blue Fish
Cove," for which she received the DramaLogue Award for Best Actress as well
as the San Francisco Critics Award; "The Business of Murder," with Van
Johnson; Sondheim's "Follies," with seven former Miss Americas; a national
tour with Anthony Zerbe and Roy Dotrice of "Country Matters"; and most
recently, productions of the musicals, "Hello Dolly," "Mame," "The King and
I" with George Chakiris; and "I Do, I Do," "Pirates of Penzance" and a tour
of the play "Plaza Suite" with her husband, Marshall Borden.
Lee met Marshall in San Antonio where they both starred in a production of
"Angel Street." When, over the next few years, they found themselves
appearing together in "Lion in Winter" and "Alone Together," they decided
that working side by side was simply not enough. So, in San Francisco, while
performing in one of Marshall's plays, "The Artful Lodgers," they tied the
knot. This year they will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary on stage
together, co-hosting the Ms. Senior America Pageant on television; the next
day they go into rehearsals for a national tour of "Mame."
Lee also loves working with her daughters, Kyle and Lesley Aletter. Kyle
appeared with her mother in "The Gingerbread Lady"; and Lesley stunt-doubled
for her in the television travel show, "It's a Wonderful World." Both
daughters swung high over the center ring with their mom in "Circus of the
Stars"; and all have done commercials together.
Lee's husband is busy writing two plays, and while Lee waits for one of the
them in which she will have the starring role, she is enjoying one of the
most difficult acting jobs of her career -- reading several gothic thrillers
for Bantam and Random House Audio Publishing.
Lee's daughter, Kyle, and husband Rory Oldham gave birth to Lee's
granddaughter, Ryan Isabelle, on Dec. 30, 1993, and grandma Lee is always
available and eager to babysit. Also, Lee is active with a number of
humanitarian endeavors and charities. She has served as Honorary Chairman of
the Crippled Children's Society and is permanent Chairman of their major
annual benefit, "The World's Greatest Working Truck Show." She is an
honorary member of Women in Show Business, a philanthropic organization that
funds reconstructive surgery for needy children, and has twice been named
their Angel of the Year. She has also served as National Educational
Chairman of the American Cancer Society and as the Los Angeles Chairman for
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There is also a special place in her heart
for the Blind Children's Center. Lee has long been associated with animal
rights groups and is deeply involved with Actors and Others for Animals.
Lee joined the cast of All My Children in 1996, taking over the role of Ruth Martin. The role
of Ruth had previously been portrayed by Mary Fickett, but in early 1996 the actress decided that she wanted to retire from the hustle and bustle of the soap world.
Acting Portfolio
TELEVISION
All My Children
Ruth Martin
July 10th, 1996 to 1999; December 24th, 2002; March 24th, 2003; May 2003 to Present
Batman
Catwoman/Kitanya Irenya Tatanya Karenska Alisoff: 'Kitka'
1966
Acting Portfolio
FILM
Namu, the Killer Whale
Kate Rand
1966
4D Man
Linda Davis
1959
Awards and Acclaim
Miss America Winner, 1955
Vital Statistics
PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, CA
DATE OF BIRTH: May 27, 1935
HEIGHT: 5'7"
HAIR: Auburn
EYES: Blue/green
